A group of foreigners escaped unhurt after a wild elephant encounter near the entry point of the Sigiriya rock fortress. 

Video footage shows the group of four walking towards the entrance around 4.00 am when they came across the elephant. 

Acting on a warning from a security officer at the guard post, the women ran, but were chased by the animal. 

They eventually emerged unscathed, while the elephant was later seen walking away. (Newswire/ Video- Accident1st)

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Director General of the Central Cultural Fund (CCF), Dr. Nilan Cooray, said that recent maintenance work at Sigiriya has led to new findings about the ancient fountain system, Newsfirst reported.

Dr. Cooray explained that the Sigiriya fountains typically become active during the rainy season each year. However, at the end of last year, they were found to be inactive.

The initial assumption was that the underground pipe system had become blocked with sludge, he said.

As part of efforts to restore the fountains, authorities launched cleaning and maintenance work.

During this process, it was established that the moat surrounding Sigiriya, which maintains a water level slightly higher than the fountains, feeds the fountains.

When filled during the rainy season, the moat channels water into the fountains, activating the system. Dr. Cooray said.

“For years, there were only estimates about how the Sigiriya fountains functioned. Through this work, we have now been able to establish the mechanism with greater certainty,” Dr. Cooray said.

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A 21-year-old woman was taken into custody on Sunday (14) for writing her name and defacing the Mirror Wall at the Sigiriya Rock Fortress.

It is reported that the woman was taken into custody by archaeological officers at the site and handed over to the Sigiriya Police.

The woman, who is a resident of the Avissawella area, had visited the World Heritage Site with a group of friends.

The police stated that the young woman is scheduled to be presented before the Dambulla Magistrate’s Court today. (Newswire)

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A foreign tourist is reported to have passed away at the Sigiriya Rock Fortress due to a lack of proper first aid, according to a representative of the Ceylon Spirit Tourism Association.

Secretary of the Association, N.P. Wijesinghe said that in the last two to three years, a total of 06 persons, including tourists and tour guides, have passed away due to a lack of proper first aid services at Sigiriya.

“The price of a Sigiriya ticket is Rs. 11,000. It is truly shameful that the amount charged cannot provide even the minimum first aid facilities. How many more deaths are needed to start first aid facilities in Sigiriya?” he questioned.

In a post on social media, Wijesinghe further said; “Some high-ranking officials who are responsible and should be investigated are spending their time writing comments on Facebook, while others are warming chairs, and others who have gone to the shop for positions have disappeared after receiving them.”

He added that as tourism service providers engaged in the tourism sector, they urge the authorities to pay attention to this very important request related to proper first aid facilities at tourist attractions. (Newswire)

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By Jago Cooper 

(Director of the Sainsbury Centre for Visual Arts and professor of art and archaeology at UEA)

When I was 11, I was given the Atlas of Mysterious Places by a teacher and have been tragically obsessed ever since. It is why I have spent most of my life visiting these captivating places, while pursuing a career that gives me the excuse to do so.

The more extraordinary places you visit, the more you realise how truly incomprehensible the scale of human ingenuity and cultural innovation is. The wonder is in the unknown and the inspiration it instils towards greater learning. Perhaps that is why the “wonder” I am choosing is one I personally have more to learn about.

I will never forget my first trip to Sigiriya and climbing the near-vertical rock face through the paws of a giant stone lion up to the hilltop citadel. The site consists of a palace complex atop a stone plateau that rises more than 200 metres from the plains below.

Surrounding this plateau is a carefully laid out city with moats and canals providing both defensive and architecturally elaborate features. For me, this is a site that visually embodies the essence of an impossible human creation. This stone-built city was created more than 1,500 years ago and is exceptionally well preserved – evocative wall paintings of palace life are still protected in radiant colour by vertical stone cliffs.

As is common to many ancient sites in northern Sri Lanka, the water management systems are incredibly elaborate and demonstrate the ingenious ways in which reservoir tanks, canals and stone chambers were used to control this precious resource. The management of the region’s highly variable rainfall allowed the development of beautiful landscaped gardens with different environmental conditions through each level of the city. These represent some of the earliest and best-preserved landscaped gardens in the world. The technological ingenuity of these water management systems is relevant to modern-day Sri Lanka, as increasingly unpredictable rain patterns threaten communities in this region today.

For me, this is a site that visually embodies the essence of an impossible human creation

Built by King Kashyapa in the fifth century, the site had a relatively brief heyday: following his death in 495 after a battle against his brother’s army, it was abandoned as a capital. But Sigiriya isn’t a dead landscape of a foregone age; it is a living reminder of how environmental knowledge specifically tailored to the local ecology is absolutely essential. It embodies that cultural connection of beauty, practicality and material realisation that is the true wonder of a site like this.

Having first visited in the 1990s when I was working in Sri Lanka and last visiting decades later with my children, the wonder of Sigiriya continues to grow in my imagination.

Jago Cooper is director of the Sainsbury Centre for Visual Arts and professor of art and archaeology at UEA. (The Guardian)

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The Ministry of Buddhasasana, Religious and Cultural Affairs has refuted reports of opening the historic Sigiriya rock fortress for tourists for night visits.

Issuing a statement, the ministry said no decision has been taken to open the Sigiriya rock fortress at night time.

The ministry further noted that an image of Sigiriya with lighting at night time being circulated on social media at present, was fake.

The clarification comes after it was recently reported that the Ministry of Tourism has decided to open the historic Sigiriya rock fortress for tourists on moonlit nights.

It was reported that the programme called  ‘Sigiriya in Moon’ will be implemented for five days a month targeting the full moon Poya Day.

Per the programme, tourists were to be allowed night visits of Sigiriya; two days prior to the full moon day, on the full moon day, and two days after, with the aim of boosting revenue from tourism. (Newswire)

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The Ministry of Tourism has decided to open the historic Sigiriya rock fortress for tourists on moonlit nights.

The programme called  ‘Sigiriya in Moon’ will be implemented for five days a month targeting the full moon Poya Day.

Accordingly, tourists will be entitled to night visits of Sigiriya; two days prior to the full moon day, on the full moon day, and two days after.   

It is reported that the initiative is being made with the aim of boosting revenue from tourism. (Newswire)

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A Reverse Osmosis Water Plant was inaugurated at Sinhapada of the UNESCO World Heritage Site of Sigiriya Rock Fortress by the High Commissioner of India to Sri Lanka Santosh Jha on Wednesday.

According to the Indian High Commission, the Director General of the Central Cultural Fund; Deputy Chief Secretary of the Central Province; and representatives of the Department of Trade, Commerce and Tourism, Central Province, were among the government officials who attended the inauguration.

The RO Water Plant has been handed over to the Central Cultural Fund at the Department of Cultural Affairs, Ministry of Buddhasasana, Religious and Cultural Affairs. 

The Government of India has already borne the expenditure for the maintenance of the facility for the next five years. The RO Water Plant will benefit the thousands of visitors to Sigiriya from across the globe. 

The Indian High Commission states the assistance extended reaffirms India’s ongoing commitment to Sri Lanka’s growth and progress across sectors. (Newswire)

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Sigiriya/Dambulla and Trincomalee are to be developed as tourism zones through an investment of Rs. one billion, Minister of  Urban Development and Housing Prasanna Ranatunga said.

According to Daily News, the development project will be carried out by the Urban Development Authority (UDA) with the investment being provided by the Asian Development Bank (ADB).

Minister Ranatunga said the project stalled due to the Coronavirus pandemic and the economic crisis will be recommenced this year with an initial investment of Rs. 320 million. 

He further said that under this project locations identified in Sigiriya/Dambulla and Trincomalee cities would be converted into tourism zones and infrastructure would be provided to them.

Accordingly, the Trincomalee project consists of 6 sub-projects and includes the development of the Dutch Bay and Back Bay Beach Development, Fort Frederick, Preservation and improvement, public facilities of hot springs development, construction of floating restaurants and creating eco-parks.

The project also includes the improvement of Powder Island and Crow Island areas, and the modernisation of Colonial Buildings, including the Trincomalee Port Head Office Premises. (NewsWire)

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Two Sri Lankan children have assisted the Police in tracking down two suspects who had assaulted a Turkish female tourist and stolen her bag with money in Sigiriya. 

According to media reports, the tourist had visited Sigiriya Rock this morning and had encountered the suspects on a motorcycle while she was walking back to her accommodation via a crossroad.

The suspects are reported to have assaulted the tourist and snatched her bag with money, after which they fled the area.

However, two young children in the area who had observed the reckless driving of the motorcyclist had taken note of the motorcycle number and had informed their parents.

After being informed of the robbery, the children informed the owner of the accommodation, where the tourist was residing, of the motorcycle number which was then conveyed to the Police.

The Sigiriya Police had tracked down the suspects within 45 minutes and had recovered the tourist’s stolen bag with US$ 225 and Rs. 20,000 in cash. The suspects will be produced before the Dambulla Magistrate’s Court. 

The Turkish tourist who was injured in the robbery has been admitted to the Emergency Treatment Unit of the Sigiriya Divisional Hospital. (NewsWire)

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