!!!The Cloud Ladies of Sigiriya
[{Image src='Wissenssammlungen/Essays/Weltreisen/Wolkendamen_Sri_Lanka/image1.jpeg' height='270' class='image_right' caption='Hand of one of the Ladies' alt='' width='401'}]
!!Fortification and picture gallery of early history of Sri Lanka

By

[Günther Jontes|Geography/About/Consortium/Jontes,_Günther]

''All photos were taken by the author in 1975 and 1984 and are part of his archive "Pictureflood Jontes".''

\\


Near the city of Dambula [{GoogleMap location='Sri Lanka, Dambulla' zoom='9'}], roughly in the center of Sri Lanka (the former Ceylon) is a plain, covered by forests. What is remarkable is that there is a 200 m high monotlith of volcanic origin whose substantial plateau can only be reached by a difficult climb. On this plateau there are still remnants of palaces, monasteries and water cisterns. This is the rock of Sigiriya: the name means "Lionmountain". 

The rock fortification goes back to king  Kasyapa I. (472 bis 491 A.D.) of Anuradhapura [{GoogleMap location='Anuradhapura, Sri Lanka' zoom='9'}]. He was responsible for the murder of his father Dhatusena to grab the throne. Afraid of his half-brother Mogallana, who by law would be  the heir to the throne he erected a fortress on the Lion mountain and declared it as capital. When his half-brother finally suceeded to become the true emperor his first action was to move the capital back to  Anuradhapura. The rock fortification was given up and its  decay started. Up to the 14 th century there still was a Buddhist monastery as only inhabited complex of buildings. 

 
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[{Image src='Wissenssammlungen/Essays/Weltreisen/Wolkendamen_Sri_Lanka/image2.jpeg' height='270' class='image_block' caption='Sigiriya, the Lionmountain' alt='Sigiriya, the Lionmountain' width='410'}]
[{Image src='Wissenssammlungen/Essays/Weltreisen/Wolkendamen_Sri_Lanka/image3.jpeg' height='270' class='image_block' caption='The original entry was through a gigantic head of a lion ,...' alt='The original entry was through a gigantic head of a lion ,...' width='178'}]
[{Image src='Wissenssammlungen/Essays/Weltreisen/Wolkendamen_Sri_Lanka/image4.jpeg' height='270' class='image_block' caption='...of which today only the paws remain.' alt='...of which today only the paws remain.' width='414'}]
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At about half up the rock there is a band of "murals" on the rock, a place reachable today only via a fairly treacherous  construction of ladders. The pictures showed elegant and beautiful women, about 500 of them it is said. The today remaining 22 of them belong to UNESCO world heritage since 1980.  

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[{Image src='Wissenssammlungen/Essays/Weltreisen/Wolkendamen_Sri_Lanka/image5.jpeg' height='270' class='image_block' caption='Treacherous ladders' alt='Treacherous ladders' width='410'}]
[{Image src='Wissenssammlungen/Essays/Weltreisen/Wolkendamen_Sri_Lanka/image6.jpeg' height='270' class='image_block' caption='Treacherous ladders' alt='Treacherous ladders' width='177'}]
[{Image src='Wissenssammlungen/Essays/Weltreisen/Wolkendamen_Sri_Lanka/image7.jpeg' height='270' class='image_block' caption='Treacherous ladders' alt='Treacherous ladders' width='408'}]
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The bare-bosom ladies shown, often called cloud ladies, carry flowers in their hands. A light smile beautifies their faces. Probably the women shown were part of the royal court, on their way to bring gifts to some of the gods or to some of royals festivities. The artists are unknown.  It is interesting to note, however, that the pictures in their style resemble very much the paintings in the cave temples of Ajanta [{GoogleMap location='Ajanta, India' zoom='10'}] in the northern part of India. 

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[{Image src='Wissenssammlungen/Essays/Weltreisen/Wolkendamen_Sri_Lanka/image8.jpeg' height='270' class='image_block' caption='„cloud ladies“' alt='„cloud ladies“' width='401'}]
[{Image src='Wissenssammlungen/Essays/Weltreisen/Wolkendamen_Sri_Lanka/image9.jpeg' height='270' class='image_block' caption='„cloud ladies“' alt='„cloud ladies“' width='181'}]
[{Image src='Wissenssammlungen/Essays/Weltreisen/Wolkendamen_Sri_Lanka/image10.jpeg' height='270' class='image_block' caption='„cloud ladies“' alt='„cloud ladies“' width='181'}]
[{Image src='Wissenssammlungen/Essays/Weltreisen/Wolkendamen_Sri_Lanka/image11.jpeg' height='270' class='image_block' caption='„cloud ladies“' alt='„cloud ladies“' width='181'}]
[{Image src='Wissenssammlungen/Essays/Weltreisen/Wolkendamen_Sri_Lanka/image12.jpeg' height='270' class='image_block' caption='„cloud ladies“' alt='„cloud ladies“' width='404'}]
[{Image src='Wissenssammlungen/Essays/Weltreisen/Wolkendamen_Sri_Lanka/image13.jpeg' height='270' class='image_block' caption='„cloud ladies“' alt='„cloud ladies“' width='181'}]
[{Image src='Wissenssammlungen/Essays/Weltreisen/Wolkendamen_Sri_Lanka/image14.jpeg' height='270' class='image_block' caption='„cloud ladies“' alt='„cloud ladies“' width='182'}]
[{Image src='Wissenssammlungen/Essays/Weltreisen/Wolkendamen_Sri_Lanka/image15.jpeg' height='270' class='image_block' caption='„cloud ladies“' alt='„cloud ladies““' width='181'}]
[{Image src='Wissenssammlungen/Essays/Weltreisen/Wolkendamen_Sri_Lanka/image16.jpeg' height='320' class='image_block' caption='„cloud ladies“' alt='„cloud ladies““' width='215'}]
[{Image src='Wissenssammlungen/Essays/Weltreisen/Wolkendamen_Sri_Lanka/image17.jpeg' height='320' class='image_block' caption='„cloud ladies“' alt='„cloud ladies“' width='215'}]
[{Image src='Wissenssammlungen/Essays/Weltreisen/Wolkendamen_Sri_Lanka/image18.jpeg' height='320' class='image_block' caption='„cloud ladies“' alt='„cloud ladies“' width='476'}]
[{Image src='Wissenssammlungen/Essays/Weltreisen/Wolkendamen_Sri_Lanka/image19.jpeg' height='320' class='image_block' caption='„cloud ladies“' alt='„cloud ladies“' width='475'}]
[{Image src='Wissenssammlungen/Essays/Weltreisen/Wolkendamen_Sri_Lanka/image20.jpeg' height='320' class='image_block' caption='„cloud ladies“' alt='„cloud ladies“' width='214'}]
[{Image src='Wissenssammlungen/Essays/Weltreisen/Wolkendamen_Sri_Lanka/image21.jpeg' height='320' class='image_block' caption='„cloud ladies“' alt='„cloud ladies““' width='215'}]
[{Image src='Wissenssammlungen/Essays/Weltreisen/Wolkendamen_Sri_Lanka/image22.jpeg' height='300' class='image_block' caption='On the plateau' alt='On the plateau' width='458'}]
[{Image src='Wissenssammlungen/Essays/Weltreisen/Wolkendamen_Sri_Lanka/image23.jpeg' height='300' class='image_block' caption='The view from the plateau down shows the remnants of the historic city, an early sample of city planning' alt='The view from the plateau' width='459'}]
[{Image src='Wissenssammlungen/Essays/Weltreisen/Wolkendamen_Sri_Lanka/image24.jpeg' height='220' class='image_block' caption='View from the plateau' alt='View from the plateau' width='332'}]
[{Image src='Wissenssammlungen/Essays/Weltreisen/Wolkendamen_Sri_Lanka/image25.jpeg' height='220' class='image_block' caption='Forests at the bottom of the lionmountain' alt='Forests at the bototm of the lionmountain' width='325'}]
[{Image src='Wissenssammlungen/Essays/Weltreisen/Wolkendamen_Sri_Lanka/image26.jpeg' height='220' class='image_block' caption='Even today some of the forests are still burnt to allow dry- rice growing' alt='Even today some of the forests are still burnt to allow dry- rice growing' width='332'}]
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[Zur deutschen Version|Wissenssammlungen/Essays/Weltreisen/Wolkendamen_Sri_Lanka]
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[{Metadata Suchbegriff='Cloud ladies, Indien, Singiriaya ' Kontrolle='Nein'}]