ABSTRACT
Inscribed on the UNESCO’s World Heritage List, the archaeological site of Sigiriya was Sri Lanka’s royal capital for a brief period of 18 years in the fi fth century. Situated on the summit of a rock boulder of immense proportion rising above the surrounding countryside, the aerial palace complex of Sigiriya has a strong panoramic relationship with its surrounding natural and agricultural landscape. The intention of this chapter is to shift the focus of attention from the ‘archaeological site’ towards its wider landscape context, which still thrives and has substantially preserved its historic features, to examine how its formal layout interacts with the surrounding natural and agricultural landscape. I also emphasize the need to conserve this cultural landscape, not merely as a setting to the World Heritage Site, but as an integral spatial component of the overall architectural composition of Sigiriya.
