Travel / Lifestyle

Sigiriya museum to boost tourism

by Elmo Leonard in Sigiriya

Sigiriya Rest House, is this close to the fabled rock.

Sigiriya Rest House.

Sigiriya, reputed as the `world's eighth wonder' bearing the ruins of a fortress built on this gigantic rock, by King Kasyapa (474 - 495 AD) remains one of the untapped quarters of Sri Lanka tourism. It will receive its greatest boost when a Sigiriya museum is opened to visitors, two years from now, with a Japanese company behind the move.

People from the Central Cultural Fund, based here said that some exhibits pertaining to Sigiriya, now displayed in other museums and even in Colombo, will be brought here for exhibition.

Many authorities feel that a museum for Sigiriya is long overdue, and will enliven interest from domestic and international tourists. Tourists say that Kandy's museum provides them with an understanding of the life and time of this kingdom, set up only a few hundreds of years ago and was the last domain of the island's monarchy.

Even Polonnaruwa has a museum, being of medieval dimension, set up by the most successful monarch of Sri Lanka, Parakramabahu the Great. This museum is visited by many thousands of tourists each year.

But, much of the past of Anuradhapura and Sigiriya, still lay buried. While Anuradhapura remained a capital for over a millennium, and possibly, dates far back, Sigiriya, following the defeat of King Kasyapa, the kingdom was handed over to bhikkhus, perhaps, a fitting gesture of ending the rule of a tyrant.

The tourism trade, we spoke to in Sigiriya, reminded that the Mahavansa chronicle ignored its history. Perhaps, it was because, the Mahavansa at that time was written by a bhikkhu, a relation of King Datusena, whom Kasyapa his son, put to death. This patricidal act is recorded by that bhikkhu.

But, just as Sigiriya was handed back to the bhikkhus, after Kasyapa was ousted, this giant rock housed a monastery, before Kasyapa, some historians say. Perhaps, such a high and habitable rock, had human dwelling and subordinated human infrastructure in its environs, for many millennia.

While historians say that it is not certain who the women in the Sigiri frescoes were, the people around Sigiriya quote legend, that the Sigiriya ladies, (only a few frescoes are visible) with flowers in hand, were drawn as they went to the Pidurangala temple, nearby.

In those times, of little entertainment, these enchanting ladies, going to the temple, bare breasted, as was the accepted dress of women, would have motivated much human interest. Of the few frescoes now left, they named two, as being Kasyapa's daughters.

There are other frescoes with mongoloid features. An old dame, with negroid features, who added to the variety of the harem of her day, and when she aged, was in charge of the king's ravishing women.

Then, nearby, there was an iron infirmary where weapons were made and exported to distant parts of the world. The Cultural Fund people here, were unhappy about admitting of its presence, and that it had possibly existed thousands of years before Kasyapa. Also, that it was in such ruin, it cannot be resurrected, and that there are skeletons of humans, buried nearby. But, such facts have been written about by discerning visitors.

While the local and foreign tourist potential of Sigiriya remains highly untapped, few locals who come here even know that 15 kilometres away is an ancient temple, Kalu Diya Pokuna. It is a pity, that so few hotel rooms can be counted around the environs of such a majestic rock, bubbling with history.

If not to cater for the foreigner, even to accommodate the local visitor, who speaks Sinhala, and could spend more days here. The local tourist can go about on their own in the environs of Sigiriya.

They could speak to the peasants, learn an d enjoy much from legend, yet in the living minds of people. They could visit the many rock caves, temples, perhaps discover ruined industrial sites, for Sri Lanka's technology at that time, was second to almost none which existed. And, they could learn much more, beyond the scope of an article.

Perhaps, Ceylon Hotels Corporation's Sigiriya Rest House, would be the ideal place, to start from.

Travelling in a bus to Polonnaruwa, the visitor has to request to be put down at the Sigiriya Handiya, or the Sigiriya junction. For less than Rs. 200 a three wheeler will take you there. Manager, Premeratne Banda counted 14 rooms here. Single rooms are sold at Rs. 1,800 for locals and $36 for foreigners. There are also double rooms and triple rooms sold at Rs. 2,050 for locals and $47 for foreigners.

The food is typically local, and if you ask for it, western dishes are provided. The rooms are airconditioned and there is hot and cold water for bathing. The bar is adequate and the fried inland fish served, was the tastiest fish an Australian tourist, had known.

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Cathay Pacific adds 11 more freighter flights

Cathay Pacific Airways added 11 extra freighter flights each week to three major cities in Europe: Amsterdam, Frankfurt and Manchester.

With the extra services, the number of freighter flights operated to Europe every week by the airline will rise from 25 to 36, an increase of almost 50 per cent. The addition of the 11 flights, which are still subject to Government approval, will further strengthen Hong Kong's position as one of the world's leading airfreight hubs.

Five flights a week are being added to Frankfurt, Germany's main cargo hub, operating every Monday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday. The extra flights, all routed through Dubai, will take to 11 the number of flights Cathay Pacific operates between Hong Kong and Frankfurt each week.

The other six new flights all follow a Hong Kong-Dubai-Manchester-Amsterdam-Dubai-Hong Kong pattern, departing Hong Kong every day of the week except Friday. Cathay Pacific already operates a freighter service to Manchester, with eight flights a week, while Amsterdam will be a new freighter destination for the airline.

Cathay Pacific Director and General Manager Cargo Ron Mathison said: "Europe is an important cargo market for Hong Kong and we are very pleased to be able to further strengthen our presence in the continent through these additional flights.

The Cathay Pacific name has a good reputation in Europe and we believe the enhanced services will help us to better meet demand out of Hong Kong and the Mainland, at the same time giving a further boost to the Hong Kong hub."