Yapahuwa

Yapahuwa is a granite rock rising about a hundred metres from the plain, fortified in the thirteenth century when the kingdom moved here and the Tooth Relic was kept on it for a decade. The remarkable survival is the ornamental staircase built up the rock face: a steep flight flanked by carved lions, dwarfs, dancers and drummers, with a doorway at the top whose stone window is now in the Colombo museum. Beyond the stair the summit is bare.

Background

The citadel lies midway between Kurunegala and Anuradhapura, built around a granite rock that rises almost a hundred metres above the lowlands. In 1272 King Bhuvenakabahu moved the capital here from Dambadeniya and brought the Sacred Tooth Relic with him. After his death in 1284 the relic was carried off to South India, and Yapahuwa was largely abandoned and left to Buddhist monks and ascetics.

Source: Wikipedia, "Yapahuwa"

What you'll find

• The ornamental stair - a steep carved flight with lions, dancers and drummers.
• The lion sculpture - the figure at the stair head, a well-known image of the period.
• The rock summit - the flat top the palace once occupied, now bare.
• The ramparts - earth and stone defences round the base of the rock.

When to go

January to April is the driest and most comfortable. The stair is exposed and very hot at midday. Mornings are best.

Good to know

The stair is steep and the steps are worn and high; the climb is harder than it looks. The famous stone window is in the Colombo museum, not here. There is little shade.

Nearby

Kurunegala is south, and Anuradhapura is north.

Key facts