Sigiriya

In the 5th century Kasyapa acquires his throne by murdering his father, who he plasters up alive into a wall. Unable to redeem himself with his people for this crime he abandons his capital and flees deep into the inhospitable forests of central Sri Lanka. There in an area dominated by a massive column of rock 600 feet high, he builds himself a new capital. At the centre of his new capital is the royal citadel, a terrestrial paradise of colorful gardens, pavilions and ponds. The once dark and foreboding rock he transforms to appear like a huge dazzling cloud.