Halfway up the 'Lion Mountain' of Sigiriya is a cave containing 'The Sigiriya Damsels'. Shaded from the daylight, these exquisite frescoes remain remarkably well-preserved, even after several were badly damaged by a vandal in 1967. More positive reactions are evident in the 6th century graffiti on the wall outside that eulogises in poetry the beauty of the asparas (celestial nymphs). Their secular eroticism is unique in Sri Lanka.