KAMALIKA PIERIS

Ramayana trail is a pilgrimage to the Ramayana sites in Sri Lanka .The main sites of the Ramayana trail have been given in the earlier essays. This essay looks at some of the lesser known Ramayana sites,  as listed in the tourist itineraries shown on Google.

A selective collection of the lesser known Ramayana stops” is given below, with the Ramayana connection of each place. The absurdity of the so called Ramayana connections, the weak, ridiculous assertions and howlers can be spotted straightaway.

Anjaneyar Temple. Panchamuga Anjaneyar Temple located Colombo is the first Anjaneyar temple in Sri Lanka and also the only temple in Sri Lanka which is  dedicated to Lord Hanuman in his Panchamuga form, meaning five faces.

Ashok Vatika Is situated near the Hakgala Botanical Garden. Ashok Vatika is the place where Ravana kept the Sita captive.  Findings include the rock on which Sita used to sit and meditate.

Dolukanda Sanjeewanee Mountain. The beautiful rural village located near Hiripitiya is believed to be one of the five places where parts of the piece of Himalaya lord Hanuman brought fell on.

Dunuvila. Located in Laggala, Matale, Dunuvila is a rural village with natural beauty and historical value. The place is believed to be the location where Lord Rama’s army was firstly sighted by king Ravana’s troops. Dunuvila lake is believed to be the place where Lord Rama killed king Ravana by a single combat. As the folklore goes lord Rama had fired the Brahmaastharam at King Ravana from the lake you can still see in Dunuvila. King Ravana had meditated and prayed to Lord Shiva from the Laggala rock, as the rock was the highest peak of his Kingdom.

Gayathri Peedam. This temple is located in the city of Nuwara Eliya. This place has a deep religious significance. Many people believe that this is the place where Indrajit or Prince Meganath, son of the Demon King Ravana, performed the Shiva Thapa and Nikumbala Yagna with such concentration and devotion that the Holy Trinity – Shiva, Vishnu, and Brahma – appeared before him to grant him his boon. This place holds significance and importance amongst the locals and many people come here to seek blessings and liberation.

Istripura   is situated in the Welimada area. This was one of the places to which King Ravana shifted Seetha Devi as a precautionary measure. Seetha Devi took a bath in the stream close by and had dried her hair sitting on a rock and put clips to her hair, hence this rock is known as Konda Kattu Gala.

Kanniya hot springs. One legend about Kanniya’s origin is that this is the place where King Ravana carried out the last rites for his mother. When he was unable to find water to duly perform the rites, he pierced his Trishula into the ground seven times. Water started gushing out immediately. The very hot water cooled down to the present degree when Ravana’s anger calmed down.

Kelaniya Raja Maha vihara. The Kelani River is mentioned in the Valmiki Ramayana and Vibeeshana palace was said to be on the banks of this river. After King Ravana’s death, Vibeeshana was coroneted as King of Lanka by Lakshmana at Kelaniya. In the temple, you can see ancient murals of the Vibheeshana’s coronation. Many devotees that visit king Vibeeshana’s shrine pray to him asking his intervention to their problems

Kotmale. When King Ravana was taking Sitha Devi to Sitha Eliya on his chariot, Sitha Devi dropped the vitaminized rice balls King Ravana gave her as refreshment, along the journey. So, Lord Rama can find where she was taken. Kotmale is a place where you can still see these rice balls (Sitha Goli) that the locals now use as a cure for stomach disorders and headaches and as a charm that brings prosperity.

Manavari is aHindu temple situated 6km north of Chilaw. It is the first lingam installed by Lord Rama and to date this lingam is called Ramalinga Shivan. This was done as a remedy for committing Brahminicide by killing King Ravana. Lord Rama was advised to build 4 lingams by Lord Shiva, in Manavari, Thirukoneshwaram, Thiruketheeswaram and Rameshwaram in India

Munneswaram Hindu kovil, located in Chilaw, is one of the oldest Hindu temples in Sri Lanka that bear close connections to Ramayana. The temple  is believed to be the place where King Rama prayed to Shiva asking for remedies after  killing King Ravana who was a priest of Brahmin caste and committing ‘Brahmahasti’ the biggest crime according to the Hindu Dharma.

Nilawari is a famous village in Jaffna, a pilgrim site that attracts thousands of locals and tourists each year. According to the folklore, the underground well of unknown depth is a well Lord Rama created when his army faced a water crisis during the war against king Ravana. Lord Rama had shot a magic arrow to the ground and the water sprung out which haven’t dried up until this day.

Pothgul Vehera 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 Pulasthi’s 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.

Ravana tunnels. These tunnels prove beyond doubt the architectural brilliance of King Ravana. The tunnels served as a quick means of transport through the hills and also as a secret passage. They networked all the important cities, airports and dairy farms. A close look at these tunnels indicates that they are man-made and not natural formations.
Existing tunnel mouths are situated at Ishtripura in Welimada, Senapitiya in Halagala, Ramboda, Labookelle, Wariyapola in Matale, and Seetha Kotuwa in Hasalaka and in many more places.

Ritigala has 70 caves that have been used as dwellings by the earliest inhabitants of Sri Lanka and subsequently as monasteries. Ritigala in the Anuradhapura District is associated with the episode in the Ramayana where Hanuman is sent to the Himalayas to fetch medicinal herb to treat the injured Luxmana. However, the mountain fragment slipped and fell while Hanuman was over Lanka, and it broke into pieces.

Rumassala is a massive hill oddly out of place in the landscape just outside the Galle harbour. Legend details that during the Rama – Rawana war Rama’s brother Ludhiana, was injured and Hanuman was sent to Himalayas to fetch medicinal herbs. Hanuman forgot the name of the herb but he brought a chunk of the peak containing many herbs. the mountain fragment slipped and broke into five pieces of which one fell to Rumassala. Other 4 places where the parts believed to fell on are Rumassala in Galle, Ritigala in Habarana Anuradhapura road, Thalladi in Mannar and Kachchativu in the north.

Sigiriya has a cave known as the Cobra Hood Cave. There is a distinct link between Sita and the cave. Tradition states that Sita was held in captivity here. There are many pre-historic drawings on its ceiling.  One inscription found there states ‘Parumaka naguliya lene’. It would have been inscribed after Rawana’s period but positively it has a connection to Sita’s stay in this case, as the word ‘naguliya’ refers to Sita.

Sitha Kotuwa is located at Gurulupotha, Hasalaka. According to the legend, this is the place where Sitha Devi was held captive. The place was King Ravana’s queen, Mandothari’s palace and was surrounded by waterfall and beautiful streams. Later the palace was called ‘Sitha Kotuwa’ or ‘Sitha fort’ as Sitha Devi stayed here

Sitha Tear pond is located in the jungle on the top of Ramboda Hills, on the Kandy – Gampola – Nuwara-Eliya road. The barren land here is believed to be the route along which Ravana took Seetha Devi from his capital city Lankapura to Ashoka Vatika, to show her the beauty of his kingdom which was a paradise on earth. To date no vegetation grows on this passage except grass.

Shankari Devi  Temple. Adjacent to Koneswaram temple there is another small shrine; with some significance for Hindu pilgrims. The original Shankari Devi temple was said to be built by Ravana, but its whole cliff was destroyed by Portuguese cannon balls. Only a pillar for commemoration is placed on that spot now. And it is believed that the original idol of the Goddess has been preserved and is venerated now in this nearby new Shankari Devi temple.

Vessagiriya. The 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

Ussangoda. This is situated in the southern coast between Ambalantota and Tangalle. According to Ramayana, after meeting Seetha Devi Lord Hanuman decided to test the strength of the mighty King Ravana and his army of Rakshasas. In the   process Lord Hanuman’s tail was set on fire by the Rakshasas, who in turn went on to torch some parts of King Ravana’s empire. Ussangoda is one of the torched areas, which is said to have been an airport used by King Ravana.

Yahangala is believed to be the place where locals paid their respect to king Ravana for the last time and kept the body. The place located along the Mahiyanganaya – Wasgamuwa road is ideal for a hike and offers you amazing views of the surrounding. You can see the Yahangala rock from miles away. (continued)