{"id":89875,"date":"2019-06-04T13:31:27","date_gmt":"2019-06-04T20:31:27","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/?p=89875"},"modified":"2019-06-04T13:31:27","modified_gmt":"2019-06-04T20:31:27","slug":"ramayana-and-sri-lanka-part-3","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/2019\/06\/04\/ramayana-and-sri-lanka-part-3\/","title":{"rendered":"RAMAYANA AND SRI LANKA Part 3"},"content":{"rendered":"

KAMALIKA PIERIS<\/em><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n

The Ramayana legend did not catch on in Sri\nLanka the way did in South East Asia. Unlike in south East Asia, Ramayana\ntradition was not allowed to take root here, said Bandu de Silva. In Buddhism\nthere was no place for myths like Ramayana. \nBuddhism abhorred anything which did not stand scrutiny, he said. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

 Dasaratha Jataka has Dasaratha, Rama, Sita and\nLakshman as the main characters, but the story is completely different. Also,\nnot a single manuscript of Ramayana is found among the many Sanskrit texts preserved\nin Sinhalese tradition, concluded Bandu. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Vini Vitharana observed that the Sinhala and\nPali sources of Sri Lanka contain nothing that corroborates the Ramayana story. R.A.L.H. Gunawardana said that in the medieval\nperiod, Ramayana and Mahabharata were denounced by the monks as useless works\nwhich should be ignored. Several of the Buddhist texts stated that the study of\nthe Ramayana and Mahabaratha was a waste of time. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Tissa Kariyawasam read a paper titled\nRamayana in Sinhala Literature\u201d at the symposium on the Ramayana Trail   organized by Royal Asiatic Society, Colombo\nin 2010.  He said, inter alia, there is a\nfleeting reference in Culavamsa to \u2018as Sita loved Rama\u2019   and \u2018going forth to combat like Rama\u2019.\nKumaradasa, writing in the 7 century,   \nversified Rama- Sita story into Janakiharana. But Buddhagosha rejected\nthe     Mahabharata and Ramayana as\nfrivolous stories and this approach continued till end of 15 century, said\nTissa.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In the reign of Parakrama bahu VI (1412-\n1467), however, the Vedas, Puranas and the two Maha kavyas, Mahabharatha and\nRamayana were studied at Vijayaba Pirivena under   Sri Rahula. But this was challenged.  Vidagama Maitreya, a contemporary of Sri\nRahula was very critical of the Ramayana. He pointed out, inter alia, that\nwhile the monkey could swim across to Lanka, Rama needed a bridge.  Sri Rahula\u2019s Kavyasekera compares princess\nLokanatha to Sita. His sandesa poems refer to Rama, Ravana, Sita and\nVibhishana. Selalihini Sandesa refers to a  \nVibhishana devale   and speaks of a conversation in an ambalama\nregarding Rama-Sita stories.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Ramayana, however, features in the folklore of\nthe Udarata kingdom. C. E. Godakumbura  \npresented a paper titled \u2018Ramayana in Sri Lanka and Lanka of the\nRamayana\u201d at the international Ramayana seminar, New Delhi, 1975. In this paper\nhe said that there is an abundance of folklore in Ceylon connected with the\nstory of Rama and Sita. Some of these explain place names, some point to\nspecial geographical features, other the lay of the land, the positions of\nhills, nooks and bend in rivers, the color of the soil and various curiosities.\nAll this is folklore and nothing archeologically probable or tested\nhistorically, \u2018concluded Godakumbura.   <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Sena Thoradeniya (2010) said that in his home\nvillage Udurawana, a village in Patha Dumbara, there is a legend that the\nvillage goes as far back as Ravana. Udurawana is the name given to the place\nwhere Ravana fell facing the sky in his battle with Rama and the adjoining\nYatiravana, along the present Kandy-Wattegama road is where Ravana fell facing\nthe earth. There is a rock named Athobanagala where imprint of Ravana\u2019s palm is\nstill visible on the hard rock, Ravana had rested his hand there   while shooting deer. A tributary from\nKnuckles flowing along Yatirawana is named Ravana oya. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Folk poetry of the Udarata period\n\u2018made a fuss of Ravana,\u2019 said Tissa Kariyawasam. The Ramayana also influenced\nthe Udarata rituals of the 18th and 19th<\/sup> century, such as Kohomba\nKankariya. Ravana is supposed to have\ninvented a string music instrument.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The indigenous medicine practitioners\nof Sri Lanka believe in the existence of King Ravana, said a media report.\nRavana was a great physician credited with authorship of five books on\nmedicine, one of which is available even today. The technique of using\nunderground metal ash process and fermentation\u201d belongs to the period of\nRavana. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

 A\nballet titled \u2018Maha Ravana\u2019 was presented in Colombo in May 2008 by the Sarasavi\nDehena Experimental Theatre School. The choreographer, Pabalu Wijewardana, who\ncomes from the Mihiripenna dancing tradition, said that Sri Lanka lacked a\ntruly iconic figure and he wished to project Ravana as an icon.  He had researched into the story of Ravana.\nHe says Ravana was not a demon, but a wise king, who ruled over a vast South\nAsian kingdom which included Sri Lanka. The flying machine may have been a real\none.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Present day writers say that neither Hanuman\nnor Sita ever came here and there was no Ravana either. They have pointed out\nthat Sita Eliya in Nuwara Eliya district has nothing to do with the Rama and\nSita story. ‘Sita’ is derived from ‘seethala’, which means cold. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

However, in the 1990s Sri Lanka decided to\nembrace the Ramayana. A search for Ravana sites in the Nuwara Eliya and Uva\ndistricts started.  Rev. Harry Haas\n(1925-2002) a Christian priest from the\nNetherlands, who was living in Bandarawela, was very active in finding these\nsites. Sri Lanka was full of Ravana and Sita sites which needed discovering,\nHaas said.  The image of King Ravana was\na universal one which appealed to the west as well as the east. Haas was the\npatron of a Ravana Centre set up in Uva. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

In 1997 work commenced on a Hanuman temple\ncomplex at Wavendon, Ramboda, Nuwara Eliya with assistance from Tamilnadu\ngovernment. The complex consisted of a huge 16 foot granite statue of Hanuman,  a\nspiritual centre, library and auditorium. This project was initiated by Gurudev\nSwami Chimayananda, who purchased 10 acres for the purpose. Minister S.\nThondaman donated 5 more acres and provided a motorable road from the main\nNuwara Eliya road to the temple site. This temple site, it is claimed, was\nclose to the Asoka vana where Sita was kept captive and Hanuman found her.\n<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The\nconstruction of the Hanuman temple was done by the Sri Lanka Army. There were large crowds at the first\nanniversary, of this temple, in 2002 with thousands of devotees drawn mainly\nfrom the plantation sector. The\nprocession went with the statue of Holy Hanuman to Sita Amman Temple at Seetha\neliya, where Hindu poojas were held.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In the 1999,  \na newSita Amman kovil\nwas   completed at Seetha Eliya in Nuwara\nEliya. The original kovil was a small unpretentious structure. Derrick Schokman recalled \u2018the Sita Amman\nTemple in Nuwara Eliya was simple temple when I first saw it. Now is it an\nornate Hindu kovil with images of Rama, Sita, Lakshmana and Hanuman.\u2019 The new\nkovil had its kumbhabisheka pooja in January 2008. There was a full page\nannouncement in the newspapers, with messages from President and Ministers. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Seetha Amman\nTemple in Nuwara Eliya was the only temple in the world dedicated to the Sita\nin the Ramayana, said supporters.  <\/em> <\/em> Although there are many Rama and Hanuman\nkovils in India, there is no kovil dedicated to Sita. This is the only place\nwhere Sita came alone. In all the other places Sita is associated with Rama.\nNorth Indians worship Rama and they are keen on developing the Sita Kovil with\nour support,”   said Radhakrishnan, Chairman of Board of Trustees of the temple.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“The\nestimated cost of building the temple is around Rs. four million. We have\ncollected the funds through public donations. Tills are also placed outside the\ntemple for collections. The Manoj Mody foundation of India gave about Rs.200,\n000 for the renovation, he said in 1999.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“In January,\n1999 we had a Festival of Unity organized by the Manoj Mody foundation of\nIndia, Radhakrishnan said. About 800 devotees came to Nuwara Eliya for a 10-day\nbajan programme. About 500 local devotees also joined in. They occupied all the\nhotels in the area and attended the poojas daily at the temple. Since space was\ninsufficient, a tent was put up at the Buddhist temple nearby, to accommodate\nthe crowd. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Environmental\norganizations and Buddhist organizations had staged a massive protest, before\nthe festival was held. The people had feared that the 800 devotees expected,\nwere from South India, although they were in fact mostly from North India where\nthere is a strong following for Rama. The Buddhist organizations set down\nvarious conditions for holding the ceremony. These were adhered to and the\nceremony was held peacefully,” Radhakrishnan said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Seetha Eliya\nTemple became the subject of a controversy in 1999 when the Ministry of Tourism\nmooted a proposal for the development of Seetha Eliya as a Holy City. It was\nproposed to vest 35 acres of land surrounding the temple in the Tourist Board\nand develop it as a sacred area similar to Anuradhapura and Kataragama.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It was suggested\nthat Asoka Vanam, the forest where Sita was held captive is on the mountain,\nsome distance away from the Seetha Amman temple. Behind the temple is a stream.\nWater flows over a basin like depression carved in the rock. It is said that\nSita came through a tunnel to this stream to bathe. There were protests from\nenvironmentalists and the people in the area and the move for the Holy City was\nhalted. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Bandu de Silva commented on this move. The\ngovernment is trying to create a Hindu complex on the lines of the Cultural\ntriangle, he said. Tourist Development Authority is promoting the idea of\nstrong Ramayana tradition in the island. The Tourist Board first tried to develop\nthe area behind the Hanuman temple. Now there is a move to expand the Hanuman\nTemple, taking in a tea kiosk built on a road reservation for use by laborers. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

However, the\nSeetha Amman kovil has certainly achieved its purpose. It is now an accepted\npart of the tourist circuit and  \nstrengthens the notion of a virile Hindu culture in Sri Lanka. Many\ntourists who visit the Hakgala Gardens, stopover to see the temple, since it is\nen-route from Nuwara Eliya to Hakgala. An average of 1500 local tourists and\n1000 foreign tourists stopped by the temple in 1999 alone. During Thai Pongal,\nin January many devotees from the tea estates nearby visit the kovil to perform\npoojas said the media.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

P Ramanujan, Secretary, Ministry of Tourism\nstated in 2006    that they were planning to set up a Ramayana\nTrail for tourists to encourage Indian tourists.  In 2007 S. Kalaiselvam, Director General of\nthe Sri Lanka Tourism Development Authority said in a statement to Press Trust\nof India   that the Sri Lanka government\nhad decided to develop the sites associated with the Ramayana. They were being restored\nand maintained. There was no archaeological confirmation for any of them,\ncertainly, but these sites were not imaginary and have existed since time\nimmemorial. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

 A Ramayana Trail  Committee was set up, consisting of N.Kiriella,\nChairman, Dr Suriya Gunasekera an authority on Sri Lankan pre history. Dr\nSubash Chawla an authority on International Ramayana,  B.M.U.D Basnayake Additional Secretary\nMinistry of Tourism and  S. Kalaiselvam\nDirector General, Sri Lanka Tourism Development Authority. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

In 2009 50 sites related to the \u2018Ramayana\ntrail\u2019  were selected by Sri Lanka\nTourism for  the Ramayana Trail.   Of these \n50 , 12 are sites with archeological evidence, the rest are based on\nunwavering faith and traditional beliefs, said Kailselvam. There is no need to\nre \u2013establish  the authenticity of the\nsites. People in the areas relate to the Ramayana. A dedicated team from Sri\nLanka tourist agencies are handling the promotion of the Ramayana sites. Books\nwere published to support the Ramayana trail, notably \u2018Ramayana and Historical\nRavana\u2019, edited by Kiriella. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Ramayana tourist trail includes Ravana\u2019s\npalaces and dairy farm, also temples dedicated to Sita which had been built in\na later period. The trail also included a pond which is believed to have come\ninto existence through Sita’s tears. This pond never dries up even in the worst\ndrought. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Tourist Ministry had identified five   airports where Ravana parked his fleet of\npushpak vimanas, the mythological aircraft used by him to abduct Sita. The Ministry thinks that Ravana\u2019s flying\nmachine may have landed at Weragantota,about 10 kilometres from Mahiyangana. Sita was then taken to\nGurulupota, now known as Sita kotuwa. \nThis is 10 kilometres from Mahiyangana on Kandy road. There is the\nrunway of Ravana’s aircraft, the aircraft landing place, aircraft repair centre\nin Gurulupotha. Sita was thereafter housed in a cave at Sita Eliya, Nuwara\nEliya. Ravana cave at Ella, served as a\nquick means of transport through the hills for Ravana. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

It was decided that the Ravana-Rama battle\ntook place at Yudhaganapitiya in Matale and that Ravana was making his battle\nplans at Lakgala just before he was killed. It was also decided that Rama\nstarted his attack on Ravana at Dondra and the main battle was at Yudaganawa.\nAfter killing Ravana, Rama performed penance at Muneswaram in Chilaw. Hanuman\nhad entered Lanka at Nagadeepa.He dropped the Dronagiri\nMountain brought from the Himalayas on Rumassala. Rama fired the Brahmastra at   Ravana in Dunuwila. Sita is said to have\nperformed Agni puja to prove her  purity\nat Devurumpola.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Other sites\nwere added on thereafter, Ashok vatika in Nuwara Eliya, Vessagiriya cave, and\nIsurumuniya lovers in Anuradhapura ,the cobra foot cave in Sigiriya,  the statue near Parakrama Samudra,   the \nHanumana kovil at Saranankara Road, Colombo 5, Gurullupotha jungle in Hasalaka,   Ravana Caves in Ella area,  the hot wells and Ussangoda  are \nincluded in the Ramayana trail. According to folklore Ravana\u2019s body is\nburied in a location in Welimada, reported the media.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The great basses ( Maha Ravana kotuwa) and\nLittle basses ( Kuda Ravana Kotuwa) are a long line of coral and rock just\nbelow the surface of water in the southern sea. They are located not far from\nKirinda beach or Rummassala in Galle. King Ravana is said to have established   his Lankapura\n\u2018on the reefs. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Ramayana trail was described at length in\nthe Sunday Observer<\/em> of  23.8.2009 . Sri Lanka Tourist Development\nauthority has developed an itinerary that shows the Ramayana spots in Sri\nLanka  the Observe<\/em>r said. there are over 50 Ramayana sites in Sri Lanka.  These were described.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

the jungles in gurullupotha in Hasalaka is the\nplace were Lankapura was, It is now called seetha kotuwa. The jungle on top of\nRamboda along the Kandy Nuwara Eliya road is believed to be the route along\nwhich Ravana took seethe to ashoka vana. Ussangoda was the airport for Ravana.\nThe tunnels from Bandarawela past Ella to Ravana cave, were the way Ravana went\nthorugh the hills, they were his secret passages.  These tunnels are manmade and not natural\nformations. Existing tunnel opening are situate at Isthripura, Senapitiya in\nHalagala, Ramboda, Labookelle, Wariyapola and Seetha kotuwa, continued this\nreport merrily. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Dunuwila is where Rama shot and killed   Ravana, \nsaid the report.  Hanuman, dropped\nlifesaving herbs on Rumassala, Dolu kanda in Hiripitya, Ritigala, Thailaddi in\nMannar and Kachchativu. Divurumpola 15 miles from seethe Eliya on Nuwara Eliya\n\u2013Welimada road, is the place where seeth performed Agni pariksha. This is a\npopular place of worship among the locals in the areas. The courts of law in\nSri Lanka permits and accepts the swearing done at this temple when settling\ndisputes.  There is also Munneswaram,\nwhere Rama received the blessing of Shiva. Ravana constructed the\nhotwells.  the soil of the ancient battle\nfields is red in colour.  Some areas look\nscorched after Hamunan set fire to them, ended the report. ( continued)<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

KAMALIKA PIERIS The Ramayana legend did not catch on in Sri Lanka the way did in South East Asia. Unlike in south East Asia, Ramayana tradition was not allowed to take root here, said Bandu de Silva. In Buddhism there was no place for myths like Ramayana.  Buddhism abhorred anything which did not stand scrutiny, […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":true,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[104],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-89875","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-kamalika-pieris"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/89875","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=89875"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/89875\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=89875"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=89875"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=89875"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}