Sigiriya, Sri Lanka

A fifth-century palace on a 200 m column of rock rising out of the jungle.

Terra Explorer Castles and hilltop monasteries

Building the 3D model...

Drag to rotate · scroll or pinch to zoom

Make this model

The Standard resolution model is free as STL, 3MF, Colored 3MF, OBJ and a 16-bit heightmap. High resolution samples the place about ten times more finely.

Region
Sri Lanka
Position
7.9570, 80.7603
Area
2 × 2 km
Real elevation
188 to 327 m (139 m of relief)
Printed size
150 mm (5.9 in) wide, about 1:13,300
Heights
2× exaggeration
Elevation data
Open satellite data (SRTM and others), about 30 m per point
Suggested color
Natural
Group
Castles and hilltop monasteries

About Sigiriya, Sri Lanka

Sigiriya or Sinhagiri (Lion Rock Sinhala: සීගිරිය, Tamil: சிகிரியா/சிங்ககிரி, ) is an ancient rock fortress located in the northern Matale District near the town of Dambulla in the Central Province, Sri Lanka. It is a site of historical and archaeological significance that is dominated by a massive column of granite approximately 180 m (590 ft) high. According to the ancient Sri Lankan chronicle the Cūḷavaṃsa, this area was a large forest, then after storms and landslides it became a hill and was selected by King Kashyapa (CE 477–495) for his new capital. He built his palace on top of this rock and decorated its sides with colourful frescoes. On a small plateau about halfway up the side of this rock he built a gateway in the form of an enormous lion. The name of this place is derived from this structure; Sinhagiri, the Lion Rock.

From Wikipedia: Sigiriya, text available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 license. The article’s history lists its authors.

Questions about Sigiriya, Sri Lanka

Where is Sigiriya?

Sigiriya is in Sri Lanka at 7.9570, 80.7603. The model covers a 2 by 2 kilometer square around that point.

How high is the terrain in the Sigiriya model?

The land in this model runs from 188 to 327 m (139 m of relief). These are the measured heights, printed 2 times taller so the shape is easy to see.

Can I 3D print Sigiriya?

Yes. Download the free Standard resolution STL and print it on any FDM or resin printer. It is 150 mm wide and about 25.8 mm tall, on a solid 5 mm base, at a scale of about 1:13,300. It also works for CNC carving. Use Customize to change the width, base thickness or height exaggeration, make it round or add a name plate.

How accurate is the Sigiriya model?

It is built from real elevation measurements, not an artist's guess: open satellite and survey data (NASA SRTM, Copernicus and national surveys), about 30 meters per point. The shaded picture on this page is made from the same data.

Is the Sigiriya model free?

The Standard resolution model is free as STL, 3MF, Colored 3MF, OBJ and a 16-bit heightmap. High resolution samples the place about ten times more finely and is a paid upgrade.

What is a Sigiriya terrain model good for?

People use it as a gift, a desk piece, or the base for a tabletop game or diorama.

About this terrain model

Embossify Terra builds Sigiriya, Sri Lanka from real measured elevation, not an artist's guess. Outside the United States the heights come from open satellite and survey data (NASA SRTM, Copernicus and national surveys), about 30 meters per point.

The model covers a 2 by 2 kilometer square centered on 7.9570, 80.7603. It prints 150 mm (5.9 in) wide on a solid base, a scale of about 1:13,300. The heights are exaggerated 2× so the shape is easy to see and feel; you can change that when you customize the model. The sea is flattened to zero, so land stands on a clean base.

New to terrain printing? Read how Terra works. The shaded picture on this page is made by Embossify from the same elevation data.