CEYLON

CEYLON (British colony, now Sri Lanka).

Segiriya Rock and portrait of King George V.
Fifth stamp in a set of 13, issued on 01.02.1938.
Face value: 10 cents of Ceylon rupees.
Printing: Recess.
Size: 38 x 26 mm.

Catalogs
- Michel No. 234Y.
- Scott No. 281.
- StampWorld No. 250.
- Stanley Gibbons No. 389.
- Yvert et Tellier No. 255.

Sigiriya (Sinhalese: සීගිරිය; Tamil: சிகிரியா) is a large rock column 349 m (1,145 ft) high, on top of which are the remains of an ancient citadel. It is located in the north of the Matale district, near the town of Dambulla (Central Province of Sri Lanka). It is popularly known as Sīnhāgiri (the Lion's Rock) since it was accessed through a door in the shape of a huge lion: there King Kashyapa I (477-495) had his new capital built, with a sumptuous palace. Then the place was used as a Buddhist monastery until the 14th century. Sirigiya is one of the best preserved examples of ancient urbanism, and in 1982 it was included by UNESCO in the World Heritage list. The rock was discovered as an archaeological site in 1831 by Jonathan Forbes, a major in the British Army.