“And that he might the more vex the king, who was now sorely afflicted ... this wicked general spake to Kassapa the king, saying, ‘O king, the treasures of the royal house are hidden by thy father.’ And when the king said unto him, ‘Nay,’ he answered, saying, ‘Knowest thou not, O Lord of the land, the purpose of this thy father? He treasureth up the riches for Moggallana.’ And when the base man heard these words he was wroth, and sent messengers unto his father, saying, ‘Reveal the place where thou hast hid the treasure.’ Thereupon the king thought to himself, saying: ‘This is a device whereby the wretch seeketh to destroy us’; and he remained silent. And they (the messengers) went and informed the king thereof. And his anger was yet more greatly increased, and he sent the messengers back unto him again and again. Then the king (Dhatusena) thought to himself, saying, ‘It is well that I should die after that I have seen my friend and washed myself in the Kalavapi.’ So he told the messengers saying, ‘Now, if he will cause me to be taken to Kalavapi, then shall I be able to find out the treasure.’
“And when they went and told the king thereof he was exceedingly glad, because that he desired greatly to obtain the treasure, and he sent the messengers back to his father with a chariot. And while the king, with his eyes sunk in grief, proceeded on the journey to Kalavapi, the charioteer who drove the chariot gave him some of the roasted rice that he ate....
“And when his friend, the Elder, heard that the king was coming, he preserved and set apart a rich meal of beans with the flesh of water-fowls that he had obtained, saying, ‘The king loveth this sort of meat.’ ...
“Then the king went up to the tank, and after that he had plunged therein and bathed and drank of its water as it pleased him, he turned to the king’s servants and said, ‘O friends, this is all the treasure that I possess!’ And when the king’s servants heard these words they took him back to the city and informed the king. Then the chief of men was exceeding wroth and said, ‘This man hoardeth up riches for his son; and so long as he liveth will he estrange the people of the island from me.’ And he commanded the chief of the army, saying, ‘Kill my father.’ Thereupon he (the general), who hated him exceedingly, was greatly delighted and said, ‘Now have I seen the last of my enemy.’ And he arrayed himself in all his apparel, and went up to the king, and walked to and fro before him.... Then this violent man stripped the king naked, and bound him with chains inside the walls of his prison with his face to the east and caused it to be plastered up with clay. What wise man, therefore, after that he hath seen such things, will covet riches, or life, or glory!”
Kassapa was most certainly a wicked man,—the reading of “The Mihavansa” leaves no doubt of that,—but when we came next day to look over the remains of his city and to study this formidable rock that he had subjugated and turned into a citadel, we knew that he was also a man of genius. When he found that he was in danger from his brother Moggallana, whom he had attempted in vain to kill, he led his host of half-naked warriors out from the ancient capital of Anuradhpura into the jungle, seeking for a refuge. Whether design or accident led him to Sigiriya we do not know, but we do know that once having looked upon its four hundred feet of towering walls and upon its uplifted acres, he had the wisdom to see its possibilities and the genius to overcome the difficulties, to an ordinary man the impossibilities, of the situation. I dare say the abundance of his need helped his genius to speak; but no matter what his incentive, when he conceived the notion of building against this gigantic, cylindrical rock a spiral gallery which would place at his disposal the four flat acres that crowned the summit, he laid claim to the respect and admiration of ages.
The sides of the rock, which we had at first supposed to be perpendicular, are really concave, and perhaps it would be more exact to speak of this gallery as being built into, rather than against, the mighty column. With such surpassing genius is it placed that it literally makes itself one with the rock it embraces. To gain some sort of foothold for the masonry, deep grooves were cut in the face of the cliff, and from these a wall of brick and mortar was erected, and this in turn supported the great limestone blocks which form the surface of the road. This roadway was wide enough for four men to walk abreast, and was protected by a wall nine feet high.
It is hard to emphasize sufficiently the wild boldness of the conception and achievement. From base to summit the splendid gallery mounted. Breaking the gentle slope here and there to lift itself suddenly by a short flight of stairs, buttressed at one too abrupt corner, snuggling at places under the brow of the rock, and at the one terrace that breaks the height on the north side, it rose in direct steps between the paws and up through the body of a great masonry lion that Kassapa had built against the cliff. Finally it sought out the only place where the top does not overhang the sides for its last hurried dash before flinging itself triumphantly over the edge of the summit.
The walls of this gallery were finished with some smooth, shining white cement. It must have looked, when it was all in place, like a huge, gleaming serpent wound about the face of the rock. Of course at the present day much of it, indeed most of it, has fallen away; but the fact that, despite the washing rains that for many years have come pouring over the sides of the rock, one hundred yards of it remains in almost perfect condition is proof of its splendid construction. For the rest of the way the gallery can be traced by the deep grooves that supported its base.
When, with the help of these grooves and the protecting bars that the Government has kindly placed to give the adventurous traveler at least a chance to reach the summit in safety, we had climbed to the very top, we understood at last the unnatural markings on the face of the cliff that had before puzzled us. Kassapa built his citadel of bright-red brick. The whole crown of the rock was covered with his palaces, and after they had fallen and crumbled, the heavy rains smeared the walls with great streaks and patches of this brilliant stain.