Sigiriya museum

ttnotes.com - Travel Notes

This is an interesting museum providing excellent overviews of the history and the cultural importance of Sigiriya. The collection of black and white photos of the British archaeologist Henry CP Bell is quite interesting.

The museum was established in 2008, and has 6 main galleries.

Gallery 1: Displays stone weapons, parts of human skeletons which are from the prehistoric period, explains the usage of iron and metal, and transformation of the agricultural era.

Galley 2: Explains the pre King Kashyapa era of Sigiriya, it was used as a Buddhist monastery before being a rock fortress. It is recorded that the king built a new complex in Pidurangala for the Buddhist monks, when Sigiriya was transformed for a fortress.

Gallery 3: Explains the city and the fortress of Sigiriya, and display of the reconstructed fortress.

Gallery 4: Explains the Sigiriya paintings and the scribbled poems on the mirror wall. It is believed that a major part of the western face of Sigiriya might have been covered with paintings of 500 women.

Gallery 5: Explains the lifestyle of the monarch, there are various replicas which depicts the types of jewellery etc.

Gallery 6: The archaeological history of Sigiriya.