Communicative functions of the architectural and planning solution of the Sigiriya complex

Abstract

In the 5th century AD, on a flat mountain plateau in the very center of Sri Lanka, a large-scale palace and garden complex was built at the initiative of King Kashyapa, unifying achievements from various cultural domains of its time: urban planning, landscape design, architecture, hydraulics, painting, and sculpture. To this day, only ruins of the ensemble have survived, becoming a landmark of the island. In 1982, the complex was designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Traditional scholarship has predominantly examined Sigiriya within the categories of archaeology or art history. However, the complex constituted an integrated environment, designed to reflect the concepts embedded within it and to exert a specific impact on the visitor.

This article analyzes the architectural and planning design of Sigiriya for the first time as a communicative visual environment. Drawing on concepts from architectural semiotics and the narrative approach to space, as well as methods of scenario modeling, the author reconstructs the intent of the ancient creators of the complex. It is demonstrated that the path from the foot to the summit of the rock was organized as a dramaturgically constructed ascent, engaging all the senses: light and acoustic effects, mirror surfaces, and tactile sensations. Each zone of the complex – from the elaborate system of water gardens to the palace on the summit – possessed unique characteristics, all subordinate to a single task: to visualize the sacral nature of the ruler's power.