My father and I are fans of facts and trivia. My dad being an ex-Quizmaster and me participating in quizzes since my childhood has given us the chance to collect, inquire and argue about the pieces of information we know and so, even our casual conversations (except the one’s where I’m getting scolded, of course) are packed with loads of interesting things to ponder about. During one of our more recent conversations my dad asked me, (I’m translating, trying my best to keep the authenticity of Sinhala) “Putha, did you know that Sri Lanka once had a volcano?”. I was puzzled, because Sri Lanka is known to be one of those countries which doesn’t have earthquakes, volcanoes and tornadoes. Naturally, I started questioning my dad as to what this volcano was, following which he just smirked and said, “the world has heard of it, but even Sri Lankans do not know that it was a volcano”. This peaked my curiosity, so much so that it made me Google it on my phone then and there, and I was shocked from the results that my phone showed.
The 8th Wonder of The World, Sigiriya is a remnant of a once active volcano.
Wow, being a Sri Lankan I did not know about this (sigh), and yet my Instagram bio proudly displays the word “Lankan” in it. This revelation led me to conduct more research on this great volcano and accordingly, I have summed up 5 FACTS THAT NOT EVEN SRI LANKANS KNEW ABOUT SIGIRIYA.
- SIGIRIYA, The Inactive Volcano of Sri Lanka.
The whole lion rock is made out of hardened magma plug from a long-eroded volcano. Exactly how long ago was this? Well, this volcano has been inactive for more than TWO BILLION YEARS, letting the rock shape into the silhouette of the lion with time. Furthermore, if you look at the surroundings of late King Kashyapa’s abode, you’ll happen to notice that except for Pidurangala mountain (which is an after effect of a volcano as well!) there are no cliffs to be seen. This coincidentally is the usual surrounding that you’ll see around any volcano.
- The first ESCALATOR in the World
“On 23 March 1857, the world’s earliest modern ‘safety elevator’ went into service at the Haughwout Department Store in New York City, USA. It was installed by Elisha Otis and was powered by a steam engine.”
This same technology existed in our island approximately 500 years prior to this! Excavations around the base of Sigiriya and various ancient documents give proof that during King Kashyapa’s era (477-495CE), there had been a lift for the ease of carrying out day to day activities in the palace, which they believed to have been powered by either elephants or a hydro mechanism (and that was way more before even the English Kingdom was originated).
- LION PAWS?
Just before the summit of the rock, you’ll find the beautiful staircase that runs in between two huge paws, and by the side of one of the paws you’ll find a board saying “Sinha Padha (Lion Paws)”. However, if you look closely and compare it with the paws of a real lion, you’ll start questioning yourself “Are they actually LION paws?”.
Consider the following;
- Upon inspection, you would notice that each paw has 3 toes. How many toes does a lion’s paw have?4! Is there any type of lion/cat species with 3 toes? NO! This is one of the most visible differences from real lion’s paws to the paws at Sigiriya.
- The other difference is a bit unnoticeable unless you look closely. The claws of the paws in Sinhagiri, have spread outwards while lions’ claws are not visible unless the paw is lifted. Therefore, the fact that these paws belong to an animal from the family of lions is a bit contradicting.
After further research, I found out that there is a possibility that these claws can in fact be, TALONS. Yes, they can be two legs of a bird (birds usually have 3 toes too!). Various theorists have various opinions about the type of bird for whom the legs belong to. Some say it’s a peacock and the others who take the pre-historic value into hand think that this paws signifies a part of the ‘Dandu Monara’, the flying machine that was used by King Ravana to travel in the air.
- Water gardens and Water Fountains
Sri Lankan were never second to anyone, when the Romans made fountains, so did the Sri Lankans. You could even say that the Sri Lankan fountains were way more advanced than the Roman one’s. Sigiriya has two rectangular ponds by the sides of the main path at the base of the rock. Each one had UPRIGHT FOUNTAINS which were working under a mechanism which is still a mystery to modern-day engineers. The marvels don’t stop there either, if you feel the water of the two ponds, one pond has invigorating COOL WATER even though the sun is right on top of it, and the other has bubbling HOT WATER. Also, if you notice the ponds on the summit of the rock, they are made using a certain mechanism such that they never dry up, even when the surroundings are succumbed by drought. These water gardens are among the oldest water gardens still existing in the world. Just imagine the possibilities if we had this technology today!
- PREHISTORIC? RAVANA?
To the East of Sigiriya, you would find the Aligala Rock Shelter. Here, archaeological excavation teams have been able to find remnants belonging to the MESOLITHIC period. This shows us that there had existed human civilization around Sigiriya, even during the pre-historic period. This is why many historians believe that King Ravana and Sigiriya have some kind of an interconnection. It is rumored that King Ravana’s tomb, treasures and the Dandu Monara have been securely treasured in the rock, which many have yet failed to find. Some even say that Kind Ravana had his fortress at Sigiriya, even before King Kashyapa! If this is proven to be true, the age of the rock fortress will increase, showing that the knowledge used to make these marvels has existed in our island nation from the pre-historic era itself.
Who would’ve thought that a casual conversation with my dad would lead me to do some extensive research on a subject I thought I knew, only to find out that like Jon Snow, I knew nothing. Some people would wonder if I am lying. “How come I never knew about this?”, they would ask. All I would say is that all the great mysteries are solved right in front of your naked eyes, it’s just that you are not keen enough to see it.
Until next time with another FYI… from Sinhagiri, with love.
Rtr. Nadun Ranasinghe
Editor
RACALBS