Covering an area 140 metres long and 40 metres high, the Sigiriya Frescoes have always been a source of inspiration not only for poets of the olden times, but also for modern day Sri Lanka artists and lyricists. Sri Lankan Artists have long since drawn inspiration from these emblems representing Sri Lanka arts in their purest form. These breathtaking frescoes of beautiful female figures in graceful poses, adorned with ornate jewellery bearing flowers in their arms point to the direction of the Kandy Temple of the Tooth Relic, considered a temple of utmost importance to Sinhala Buddhists.
Although considered to be belonging to the Anuradhapura period, the painting style, the line and the style of application is said to be different from that of paintings of the Anuradhapura period. It is said that more than 500 ladies had graced these rock surfaces but only a few remain now, having been wiped out by time as well as by humans when the royal palace of Sigiriya once again became a monastery. There are many speculations about the identity of these ladies in the pictures. While some assume them to be the wives of the King Kashyapa, others assume them to be deities or women taking part in a religious procession. It must also be mentioned that these paintings bear a close resemblance to the paintings found in the Ajanta Caves in India.
Jayani Senanayake is a writer who dabbles in travel and all things exotic. Under the pseudonym of Calliope Sage, she writes of the allures that must simply be discovered. Google+