The rock palace of Sigiriya
A parricide king builds his palace on top of a rock
King Kashyapa I, who seized the throne after killing his father, moved his capital to the top of a sheer rock some 180 metres high. A stairway led up through a gate shaped like a giant lion, whose stone paws survive. Frescoes of half-clad maidens remain on the cliff, and the polished 'mirror wall' bears verses left by visitors over many centuries.
Wikipedia (Russian) · Wikipedia (English) · 5th century
Meanwhile around the world (±25 years)
Europe
- 476 Fall of the Western Roman Empire — 1 year earlier
- c. 496 Baptism of Clovis — 19 years later
Middle East
- c. 500 Completion of the Babylonian Talmud — 23 years later
Americas
- c. 500 Rise of Tiwanaku — 23 years later