044 - The Citadel of Sigiriya and King Kassapa

Rising from the Sri Lankan jungle stands the citadel of Sigiriya.  An immense rock of volcanic origin, Sigiriya was transformed into the magnificent palace of Kassapa, a king whose story will blow your mind.  Think Macbeth meets Othello with a dash of a Poe short story. You're going to enjoy this one.   By a tremendous bit of serendipity (which is useful, given that the word "serendipity" comes from the Arabic word for Sri Lanka), my daughter's two best friends are of Sri Lankan descent, and one of their mothers joined me for an in-person interview about visiting the magnificent citadel, other sites in Sri Lanka and of course, all the great things to eat, including kiribath, a coconut milk rice dish that serves as the official first meal of every new year.   Sources:  Bullis, Douglas and Wendy Hutton. The Food of Sri Lanka: Authentic Recipe from the Isle of Gems.   Culavamsa, translated by Wilhelm Geiger   Lonely Planet Sri Lanka   Rough Guide to Sri Lanka   Wanasundera, Nanda Pethiyagoda and Jo-Ann Spelling. Sri Lanka.   Music by Niranjala Sarojini