Day 12 – Kandy to Sigiri via Matale

Daily Summaries, Sri Lanka

Details:

We woke up to an amazing sunrise from our accommodation Dreamscape Home Stay (affiliated link). The very kind hosts / family organised a three wheel (tuk tuk) driver who they know / are related to, for a tour of Matale and to climb the legendary Sigiri Rock.

Views from the Balcony of Dreamscape Home Stay

We left early in the morning and first went to the Hindu temple Sri Muthumari Amman Kovil, which was one of the larger Hindu temples I have seen.

The impressive Sri Muthumari Amman Kovil (Temple)

After the temple we went to a Buddist Cave Temple Aluviharaya Rock Cave Temple. The temple had a unique room which had statues showing the various punishments for crimes back in the day which is unique for a temple.

After the temple, we travelled to Sigiri Rock. I was really excited to do this as I remember doing it as a kid probably 20 years ago.

While walking towards Sigiri we walked past the fountains (only one half is excavated) which apparently still work when it rains (which was verified by the museum staff member).

  • The still working (when it rains) fountains surrounding Sigiri
  • Only one half of the garden is excavated, with the other half still buried

We went past the famous fresco paints of the women, which you can’t take photos of. In the few minutes that we were there, one person was being told off and being forced to sign paper work and another was yelled at by the other staff member. If you enter the museum (included free with a foreigner ticket or extra for a local ticket) you can see a replica of the frescos (shown below) which you can take photos of.

Replica frescos at the museum

The climb was actually really short which was a bit of a disappointment as I remembered a large climb when I was a kid…I guess I ate my veges and grew up (…Onel!!!) After the frescos the main attraction is the Lion Paws which are very impressive.

  • The impressive Lions Paws that give the rock its name.

After the last set of stairs to the top of the rock, you are met with the ruins of the ancient palace and 360 degree views of all around. Highly recommend the climb and we learnt a lot from reading all the tourist information signs.

  • Impressive ruins above the rock
  • These guys ain’t shy
  • The original staircase?
  • Ruins and Views

After the climb we visited the museum which has a model of what they believe Sigiri was back in the day. If you have time I think the museum is worth it, just for the mock up model.

Finally we were dropped off at our accommodation at Tiny Holiday Resort (affiliate link) in Dambulla. From here we walked to the Dambulla Cave Temple. We bought some flowers at the bottom, and while climbing the mountain towards the caves we were told that the monkeys eat the flowers. After hearing this my wife gave me the flowers so the eager monkeys were sizing me up and I kept thinking about Planet of the Apes, which left me swinging the flowers around like a sword so no monkey would get close.

Once at the top of the incline, we visited the several caves that had been converted to temples with several statues and amazing artwork on the roof of the caves. Near the main road is a large golden Buddha which is an impressive 30 meters tall, which we also saw after sunset.

  • Outside the cave temple
Large Buddha near the main road

Travelled in early September. Thanks for reading 🙂

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2 Replies to “Day 12 – Kandy to Sigiri via Matale”

  1. Onel

    Hi P Aiya!
    Looks like a lot of fun! By the way I do eat my vegetables (just not all of them…) HAHAHA
    Your camera shots are very nice especially the ‘Ruins and Views’ photo! 🙂 Have fun! 😄😄

    • Gap Traveller

      HAHAHA Thanks for the comments! You should eat them all! Very important.
      Sigiri is one of the best things to do in Lanka! Have you been?

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