The paintings of 23 Sigiriya maidens were to be seen half way up the rock. Though there are several interpretations as to who these painted female figures are, it is almost certain that they were the queens, daughters, maid servants and even concubines in the court of Kassapa.
Why they have been painted in pairs is yet to be answered, and so is the reason as to why they have been painted only from the hips up. It seems the ones wearing transparent blouses and darker in complexion might easily be identified as servants, whilst the bare breasted ones hoding the flowers or opening up their petals might be of a higher class. This theory has been reinforced by the fact that some of them are looking down, whilst the others are looking in a rather seductive way.
Not being able to fully understand who they were ... or who the Sigiri artists who painted them were did in no way diminish the quality of what we saw ...it was really worth having made the effort to climb all the way up to see the images that have inspired many writers and poets ...
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