Sri Lanka
Despite its political machinations and it’s slow recovery from the tsunami, Sri Lanka remains a jewel for the traveler wishing to develop a greater cultural understanding of this island nation.
"To me the beauty of Ceylon lies not so much in its blue seas and golden beaches, its jungles and its mountain peaks, as in its ancient atmosphere. History lies buried in its sands, and ghosts of romance lurk among its bastioned rocks, for Lanka is very, very old."
Five centuries before Christ, Sri Lanka was a land throbbing with vitality and a well-ordered civilization. Cities, palaces, reservoirs, parks, temples, monasteries, monuments and works of art bore testament to the character, imagination, culture, philosophy and faith of the people of Sri Lanka, the Resplendent Land. Vestiges of this ancient civilization are abundantly extant today. History, culture, festivals and world heritage sites, as yet undiscovered and uncluttered by the tourism masses, makes Sri Lanka an absolute stand out for a relaxed, friendly and enlightening travel experience.
Sigiriya –Palace, Paintings & Royal Gardens:
One of Asia’s major archaeological sites, an area of ancient
settlement Sigiriya remains one of Sri Lanka’s most memorable
historical locations and forms a link in a remarkable area known as the
Cultural Triangle. With an historical beginning in the 3rd. century B.C. Sirgiriya was transformed into an architectural and cultural marvel around 460 A.D.
Sigiriya is a walled and moated royal capital with an intricate palace complex built on top of a mountainous rock outcrop not dissimilar to (Ayers rock), 200 meters above the surrounding plain. Elaborate pleasure gardens fed by an intricate gravity pressure water system, extensive moats and ramparts are just a small proportion of the extensive planned City which the Palace over looks and displays the grandeur and complexity of urban-planning in 5th century Sri Lanka.
The highlight and most famous feature of Sigiriya is the 5th century Apsara frescos. Superbly preserved these "Sigiriya ladies" portray the expressions of royal grandeur and artistic evocations of courtly life, with aesthetic and erotic dimensions.