Yapahuwa is home to the singular Chinese-looking 'Yapahuwa Lion' stone sculpture, the likeness of which is reproduced in the country's newest Rs. 10 note. Historians compare Yapahuwa to the Sigiriya rock fortress but note that it was built on a much smaller scale.
Its most remarkable masterwork remains an ornamental stairway that conducted the royal palace. Surrounding vistas of breathtaking beauty enriches the climb to the top; rambling jungle, rolling hills and sunbathed rocks combine to create a picture-perfect tableau.
These ruins are almost Cambodian in style, decorated with frames of exultant dancers musicians whose movements are so detailed and vibrant as to appear real. Dancers also adorn the porch above the steps.
At the foot of each balustrade are the Yapahuwa lions, the only ones of its kind in the country. Visitors have noted that most of the steps are narrow and need to be manoeuvered in a sideways fashion.
Historians say this was a form of defence. Because of the narrowness, the steps can neither be ascended nor descended hastily, thus giving those at the top time to arm themselves against an enemy onslaught or prevent infiltrators from fleeing easily.
At the top of the stairs is a large stone door way, flanked by big walls and two exquisitely carved windows. During an 1850 excavation, one window was found in fragments but the other, called the 'Sivumenduru Kavuluwa' (perforated palace window), is well preserved at the National Museum in Colombo.
Known as the gem of Yaphauwa sculpture, the window is a slab of stone four feet seven inches thick while the mouldings within are three inches in thickness. Its surface is punctured with 45 circles through which light entered the hall. The technique adopted in its construction has been compared to the tracery work at the Taj Mahal in Agra.
Inside each circle is a figure, so finely sculptured as to back the statements that they are the best instances of medieval stone carvings in the country. Each is different from the other and includes Bacchanalian figures, women, swans and images of other animals.
The last category also hosts eight creatures with trunks, identified as 'Gaja Sinhas' Alongside the palace is the Dalada Maligawa or Temple of the Tooth, built to hold the Sacred Tooth Relic. The structure resembles Dravidian architecture with panelled female forms like those found on the jambs of door-ways in Orissa. There is also a museum with relics found at the site.
The summit of the Yapahuwa rock is accessible from this level by a rough path that leads off from the left of the temple. It is an enchanting climb but not for the fainthearted, although it is worth the effort.
On the way up is a small cave with remnants of a small dagoba while near the peak is a natural water tank. On the top are remains of two more small dagoba and the ruins of other structures. The view is magnificent while the breezes are strong and refreshing. One gets the feeling of being miles away from noisy, modern civilization and the impression of being one with the past.