Sigiriya
Sigiriya, one of the must visit attractions in Sri Lanka was the creation of king Kashyapa I, who apparently killed his father for he refused to give the treasures due to him. According to legend Kashyapa built Sigiriya as a fortress because he was afraid that his brother Mugalan would avenge the killing of their father. Sigiriya is one of the best preserved examples of urban planning in a single phase construction of South Asia. Its royal complex or the citadel extended for 3Km in breadth. It is open to debate whether Sigiriya was built as a fortress against an impending attack from Kashayapa's brother Mugalan. He moved his capital from Anuradhapura to Sigiriya and the designing of the rock abode and the city bears eloquent evidence to the fact that it was more than just a fortress built for his security and defense. After king Kashyapa, Sigiriya was abandoned by the Sinhalesa kings and they reverted the capital to Anuradhapura. The Sigiriya coplex was donated to the Buddhist monks for their habitation. But apparently even the monks did not have any love for the place and abandoned it after sometime. Nevertheless people from all walks of life visited Sigiriya from the seventh to twelfth century to view its marvels and its beautiful paintings and some wrote verses on the mirror wall on the western side of the rock. These frescoes and graffiti of Sigiriya are world famous. This poetry not only suggests that the literacy rate in the country at that time was advanced but also points to a well organized administration to supervise Sigiriya even after it was abandoned.