Sigiriya Frescoes. Painting on a rock face in the Matale District of Sri Lanka
Sigiriya is a unique witness to the civilization of Ceylon during the years of the reign of Kassapa I. The site of the 'Lion Mountain' was visited from the 6th century AD, by passionate admirers. The frescoes of Sigiriya inaugurated a pictorial style which endured over many centuries. The poems inscribed on the rock by certain of these admirers, and known as the 'Sigiri graffiti,' are among the most ancient texts in the Sinhalese language, and thus show the considerable influence exerted by the abandoned city of Kassapa I on both literature and thought. Halfway up the rock, within an inaccessible rocky shelter in the vertical wall of the western face are rock paintings which have brought universal acclaim to the site of Sigiriya - 'The Maidens of the Clouds', 21 non-identified female figures, comparable to the most beautiful creations of Ajanta.
Size: 3887px × 2592px
Location: Central Province, Matale District Sri Lanka
Photo credit: © Stephen Roberts / Alamy / Afripics
License: Royalty Free
Model Released: No
Keywords: 477, 495, 8th, ad, cultural, district, face, frescoes, graffiti, kashyapa, king, lanka, lion, magma, matale, monastery, mountain, painting, plug, rock, sigiri, sigiriya, sri, triangle, world, –
