Image title: The Lion's Paw Terrace

English text:

The Lion's Paw Terrace (layout plan)—The Lion's Paw Terrace is another noteworthy feature in the layout of Sigiriya: It is a plateau facing north at the base of Lion-Staircase, the gateway to the main palace on summit. The colossal paws an surviving mass of brick masonry at the base of the rock provide, ever today, a clear picture of the form and scale of this gatehouse. The lion seems to have been in a crouching position, represented by its front paws, head and shoulders projection from the rock. Several units of other buildings could also be seen here among which are moonstones and guard-stones of various sizes made of limestone. Recent archaeological explorations and excavations have revealed evidence of a flight of steps leading from the northern gate to this terrace.

Key:
a. Lion's paws
b. Lion stair - case

In Sanskrit the “Lion's paws” would be known as Siṃhapāda (सिंहपाद) [simhapada] and the “Lion staircase” as Siṃhasopāna (सिंहसोपान) [simha-sopana].

Sinhala text (not proofread):

සිංහ පාද මළුව (වින්‍යාස සැලසුම)—සීගිරිය සැලැස්මෙහි තවත් සුවිශේෂ ස්ථානයක් නම් උතුරු දෙසට මුහුණලා පිහිටි මෙම තැනිතලා බිමයි. මෙහි ගොඩනැගිලි කිහිපයක නශ්ටාවශේෂ දැකිය හැකිය. ඒ අතර මළුවේ සිට පර්වතය මුදුනේ පිහිටි මාළිගය වෙත නැගිමට සෝපානයක් සහිත ද්වාර මණ්ඩපයේ සාධක පර්වතය පාමුල දක්නට ඇත. දැනට ශේෂ වී ඇති දැවැන්ත පාද යුගලය හා නශ්ටාවශේෂ වූ ගඩොල් බැමි අනුව මෙම ද්වාර මණ්ඩපයේ ස්වරූපය හා පරිමාණය අදට ද අනුමාන කළ හැකිය. ඉදිරි පාද යුගලය, හිස හා උරහිස් පර්වතය මුහුණතින් පිටතට නෙරන පරිදි උක්කුටුකයෙන් හිඳි සිංහයෙකු නිරූපණය කරන පරිදි මෙම සිංහ සෝපානය සහිත ද්වාර මණ්ඩපය නිර්මාණය කර ඇත. තවද හුණු ගලින් කළ විවිධ ප්‍රමාණවල සඳකඩපහණේ හා මුරගල් කිහිපයක් ද දක්නට ලැබේ. මෑතකදී කරන ලද පුරාවිද්‍යා ගවේෂණ හා කැණීම් මගින් මෙම මාලකයට පිවිසීම සඳහා උතුරු දොරටුවෙහි සිට විහිදෙන පියගැට පෙළක් ගැන ද තොරතුරු අනාවරණය කර ගත හැකි වී තිබේ.

යතූර
a. සිංහ පාද
b. සිංහ සෝපානය

Transliteration:

siṅha pāda maḷuva (vinyāsa sælasuma)—sīgiriya sælæsmehi tavat suviśēṣa sthānayak nam uturu desaṭa muhuṇalā pihiṭi mema tænitalā bimayi. mehi goḍanægili kihipayaka naśṭāvaśēṣa dækiya hækiya. ē atara maḷuvē siṭa parvataya mudunē pihiṭi māḷigaya veta nægimaṭa sōpānayak sahita dvāra maṇḍapayē sādhaka parvataya pāmula daknaṭa æta. dænaṭa śēṣa vī æti dævænta pāda yugalaya hā naśṭāvaśēṣa vū gaḍol bæmi anuva mema dvāra maṇḍapayē svarūpaya hā parimāṇaya adaṭa da anumāna kaḷa hækiya. idiri pāda yugalaya, hisa hā urahis parvataya muhuṇatin piṭataṭa nerana paridi ukkuṭukayen hindi siṅhayeku nirūpaṇaya karana paridi mema siṅha sōpānaya sahita dvāra maṇḍapaya nirmāṇaya kara æta. tavada huṇu galin kaḷa vividha pramāṇavala sandakaḍapahaṇē hā muragal kihipayak da daknaṭa læbē. mǣtakadī karana lada purāvidyā gavēṣaṇa hā kæṇīm magin mema mālakayaṭa pivisīma sandahā uturu doraṭuvehi siṭa vihidena piyagæṭa peḷak gæna da toraturu anāvaraṇaya kara gata hæki vī tibē.

yatūra
a. siṅha pāda
b. siṅha sōpānaya

Transliteration:

sinha pada maluva (vinyasa salasuma)—sigiriya salasmehi tavat suvishesha sthanayak nam uturu desata muhunala pihiti mema tanitala bimayi. mehi godanagili kihipayaka nashtavashesha dakiya hakiya. e atara maluve sita parvataya mudune pihiti maligaya veta nagimata sopanayak sahita dvara mandapaye sadhaka parvataya pamula daknata ata. danata shesha vi ati davanta pada yugalaya ha nashtavashesha vu gadol bami anuva mema dvara mandapaye svarupaya ha parimanaya adata da anumana kala hakiya. idiri pada yugalaya, hisa ha urahis parvataya muhunatin pitatata nerana paridi ukkutukayen hindi sinhayeku nirupanaya karana paridi mema sinha sopanaya sahita dvara mandapaya nirmanaya kara ata. tavada hunu galin kala vividha pramanavala sandakadapahane ha muragal kihipayak da daknata labe. matakadi karana lada puravidya gaveshana ha kanim magin mema malakayata pivisima sandaha uturu doratuvehi sita vihidena piyagata pelak gana da toraturu anavaranaya kara gata haki vi tibe.

yatura
a. sinha pada
b. sinha sopanaya

Automated translation:

Sinha Pada Malwa (Vinyasa Plan)—Another unique place in the Sigiriya Plan is this plain land facing north. The remains of several buildings can be seen here. Among them, the elements of Dwara Mandapa with an elevator to climb from the courtyard to the palace on top of the rock are seen at the foot of the rock. The form and scale of this Dwara mandapa can be guessed even today from the huge pair of feet and the abandoned brick walls. This lion-lifted portal mandapa is designed to depict a crouched lion with the front pair of legs, head and shoulders protruding from the face. Also there are several moonstones and watchtowers of various sizes made of limestone. Recent archeological explorations and excavations have also revealed information about a flight of steps extending from the northern entrance to enter this Malacca.

Tamil text (not proofread):

சிங்கக்கால் முற்றம் (மைதான படம்)—சிகிரியாத் திட்டத்தின் மேலும் விசேடமான ஒரு இடமாவது சிங்கமுற்றத்தின் படிக்கட்டின் அடியில் வடக்குத் திசையை முன்னோக்கி அமைந்துள்ள சமவெளி நிலமாகும். பிரதான மாளிகைக்கு நுழையும் வாயிலின் அடியில் உள்ள இச் சமவெளியில் அமைந்துள்ள பல கட்டிடங்களின் சிதைந்து போன சின்னங்களைக் காணலாம். அவற்றிடையே சுண்ணாம்புக் கற்கனாற் செய்யப்பட்ட பல்வகை அளவுகளைக் கொண்ட சந்திர வட்டக்கற்கள் மற்றும் பல பாதுகாப்புக் கற்கள் என்பனவும் காணக்கிடக்கின்றன். அண்மையில் செய்யப்பட்ட ஆய்வு அகழ்வு என்பனவற்றின் கீழ் இந்த மாளிகையினுள் நுழைவதற்காக வடதிசை வாயிலிருந்து பரந்து செல்லும் படிக்கட்டு வரிசை பற்றியும் தகவல்கள் பெற்றுக் கொள்ளப்படக்கூடியதாக உள்ளன. முற்றத்திலிருந்து மேலே ஏறுவதற்குச் சிங்கத்தின் வாயைப் போன்ற உருவத்தினூடாகச் செய்யப்பட்டிருந்தாலும் இன்று சிங்கத்தின் இருகால்களுமே காணக்கூடியதாக இருக்கின்றது.

திறப்பு
a. சிங்கத்தின் பாதச் சுவடு
b. சிங்கத்தின் உருவமுள்ள படிகன்

Transliteration:

ciṅkakkāl muṟṟam (maitāṉa paṭam)—cikiriyāt tiṭṭattiṉ mēlum vicēṭamāṉa oru iṭamāvatu ciṅkamuṟṟattiṉ paṭikkaṭṭiṉ aṭiyil vaṭakkut ticaiyai muṉṉōkki amaintuḷḷa camaveḷi nilamākum. piratāṉa māḷikaikku nuḻaiyum vāyiliṉ aṭiyil uḷḷa ic camaveḷiyil amaintuḷḷa pala kaṭṭiṭaṅkaḷiṉ citaintu pōṉa ciṉṉaṅkaḷaik kāṇalām. avaṟṟiṭaiyē cuṇṇāmpuk kaṟkaṉāṟ ceyyappaṭṭa palvakai aḷavukaḷaik koṇṭa cantira vaṭṭakkaṟkaḷ maṟṟum pala pātukāppuk kaṟkaḷ eṉpaṉavum kāṇakkiṭakkiṉṟaṉ. aṇmaiyil ceyyappaṭṭa āyvu akaḻvu eṉpaṉavaṟṟiṉ kīḻ inta māḷikaiyiṉuḷ nuḻaivataṟkāka vaṭaticai vāyiliruntu parantu cellum paṭikkaṭṭu varicai paṟṟiyum takavalkaḷ peṟṟuk koḷḷappaṭakkūṭiyatāka uḷḷaṉa. muṟṟattiliruntu mēlē ēṟuvataṟkuc ciṅkattiṉ vāyaip pōṉṟa uruvattiṉūṭākac ceyyappaṭṭiruntālum iṉṟu ciṅkattiṉ irukālkaḷumē kāṇakkūṭiyatāka irukkiṉṟatu.

tiṟappu
a. ciṅkattiṉ pātac cuvaṭu
b. ciṅkattiṉ uruvamuḷḷa paṭikaṉ

Transliteration:

singakkal murram (maithana padam)—sigiriyath thittathin melum visedamana oru idamavathu singamurrathin padikkattin adiyil vadakkuth thisaiyai munnokki amainthulla samaveli nilamagum. pirathana maligaikku nuzhaiyum vayilin adiyil ulla is samaveliyil amainthulla pala kattidangalin sithainthu pona sinnangalaig kanalam. avarridaiye sunnambug karkanar seyyappatta palvagai alavugalaig konda santhira vattakkarkal marrum pala pathugappug karkal enpanavum kanakkidakkinran. anmaiyil seyyappatta ayvu agazhvu enpanavarrin kizh intha maligaiyinul nuzhaivatharkaga vadathisai vayilirunthu paranthu sellum padikkattu varisai parriyum thagavalkal perrug kollappadakkudiyathaga ullana. murrathilirunthu mele eruvatharkus singathin vayaip ponra uruvathinudagas seyyappattirunthalum inru singathin irugalkalume kanakkudiyathaga irukkinrathu.

thirappu
a. singathin pathas suvadu
b. singathin uruvamulla padigan

Automated translation:

Lion Courtyard (ground image)—Another unique feature of the Sigiriyat project is the plain that faces north beneath the steps of the Lion's Courtyard. Decayed remains of several buildings can be seen in this plain below the entrance gate to the main palace. Among them are moonstones of various sizes made of limestone and many protective stones. During the recent exploratory excavations, information can also be obtained about the flight of stairs extending from the northern entrance to enter the palace. Today, both legs of the lion are visible, though it was made through a lion's mouth to climb up from the courtyard.

Gallery information:

These photos are taken at the Sigiriya rock in Sri Lanka. This archaeological important site dates to the 2nd century BC when it functioned as a monastery. In the fifth century, King Kassapa I transferred the administrative centre from Anuradhapura to Sigiriya in order to  rule from there. The on-site museum displays various artifacts and paintings found at the Sigiriya rock.