Sigiriya Museum - History, Timings & Entry Fee

At a distance of 5 km from Sigiriya Airport, Sigiriya Museum is an archaeological museum situated just outside the entry gate of Sigiriya Rock Fortress in Sigiriya. It is one of the popular places to visit in Sigiriya during your Sri Lanka Tour.

Sigiriya Museum was established in 2009 with funding from the Japanese International Cooperation Agency. The museum boasts an impressive collection of exhibits that belong to various periods in history - ranging from the prehistoric period to the reign of King Kashyapa. The exhibits at Sigiriya Museum are not limited to the artifacts but they include photographs depicting the site's history, several informative videos and models of the fortress.

With two levels, the tour of the museum begins with an informative video detailing the site's history in English, Sinhala, and Tamil languages. The entry to the first level of the museum is through a brick tunnel, similar to that of the rock fortress. The first floor has six major galleries while the second floor consists of the recreation of the frescoes. Objects of the prehistoric and protohistoric era are on display at the first gallery that includes replicas of the burial items at Ibbankatuwa Megalithic Tombs, an iron kiln from Alakola Wewa, and a prehistoric skeleton discovered at the Potana Rock Shelter and actual artifacts recovered from the areas are also on display here. The theme of the second gallery is the Early and Late Monastic periods of Buddhism.

Visitor can observe the objects like a miniature model of the rock fortress, a 3D animation of the reconstructed royal palace, various metal artifacts from the archaeological site of Sigiriya Rock Fortress, an exhibit about the famous Mirror Wall with audio recordings and frescoes of the Boulder Garden in the third and fourth galleries of the museum. The fifth gallery has jewellery, most notably a replica of the Sigiriya Earring, coins, pottery, and weaponry while the sixth and last gallery of the first floor comprises objects related to the ethnoarchaeology of Sigiriya, and folk cultures, such as a headdress of a local chieftain and an Iberian door lock.

Timings: 8 AM - 5 PM

Entry: LKR. 4500 for Foreigners (included in Sigiriya Rock Fortress Entry ticket)