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43 Si te o f Ram ayana

1. Ashoka Vatika

Location:Sita Eliya-Nuwara Eliya

This area is known as Seetha Eliya, close to the resort city of Nuwara Eliya

(1950 meter above the sea level).

Ashoka Vatika was a garden in Lanka, the Kingdom of demon king, Ravana, as mentioned in

the Vishnu Purana and Hindu epic.

It was the location, where Sita, the wife of Rama was held captive by Ravana, after her

abduction, also because she refused to stay in Ravana's palace, and

preferred to stay under the Ashoka tree, hence the name. It

was here that Ravana's wife Mandodari came to meet her and also where Hanuman met her

for the first time, and identified himself with the finger ring of Rama.

Sita stayed at Ashok Vatika, till the end of the epic battle between Rama and Ravana, which

resulted in the destruction of Ravana himself and most of this clan. Much of the Ashoka

Vatika was destroyed by Hanuman, when he first visited Lanka, searching for Sita. Also

destroyed was the Pramda Van at the centre of the Ashok Vatika.

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2. Panchamuga Anjaneyar Temple

Location:Colombo

This is the first Anjaneyar Temple in Sri Lanka and also the only Panchamuga (five faced)

Anjaneyar Temple in Sri Lanka. It's the only temple in the world to have a chariot for

Anjaneyar. The chariot festival is held annually end Dec/ beginning of January.

Hanuman's mother is Anjan. Hanuman is known as Anjan +Aiyar = Anjaneyarin South India

(Hanuman in North India).

3. Munneshwaram Temple

Location:Chilaw

Lord Rama after h is victorio us batt le lef t for Ayo dhya in one o f King Ravanas vim anas. He fe lt he

w as being fo l low ed by Brahm ahasthi Dosham as he had ki l led King Ravana w ho w as a Brahm in. He

stopped the v im ana at th is juncture because he fe l t a t t h is p lace the Brahm ahasth i Dosham w as

not f o l low ing him . He ascended from the vim ana and asked God Shiva for a rem edy. God Shiva

blessed Lord Rama and advised him to in stal l fou r l ingams at M anavari , Thiru Koneshw aram , Thiru

Ketheshw aram and Ram eshw aram in Ind ia and pray, as the on ly rem edy to get r id o f t he

Brahm ahasth i Dosham .

Note: In Tamil Mun-means long time ago and Eeswaram - Siva temple

Temple is open 6.00 am to 8.00 pm. Two annual festivals take place in this temple in

February and August. This temple was destroyed by the portuguess. It was reconstructed in

1753. Later temple was renovated and reconstructed by Kumaraswami Kurukkal in 1875.

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The construction of the Kopuram was completed in 1963

4. Manavari Temple

Location:Chilaw Puthlam Road

M anavari is the f i rst p lace wh ere Lord Ram a instal led the Siva Lingam and

prayed aft er th e end of the w ar w ith King Ravana. This Lingam is

cal led Ram alingam because i t w as m ade by Lord Rama. Apart f rom this, the Lingam in Ram eshw aram

is the on ly L ingam in the w or ld w h ich is named a f te r Lord Ram a.

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N o t e : The annual fest ival t akes place in July f or 10 days.

5. Sri Shankaridevi Shakthi Peetam

Location:Trincomalee

Lankayam Shankaridevi starts the sloka of Ashta Dasha shakt i peet has. W rit t en by Sri jagadguru Aadi

Shankaracharya.

Shankaridevi tem ple in Trincom alee, Sri Lanka is a prom inent t em ple for Hind us, but i t is m ost rarely

visi ted and i t is very least p opular in a l l Asta Dasha Shakt i Peethas.

Shankaridevi tem ple Situat ed in an east coast t ow n of Sri Lanka Trincom alee. Along w ith t he tem ple

of Shankaridevi, there is a tem ple of lord Siva. Thiruko neshw aram t em ple.

6. Thirukoneshwaram Temple

Location:Trincomalee

Thiru koneshw aram w as bui l t b y sage Agasthy ar as per th e instr uct ion o f Lord Shiva w ho w as

im pressed by t he devot ion of King Ravana. This place has the u niquen ess of t he Lord bu i ld ing a

tem ple for h is devotee as a rew ard for h is devot ion. Lor d Ram a also of fered his prayers on his return

to get r id o f t he Brahm ahasth i Dosham .

7. Vilundri

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Location:Trincomalee Town

I t is bel ieved that on h is retu rn Lord Ram a stop ped at t h is p lace to reach Thiru Koneshw aram . He

rested h is bow on the g round he re . Bow m ean ing v i ll and und r i m ean ing to p lace o r rest in

Tam il gave th is p lace Vi lundri i t s name.

8. Rumassala Sanjeewane Drops

Location:Unawatuna-Galle

Dur ing the w ar, bo th Lord Rama and Lukshm ana were h i t by pow erfu l a rrow s, fe l l unconscious and

br ing them back to l i fe Lord Hanum an w as inst ructed t o fe tch t he l i fe sav ing herbs f rom Himalaya.

Lord Han im an w ent t o Him alayas, l if ted t he w ho le h i l l and brou ght i t . As he was not ab le to ident i fy

the l i f e saving herbs alone. I t is bel ieved th at part of th e hi l l fe l l on f ive places in Sri Lanka, namely,

Rum assala in Galle, Dolu Kanda in Hir ip i t iya, Rit igala on t he Habarana An uradhapu ra ro ad, Thal ladi in

M annar and Kachchath ivu in the nor th .

9. Dolukanda Sanjeewane Drops,

Location:Hiripitiya

Same as Rumassala Sanjeewani Drops above.

10. Ritigala Sanjeewane Drops

Location:Habarana-Hill Climb

Same as Rumassala Sanjeewani Drops above.

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11. Kachchative Sanjeewane Drops

Location:Jaffna

Same as Rumassala Sanjeewani Drops above.

12. Thalladi Sanjeewane Drops

Location:Mannar

Same as Rumassala Sanjeewani Drops above.

13. Laggala

Location:North of Matale

The carte l of r ocks behind the Dunuvi la lake are cal led Laggala which m eans target rock. Laggala

served as a sentr y point to the King Ravanas arm y and i t w as from this rock the f i r st Gl im pse of Lord

Ram as arm y w as seen and r eport ed to King Ravana. This hi l l is geographical ly th e highest part o f t he

nor ther n region o f King Ravanas ci ty and on a clear day nort h east s ide t hat is Thiru Koneshw aran

and Nor th W est side that is Talai M annar could be seen. I t is bel ieved that King Ravana medit ated

upon Lord Sh iva a t Th i ru Koneshw aram f rom th is rock.

14. Dunuwila

Location:Near the 40 Km on the Hasalaka-

Wasgamuwa Road. outside of wasgamuwa National park (MataleDistric)

I t is said Dunuw il la is the place from w here Lord Ram a f ired t he Brahm aasthr am at King Ravana and

ki l led him . Dhunu m eans arrow and Vi la M eans Lake. This place got i t s name because Lord Ram a

f i red h is arrow f rom th is lake.

15. Yahangala

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Location:Mahiyanganaya-Wasgamuwa Road

I t is bel ieved that King Ravanas body af t er h is death w as kept upon th is rock Yahangala- m eaning

bedrock. His body w as kept here f o r h is count rym en to pay the i r last r espects to the i r dear departed

king. Geographical ly th is rock is visib le f ro m m iles aw ay on i ts 3 side.

16. Lord Rama Temple (Rattota)

Location:Rattota-Matale Distric

There are only a few tem ples for Lord Rama is Sri Lanka and th is is one of them .

17. Gurulupotha

Location:Lankapura

I t is bel ieved th at th ere w as an aircraf t repair cent er in t he capita l c i ty of King Ravana. In Valmiki s

depict ion King Ravanas Vim ana resem bled a h uge peacock. The Vim ana in Singhala language m eans

Dandu M onara w h ich is know n as f lying peacock, and hence the nam e Guru lupotha, w h ich m eans

parts o f b i rd .

18. Weraganthota Lanka Pura(Capital city of KingRavana)

Location:Weragantota

M eans a place of a ircraf t landin g in Sinhala language, is bel ieved t o be t he f i rst p lace w here Sitadeviw as bro ught int o Lanka in King Ravana 's Vima na. These jungles are the place w here t he city of

Lankapuraonce stood .The c i ty had a beaut i fu l pa lace fo r queen M andothar i surrounded by

w aterfa l ls, stream s and variet ies of f lora and fauna.

19. Kondakalai (Kondagala)

Kondakalai like many other cities and villages in Sri Lanka also derives its name from theRamayana, when King Ravana took Sitadevi in a chariot to Ashoka Vatika her hairs got

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deranged because of the speed of the chariot. Konda kalai in tamil means deranging of hair.

Till date the villagers live with legacy of this event.

20. Sita Kotuwa

Location:Gurulupotha Hasalaka (Archaeological Site)

The c i ty had beaut i fu l pa lace fo r queen M andothar i surrounded by w ater fa l ls, st ream s and var ie t ies

f lor a and fauna. Sitadevi w as kept in th is palace unt i l she was m oved t o Asoka Vat ika. Sita Kotuw a

m eans Sita s fort & got i t s nam e because of Sita devi s stay here.

21. Sitawaka

Location:Closer to Avissawella

An int erest ing as w el l as shocking took her e. To shatter Lord Ram as conf id ence and halt h is progress

dur ing the w ar, Indraj i t h e ldest son of King Ravana played a tr ick, wit h Sitadevi s look al ike. Indraj i th

beheaded the look a l ike in f ron t o f Lord Hanuman t h ink ing tha t i t w i l l stop t he advancing fo rces o f

Lord Ram a. There is a stone in th is area ca l led Rampatha w i th on e foo t m ark w h ich is be l ieved by

the p eople as Lord Ram as foot m ark. This place is know n as Sita W aka

22.Chariot Path & Sita Tear Pond

Location:The Jungle on the Top of Ramboda Hills

The summ it o f t he m ounta in next t o t he m ounta in range over look ing Fro to f t Esta te in Pussa l law a is

the p lace where Lord Hanum an f i rs t se t h is foo t on m ain land Lanka. Th is mount a in know n as PawalaM alai is v isib le f rom this m ount ain range. These hi l ls stand t a l l in-betw een King Ravana's capita l ci ty

and Ashoka Vat ika .The barren land a top them ounta in r ange is be lieved to be the ro ute in w h ich King

Ravana took Sitadevi f rom his capita l c i ty Lankapura t o Ashoka Vat ika, wh ich w as a paradise on

earth. Ti l l dat e no vegetat ion grow s on t h is passage except grass. King Ravana is bel ieved t o h ave

taken t h is passage on top of t hese hi l ls to show Sitadevi t he beauty o f h is kingdom .

23. Sri Baktha Hanuman Temple

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Location:Thawalamtenne-Ramboda

I t is bel ieved th at Lord Hanum an w as searching for Sitadevi f ro m these hi l ls of Ram boda.

N o t e : Chinm aya mission of Sri Lanka has bui l t a tem ple w ith Lord Hanum an as the p residing deity

on t h is h i l l . On every fu l l m oon d ay special poojas are conducted and w itnessed by t housands of

devot ees. The status of Lord Hanu m an here is carved ou t of granit e and is 16 feet in h eight.

24. Mani Kattuer

Location:This is the Rock Labookalle estate. Kondagala, Labookelle

I t is bel ieved that af t er m eet ing Sitadevi, Lord Hanu m an rested on th is h i l l top o n his w ay back to

Lord Ram a wi t h the happy new s.

25. Gayaththri Peedam

Location:Nuwara Eliya Town

I t is be l ieved to be th e p lace f rom w here K ing Ravanas son M eghanath pr op i t ia ted Lord Sh iva w i th

penance and poo jas and in t u rn w as granted super nat ura l pow ers by lo rd Sh iva .

26. Sita Amman Temple

Location:Sita Eliya- Nuwara Eliya

The stream that runs from th e hi l l , catered to t he needs of Sitadevi dur ing her stay at Ashoka Vat ika.

She is said to have bath ed in t h is stream . Now ther e is a tem ple erected fo r Lord Ram a, Sitadevi,

Luxshm ana and Hanum an by the side o f th is st ream . I t is in terest ing to not e tha t foo t p r in ts ak in to

Lord Ham unams are found by th is r iver -som e smal l and som e la rge

N o t e : Not accessib le f ree ly due to rest r ic t ion f rom Departm ent o f W i ld l i fe Conservat ion

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27. Gavagala (GhousHala)

Location:Walapane Road- Nuwara Eliya

King Ravana had his dairy farm here. M ilk w as air l i f ted to t he capit a l Lankapura fr om here usingVim ana's. The stone pi l lars here have the w orn o ut m arks cast by constant use of ty ing ro pes on

t h e m.

28. Divrumpola

Location:Welimada Road- Nuwara Eliya

This is the p lace w here Si tadev i underw ent Agn i tes t . Si ta reached her husband. M eet ing h im a f te r

such a long t im e, she w as overcome by joyous emot ion . But Lord Rama appeared to be los t in

thought . A t len t h he spoke I have k i l led my enem y. I have done m y duty as a t rue k ing . But you have

l ived fo r a year in the enem ys abode. It s i no t p rop er t ha t I shou ld take you b ack now . Si tadev i was

shocked. I t is m y fau l t tha t the m onster carr ies me o f f by fo rce? A l l the t im e, my m ind, my heart , and

sou l w ere f ixed on you and you a lone, my lo rd ! she said and tu rned to Lukshm an and sa id wi t h

tears st ream ing f rom her eyes, Prepare fo r m e a f i re tha t is the on ly rem edy for th is sorrow o f

m ind. Lakshm an in suppressed anger, looked at Lord Ramas face, but saw no sign of soften ing. He

l ighted a big f i re. Sitadevi reverent ly went roun d her hu sband and appro ached the blazing f ire.

Joining her palm s in salutat io n, she said, I f I am pur e, O f ire, prot ect m e. W ith t hese w ord s she

jum ped in t o t he f lam es, t o t he ho r ro r o f t he m onkeys w ho st ood on al l sides w at ch ing t he t rag ic

sigh t . Then arose f rom out o f t he f lam e Agn i , the f i re -god, w hom she had invoked. He l i f ted Si tadev i

f rom the f lam es unharm ed, and presented her t o Lord Rama. Don t I know that she is spot less and

pure a t hear t? cr ied Lord Rama, stand ing up to rece ive her . I t is fo r the sake o f t he w or ld t ha t I

m ade her go th rou gh th is ordea l o f f i re , so tha t the t r u th m ay be know n to a l l .

29. Sita Pokuna

Location:Top of the Haggala Rock

The barren piece of land in t he m idst of t he jungle w here Sitadevi w as kept as a capt ive is cal led Sita

Pokuna, w hich m eans Sita s pond in Sinhalese. I t is bel ieved th at a pon d existed at t h is si te d uring

the capt iv i t y of Sitadevi. Local fo lk lore says that t he po nd dried u p af ter t he depart ure of Sitadevi

f rom th is si te . To-date no vegeta t ion grow s on th is par t icu lar p iece o f land w h ich surrounded by

dense for ests on al l s ides.

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30. Ishtripura / Kondakatugala

Location:Kirivanagama, Lunuwatte-Welimada

Ishtr ipura m eans an area of w om en in Singhalese. It is bel ieved th at th is w as one of the palace tow hich King Ravana shif t ed Sitadevi as a precaut io nary m easure af t er Lord Hanum an advent . I t is said

that Si tadev i took bath in nearby s team and dr ied her ha i r si t t ing on a ro ck and p ut c l ips to her ha i r ,

hence th is rock is know n as Konda Kattu Gala.

31. Worlds End or Pathala Lok

Location:In Horton Plains- Closed to Nuwara Eliya

W orlds end or Pathala Lok is the palace w here M ahi Ravanan had hidden bot h Lord Rama and

Lakshm ana who w ere la ter rescued by Lord Ham um an w ho carr ied them back on h is broad

shoulders.

N o t e : Invo lves 8 km of w a lk ing

32. Ravana Goda

Location:Kotmale Area Opposite to Ramboda Rock

I t is a place w here Sitadevi stayed du ring her t ransit . This area is a lso l inked w ith tun nels and caves,

w hich runs thro ugh to o ther p arts of King Ravana's kingdom . This is si tuated in th e Kotm ala area

oppo site to Rambo da ro ck. The m ain cave entrance w as closed by an eart h-sl ip in 1947. Locals

bel ieve th is part o f th e com plex w as used as a prison by Ravana. The cave com plex has not been f u l ly

exp lored.

33. Ravana Cave

Location:Ella- Wallawaya Road

These tun nels prove beyo nd do ubt the architectur al br i l l iance of King Ravana. These tun nels served

as a quick m eans of t ranspor t thr ough t he h i l ls and also as a secret p assage. These tunnels

netw orked a l l the im portant c it ies, a irpor t and da i ry fa rm s. A c lose look a t t hese tunn e ls ind icates

that th ey are palace and a tunn el existed. Exist ing tu nnels mo uth s are si tuat ed Ishtr ipur a at

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W elim ada, Ravana cave at Bandaraw ela, Senapit iya at H alagala, Ram boda, Labokel le, W ariyapola,

M ata leand Si takotuw a Hasa laka. In add i t ion there are m any m ore t unne ls.

34. Ravana Water falls

Location:Ella- Wallawaya Road

A breat htaking w aterfa l l , 1080 feet h igh (cascades into several fa l ls) c lose to t he road from Ella to

W el law aya about 6 Km south f rom El la . The s t ream, a t r ibu tary o f Ki r ind i Oya p lunges wi t h a foam ing

spray over a series of ledges into th e val ley close to a bend in th e road. The w aters r ise from

W ew atenna h igh land above the rocks. In genera l the rocky underground o f t he w ater fa l ls in Sr i

Lanka consists of hard gneiss or granit e, but her e the m ateria l is khond al i te, a kind of l im eston e

w hich under goes decay faster. This has resulted in m any caves being form ed near t he fa l ls. King

Ravana of Ram ayana legend is said to h ave l ived in one of the caves above t he w aterfa l ls.

35. Yudaganawa

Location:Wallawaya- Monaragala Road

I t is said that th is part icular p iece land can never b ear any vegetat io n as th is served as the batt lef ie ld

and had borne the brunt o f dest ruct ion .

36. Kataragama

Location:South East of Sri Lanka

This is the t em ple of t he Lord Karth ikeya Subr am aniam at Kataragama. Lord Karthikeya w as

requested t o go to the bat t le f ie ld by Lord Indra on the las t day o f the w ar. Th is w as done t o pro t ect

Lord Ram a f rom the w ra th o f Brahm aastharam shot by K ing Ravana w hich o therw ise w ou ld havew eakened Lord Ram a. Brahm aastharam a im ed a t Lord Rama for the second t im e w as rendered

useless by th e pr esence of Lord Karth ikeya.

37. Ussangoda

Location:On the southern coast of the country

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Accord ing to Ramayana, a f te r m eet ing Si tadev i lo rd Hanum an dec ided to test the s t rength o f the

m ighty King Ravana and his arm y of Rakshasas. In th e event t hat inf o lded lo rd Hanum ans ta i l w as

set on f i re by Rakskasas, who in t urn w ent o n to tor ch som e parts of King Ravanas em pire. I t is

bel ieved th at Ussangoda is one of t he t orched areas, w hich is said to have been an airp ort use by

King Ravana.

38. Dondra / Seenigama Temple

Location:Hikkaduwa

I t is bel ieved that f rom here Sugreeve king of the Vanaras start ed his onslaught on King Ravanas

forces.

39. Kirinda Ravana's Fortress

Location:End of the Yala National Park

The tem ple of the Kir inda m arks the p lace w here Pr inces Viharam aha Devi landed w hen her Father , a King of

Kelaniya, set her adr ift on a Golden Boat in th e Indian Ocean.

The King who t or tured to d eath a m em ber of the Sanga believed that th e subsequent sea inundation thatconsum ed a great part of h is Kingdom w as the p unishm ent th at cam e as Roth of the God s, w hich could be

ato ned on ly by sacrificing his Dau ghter.

How ever the pr inces w ho survived and came Ashore in the Southeast Point of Kir inda w as wedded by the

King Kawant issa w ho ruled in tha t region and th eir son w as the fam ous King Dutugemunu w ho succeeded in

liberat ing Sri Lanka fro m th e Indian s and a lso repu lsed m any invasions.

40. Naga Pushani Amman Temple

Location:Jaffna

The annual festival of the Sri Nagapooshani Amman Kovil on Nainativu Island was held

from the 04th to the 19th June 2008 under the patronage of the Sri Lanka Navy. This

years festival, attended by a large number of Hindu devotees from and around the

Jaffna Peninsula, was a grand success.

41. Hakgala Botanical Garden

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Location:Nuwara Eliya Wimada Road

Hakgala botanical garden was one of the pleasure garden of king Ravana,this garden was

expanded during the British period and has a wide variety of flowers including an excellent

collections of orchids,this is the exotic pleasure garden where king ravana kept the depressed

sita,insisting that she marries him,it was here where the heat warming meeting took placebetween her and hanuman, who brought her rama's ring with the news that rama was looking

for her,he offered to carry her back ,but she refused saying it would be an insult to rama's

honor it she did so,part of this majestic garden still exists ,it is also said that hanuman Nealy

destroyed it in order to prove to ravana of the forces a gains him.

42. Pulasthi Statue

Location:Polonnaruwa

In Polonnaruwa to the north of the Pothgul Vehera is a granite boulder, adorned with a

large statue. This is one of the finest statues in the Island and measures 11 feet 6 inches

in height. The historians and the archaeologists have not confirmed its identity to

date. Some refer to it as the statue of King Parakramabahu because its closeness to one

of his major irrigation works; others refer to it as Rishi

Pulasthis statue. The presence of a Brahmanical sacred thread that runs from the left

shoulder across the body and the Ola leaf book that he carries confirms that it is of

Rishi Pulasthi.

The third option is because Polonnaruwa was referred as Pulasthipura in primeval

times. Prof Anuradha Seneviratna says that there is a worn out Rock Inscription which

reads as PULA THA SA behind the head of the statue. It proves that this statue is of

Rishi Pulasthi.

43. Rishi Visravasmuni

Location:Anuradhapura

This stone monument placed at the celebrated Vessamuniya presently known as

Isurumuniya Viharaya is of a bare bodied personality in deep meditation and

significant bearing. A head of a horse can be seen behind the right shoulder. This

sculpture has a head dressing and a sacred thread (poona noola)- a thread which is

worn by ancient monastic personnel can be seen. The histories of these monuments are

not properly explored by the archaeologists. They have a very irregular view about this

outstanding sculpture and have named it as Man and Horse. How they have come to

these conclusions are not known.

This celebrated sculpture is of Rishi Visravasmuni and his white horse.

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