states: [sri lanka]
category: cultural
year: 1982
location: Central Province, Matale District
region: Asia and the Pacific
latitude/longitude: 7.9500000000, 80.7500000000
The ruins of the capital built by the parricidal King Kassapa I (477–95) lie on the steep slopes and at the summit of a granite peak standing some 180m high (the 'Lion's Rock', which dominates the jungle from all sides). A series of galleries and staircases emerging from the mouth of a gigantic lion constructed of bricks and plaster provide access to the site.
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