The New King (Vibheeshna Temple)
This is a Buddhist temple linked with the coronation of Vibeeshana by Lakshmana after the death of the hubristic Ravana. The murals enshrined at this temple are an exquisite example of the sculptor’s art that narrate the story of this place.
Growing up in an Indian household, my formative years included watching Yugo Sako’s ‘The Legend of Prince Rama’ on weekends. In college, I developed an interest for the more cunning characters of the Hindu mythology (Shakuni from Vyasa’s ‘The Dicing’ and ‘The Sequel to Dicing’) which then got me to read about the mighty king Ravana and his abode, the Sigiriya, a palace that was
gifted to Ravana by his own master, Lord Shiva. Call it serendipity for a little kid
who loved mythology, Sri Lanka made me witness all that I had read till now.
Sri Lanka is home to the demon king, Ravana’s island fortress capital. The
country houses many sites mentioned in the Hindu mythology like the Ashoka
Vatika, Sita’s Agneepath, Ravana’s palace and caves, Vibheeshna’s temple amongst many others. Heretic to the Indian belief system, while Ravana is seen as an Asura (demon), the demon god holds a godlike status in Lankan mythology. He is also worshipped by certain sects of the Sri Lankan population.
THE ARTCHITECTURE, LAND, AND PROPERTY
An amalgamation of modern architecture and nature, Heritance Kandalama makes you feel like you’re in a Tomb Raider movie. Conceptualized by Geoffery Bawa, the modern structure stands on a cave rock with a jungle surrounding you from all sides. The mysticism of nature blends perfectly with modern architecture making the property one of my favourite places to stay in Sri Lanka. The mornings feel so divine! The view of the forest and the lake which shimmers, reflecting sun rays is an exquisite experience. You may also find cute little monkeys around the glass frame as you shower and prepare for the adventure that awaits!
Stranger than Fiction – Demon King’s Abode, Sigiriya
20 minutes away from Heritance Kandalama, stands the tall ancient rock fortress, the Sigiriya Citadel Rock, located in the northern Matale District near Dambulla. The Sigirya rock looks alien to the rest of the topography as this gigantic steep rock is in the middle of nowhere, it looks as if someone scraped a hill, gave it some shape and placed it on a large and seemingly even surfaced land. It is a manifestation of yet another nature’s miracles.
History books track down the structures built on top of the Sigiriya rock as King Kashyapa’s palace during his reign in the 5th century. However, mythology enthusiasts have highlighted the onus of this palace to the vanquished king of Lanka, Ravana. You can find 6-10ft deep pools at the entrance of this palace which has also found their mention in the Mahabharata. The pools appear shallow to the naked eye and have fountains installed centuries ago that are functional to this day! It is believed that Ravana used these illusionary pools to keep intruders away from entering his palace.
The 200-metre high Sigriya city, in all its grandeur, has elaborate entrance gates. The famous lion gate looks ferocious! It took me a minute to pick my jaw up from the floor as all the fictional movies I’d seen failed to match this stranger-than-fiction reality. The might of the demon king continues to emanate from the structure and has left a lingering sense of wonder at the power Ravana must have commanded. Just look at that ancient structure-
