Water Gardens

Sigiriya


As you walk from the Sigiriya main entrance to the rock itself you pass a series of charming symmetrical water gardens, including curved tanks, bathing pools, little islands with pavilions that were used as dry-season palaces, and landscaped borders.


Lonely Planet's must-see attractions

Nearby Sigiriya attractions

1. Royal Gardens

0.09 MILES

The base of the Sigiriya rock is a beautifully landscaped area dotted with formal water features, terraced gardens and natural boulders that were once…

2. Main Entrance

0.1 MILES

This is where you have your ticket checked and enter the main site.

3. Boulder Gardens

0.27 MILES

At the base of the Sgiriya rock and most easily seen after a visit to the summit, this collection of natural boulders once formed the bases of monastery…

4. Main Exit

0.29 MILES

Most people end up here after their visit to the Sigiriya rock.

5. Frescoes

0.3 MILES

Halfway up the Sigiriya rock an open-air spiral stairway leads to a long, sheltered gallery in the sheer rock face. The paintings of the buxom, wasp…

6. Sigiriya Museum

0.3 MILES

This decent museum has a fine diorama of the site, providing an excellent overview and explaining Sigiriya's cultural importance beyond the obvious…

7. Mirror Wall

0.3 MILES

Beyond the Sigiriya frescoes, the path clings to the sheer side of the rock and is protected on the outside by a 3m-high wall. This wall (not the actual…

8. Cobra Hood Cave

0.31 MILES

This rocky projection down in the Boulder Garden earned its name because the overhang resembles a fully opened cobra’s hood. The plastered interior of the…

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