Yapahuwa, Sri Lanka.

The rock and the stairway.

Looking down an old well in the premises.

Monkey on an old defensive wall built of stones.

A dried up defensive moat between the stone walls.

Engravings in granite, Yapahuwa, Sri Lanka.

Top of a door-post

The Lion and the 'Gaja-singha' statues.

Engravings on the upper part of the walls.

Artifacts, Yapahuwa, Sri Lanka.

The 'Chinese Lion'.

Dancers carved in stone.

Dancers.

Musicians.

Note the idealized female figure of the 12th Century - Large breasts, narrow waists and wide hips.

Coming down from the rock, Yapahuwa, Sri Lanka.

In sylvan surroundings while climbing down.

A series of holes has been bored into the side of a granite hillock. This could be the remnant of an old technology to break the rock. A series of holes were made into the granite. Wooden pegs were then hammered into the holes. Water was poured onto the wooden pegs. The wooden pegs would soak up the water swell up and break the rock in a cleavage plane. The work on the rock has apparently been abandoned.

Foundations of a ruined building.

Coming down from the top, Yapahuwa, Sri Lanka.

A view of the countryside.

A medicinal plant.

Stone stairway.

An old baked clay brick.

The top of the Yapahuwa rock, Sri Lanka.

Stone slab to offer flowers - 'Mal-aasana'.

The 'Chaitya'

Foot-path around the top of the rock.

The ruins at the top of the rock are a Chaithya, floor of the building which housed the Sacred Tooth Relic, and a pond cut into the rock.

Scenes from the top of the 'Yapahuwa' rock, Sri Lanka..

Nearing the top of the rock, Yapahuwa, Sri Lanka.

Pretty steep climb along footpaths and improvised stairs on the side of the rock. A steady blowing and a breathtaking view of the countryside.

Sights on the climb from the second stairway, Yapahuwa, Sri Lanka.

Colorful insects.

Stone footsteps.

Cactus plants growing wild on the dry rock.

Abandoned cave with white ants building their nests.

Carved stone pillar and entrance at the end of the second stairway, Yapahuwa, Sri Lanka.

Carved stone pillars at the end of the second stairway.

Artistry in stone in the top of the granite door-post at the end of the second stairway.

Yapahuwa, second stairway, Sri Lanka.

The 'Chinese lion'

The 'Gaja singha' a mythical beast with the head of an elephant and the body of a lion. This signified wisdom of the elephant and the courage of a lion with unmatched strength.

A terrace near the second stairway.

Second stairway and associated artifacts, Yapahuwa, Sri Lanka.

The 'Chinese lions' guarding the second stairway.

Stone cutting at the base of a stone pillar.

The second stone stairway.

The 'Chinese lion'.

The artisans of the 13th Century Present Era, had worked on granite as easy as working on wax.

The stone stairways, Yapahuwa, Sri Lanka.

The view of the distant hills from between the two the stone stairways.

The 'Chinese Lion'.

The second stone stairway.