(Excerpted from Sigiriya Paintings by Raja de Silva, retired Commissioner of Archaeology)RE-DISCOVERY AND DOCUMENTATION (Early Visits)The village of Sigiriya is mentioned in the 16th century book of Sinhala verse titled Mandarampura-puvata. By the close of the century, when the Archaeological Survey Department (ASD) commenced work at Sigiriya, these paintings had all disappeared. Once this goal was reached, it was found that the rock floor was at too steep an angle to permit one to stand or even sit on it. A strong trestle or framework of sticks was made and secured to iron stanchions let into the rock floor. It took Perera 19 weeks to complete copying the 22 paintings – 5 in pocket A and 17 in pocket B.

Source: The Nation April 18, 2021 00:56 UTC