Ramaya Tour – 10 days – site details Ramayana trails

Ramaya Tour – 10 days – site details Dress Code Casual, Comfortable clothing and need to wear appropriately when visiting Religious Sites

The ultimate spiritual travel experience in Asia… We offer you an opportunity to follow the Ramayana trails and visit the most important Ramayana sights in Sri Lanka

These tours are exclusively for religious and spiritual Hindus but also offers an in-depth knowledge of Ramayana heritage in Sri Lanka, for the non-Hindus

Ramaya Tour – 10 days – site details

Shiva Temples in Sri Lanka

The first Ramayana site I visited in Sri Lanka was the Munneswaram temple, located near Chilaw. There are three Siva temples in Sri Lanka associated with the Ramayana and they are connected through the following story. After winning the war, Lord Rama started the journey back to Ayodhya. Unfortunately, he had acquired the Brahmana Hatya Dosham for killing Ravana. At Munneswaram, he felt the Dosham weaken and prayed to Lord Siva for a solution. Lord Siva advised him to install four Siva Lingas at Manavari, Thirukoneswaram, Thiruketheeswaram, and Rameshwaram and pray to them to get rid of the Dosham.

Ramayana Places To See In Sri Lanka – Travel Tales

Day 1Chilaw	Munneshwaram Hindu Kovil in Chilaw (Shiva temple in Sri Lanka)The Munneswaram temple complex consisted of several smaller temples, with the chief one dedicated to Lord SivaThe temple is one of five ancient temples dedicated to Shiva in the region. It has been in existence at least since 1000 CEThe presiding deity Siva is installed in the form of Lingam in the sanctum sanctorum.The Legend says that this was the place where Lord Rama prayed for God Shiva after he has defeated King Ravana who was a Brahmin. Killing a Brahmin or Brahmicide was considered as the greatest crime according to the Hindus, and when Lord Rama prayed for a remedy after killing Kingb Ravana he has preached that the only remedy would be to install five lingams (a symbol of divine generative energy as a symbol of Shiva). MuneshwaramLegend: Lord Rama after his victorious battle left for Ayodhya in one of King Ravana’s Vimanas. He felt he was being followed by Bramahathi Dosham as he killed King Ravana who was a Brahmin. He stopped the Vimana at this juncture because he felt at this place the “Bramahathi Dosham” was not following him. He discended from the Vimana and asked God Shiva for a remedy. God Shiva blessed Lord Rama and advised him to install and pray four lingams in Manavari, Thirukoneshwaram, Thiruketheeswaram and Rameshwaram in India, as the only remedy to get rid of the Dosham.Murugan Temple, Chilaw near chilawhis roadside Hindu shrine has building-sized statues of Vishnu and Hanuman. Manavari Sivan Kovil near ChilawThis Kovil or the Hindu temple is situated about 10 kilometers above Chilaw.The Manavari Sivan Kovil (Eswaran Kovil) is a small temple considering its huge religious significance It has the first Siva Linga that Lord Rama installed to get rid of the Brahmana Hatya Dosham When Lord Rama killed the King Ravanam, God Shiva advised him to erect five lingams in Sri Lanka, so as to rectify the Brahmicide he committed by virtue of killing Ravana. This Manavari kovil holds the first Lingam installed by Lord Rama (Ramalingam). So this is one of most important Ramayana related places in Sri lanka.The Siva Linga present in the temple was established by Lord Rama himself and hence is known as the Ramalingam. Since it is believed that Lord Rama was born in 5114 BCE, it would mean that the Siva Linga was more than seven thousand years old!
Day 2Mannar	Ram Sethu bridge in Mannar geographically closest point to India and the other end of Rama Setu (Adam’s Bridge or Rama’s Bridge). As per legend, once Lord Hanuman had located Sita Devi in Lanka, the Vanara army moved towards Lanka swiftly and arrived at the ocean. Under the guidance of Nala, the Vanara architect, they proceeded to build a bridge (Rama Setu) to Lanka using rocks which had Lord Ram’s name written on it. A few of these floating rocks (coral) used in building the bridge to Lanka can be seen at the Panchamukhi Hanuman temple in Rameshwaram. The Sri Lankan Navy offers boating at Talaimannar from a dock near the old lighthouse. At certain places, where the water is shallow, the remnants of the bridge can still be seen. Thiruketheeswaram temple at Mannar Thiruketheeswaram temple, which is located around 10 kilometers from Mannar town along the Mannar Highway. This is the second of the three Siva Lingas in Sri Lanka. Legend has it that this temple was built by Ravana’s father-in-law, Mayan, the master architect, who also built the Mayasabha at Indraprastha. The Portuguese destroyed this temple and it was only restored in the early 1900s after the original Siva Linga was excavated. Before it was destroyed, it was supposed to be the largest of the Siva temples in Sri Lanka. Considering that the Mannar Fort, the churches in Mannar, and the Hammershield Fort at Kayts were built with stones from the demolished temple, you can imagine how huge the original temple would have been. The temple had multiple courtyards with various idols dedicated to the gods. The entrances to these courtyards were all lined up perfectly. I could see the Siva Linga past the doorways from the entrance of the temple. An incredible sight which left me with a feeling of calm. Thiruketheeswaram Temple (Mannar)Thiruketheeswaram is one of the five Sivan temples in the Island. The giant Sivalingam carved out of granite stone which was excavated by archaeologists in Thiruketheeswaram temple area in the fifties is believed to have been buried when the Portuguese destroyed the temple during their invasion of Mannar in the 16th century. The temple which was in ruins was gradually rebuilt to its pristine glory during the British period with Hindu elite from Jaffna playing a major role in the reconstruction.
Day 3Trincomalee	Koneswaram Kovil – TrincomaleeLord Rama is believed to have offered his prayers here in order to get rid of the malediction of killing Ravana who was a Brahmin, meaning Brahmahasthi Dosham. The Koneswaram Kovil is the last of the three sites where Lord Ram performed Puja to get rid of the Brahmana Hatya Dosham. It was built by Sage Agastya and is referred to as Dakshina Kailasam (Kailash of the south). In addition, it is also a Maha Shakti Peetha. The temple is located on a hill, which overlooks the harbor and the views it offers are simply brilliant.The Temple of the Thousand Pillars and Dakshina-Then Kailasam is a classical-medieval Hindu temple complex in Trincomalee, a Hindu religious pilgrimage centre in Eastern Province, Sri Lanka Trincomalee is the site of the “Sacred Hill of the Three Temples. legend states that King Ravana, along with his mother, was a devout worshipper of Koneswaram. Ravana is also supposed to have created the hot springs of Kanniya as part of Thirukoneswaram, for the last rites of his mother. King Ravana was a legendary emperor of Sri Lanka who is believed to have lived over 5000 years ago. Shaktipeeth Shri Shankari Devi Temple– TrincomaleeAdjacent to Trincomalee’s famous Koneswaram temple there is another shrine.The original Shankari Devi temple, said to be built by Ravana, was the first in the list of Ashta Dasha (18) Shakti Pitas written down by Adi Shankara,
Day 4Trincomalee	The Kanniya Hot Springs – 7 wellsThe springs that heal.There are many tales surrounding these hot water springs, one being that Lord Vishnu created the wells so that King Ravana could perform the last rites for his mother Kanniya upon hearing of her alleged demise. Another is that King Ravana struck the rock with his sword seven times and thus the springs appeared. There is a small Kovil on the premises and the springs are also part of the Velgam Viharaya complex.It is still a mystery as to how the water of the springs are warm and it is said that the temperature of the wells fluctuates Ravana’s Cleft (or ‘Lovers’ Leap’) at Swami RockThe legends say the Lovers Leap, which is a cleft, was formed by the action of Ravana when he had lifted the rock temple; Lord Shiva has made him drop his sword. Thus, the clash has formed the cleft
Day 5Kandy	Cobra Hood Cave at Sigiriya According to legend, Ravana was afraid that Sita Devi would be found by Lord Rama’s allies and hence he kept shifting her across multiple locations like Ishtripura, Sita Pokuna, Ussangoda, Sita Kotuwa, and Ashoka Vatika. The Cobra Hood Cave in Sigiriya is said to be one of these places where she was held, prisoner. Also known as the “Parumaka Naguliya Lena”, the Cobra Hood Cave is a natural geological formation, part of the famed Sigiriya rock. It is part of the ancient Ramayana tradition, but there is not much evidence to suggest that anything actually went on here Legend : This is called Cobra Hooded Cave as it has its shape. The tradition states that Sita was held in captivity here. There are many pre-historic drawings on its ceiling. There is a distinct link between Sita and the cave and it the following is inscribed, ‘Parumaka naguliya lene’. It would have been inscribed after Rawana’s period but positively it has a connection to Sita’s stay in this cave, as the word ‘naguliya’ refers to Sita. Yahangala: The Bed Rock Mountain – Matale Yahangala is the place where the great king Ravana is sleeping until he wakes up again. The god “Galē Bandāra” is also believed to be protecting this place. This is a place travelers have to come with good intention, because there were enough incidents that the environment or some spiritual powers has been punished travelers who came with bad intention. (elephant attack, wasp, all kinds of venomous snake bites and getting lost). As long you love the flora and fauna and leave only foot prints behind, you are good to go. Based on publication “Sigiriya and Beyond“, the site is accessed through Ranaviru Shokarathne Mawatha near the 29th kilometer post on the Galewela – Andiyagala road. 4.5 km along this remote road you will reach a small temple at the base of the rock. A long inscription found at the bottom of the rock has been placed in 2nd century AD by professor Paranawithana. His interpretation of the inscription has led to suggest that the patron of this ancient monastery has come from kingdom of Sumatra.
Day 6Nuwara Eliya	Temple of the Tooth RelicThe Sri Dalada Maligawa in Kandy, the temple which houses the Sacred Tooth Relic of The Buddha, is possibly the most sacred Buddhist shrine in the world Bhakta Hanuman Temple in Ramboda According to the ancient stories, Ramboda is a area, where the forces of Rama’s gather to fight against King Ravana. This temple was built by the Chinmaya mission of Sri Lanka and dedicated to Hanuman. This temple houses for 16 feel height statue of Hanuman. According to legend, this is one of the locations where Lord Hanuman searched for Sita Devi. The ‘Sita Tear Pond’ is located nearby, which is said to be formed from Sita Devi’s tears. This was also the place where the two armies faced each other for the first time, Lord Rama’s army on the Ramboda hillside and Ravana’s on the other side, separated by the Ramboda Lake. The Chariot Path and Seetha Tear pondLocation: The jungle on the top of Ramboda Hills, on the Kandy – Gampola – Nuwara-Eliya RoadLegend: 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
Day 7Nuwara Eliya	Gayathri Peedam Temple (also known as Sri-Lankatheeswarar Temple) Gayathri Pitam is said to be the place from where King Ravana’s son Meghanath propitiated Lord Shiva with penance and worship and in turn was granted super natural powers by the mighty god. Ashoka Vatika in Hakgala Gardens the place where Ravana kept Sita Devi prisoner, as Queen Mandodari would not allow her to be brought into the royal palace. This was also the place where Lord Hanuman first met Sita Devi and passed to her Lord Ram’s ring. Sita Amman temple near Haggala  According to legend, Sita Devi bathed in the stream near the temple. There are also several footprints in the stones near the stream which are said to be Lord Hanuman’s.
Day 8Kataragama	Divurumpola Temple, Nuwara EliyaLegend has it that Sita Devi performed the Agni Pariksha at this place and there is a temple there to mark the spot. The word ‘Divurumpola’, itself meant ‘place of oath’ in Sinhala. The temple is very famous for Sita Devi’s oath and the locals accept oaths made at this temple as a means to settle disputes! The Bodhi tree present in the complex is a descendant of the sapling of the Sri Maha Bodhi at Bodh Gaya – the tree under which Lord Buddha attained Enlightenment. Ravana Temple & CavesLegend has it that Ravana built this cave network, which extended across Sri LankaLegend: 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.
Day 9Galle	Kataragama TempleKataragama, known to be a sacred ground and a home of the legendary Hindu god of war – Murugan/skanda, brother of Ganesha and son of god Shiva.According to some legends God Kataragama originally lived in the Mount Kailash in Himalayas and had a divine consort by the name of Thevani, before moving to Kataragama in Sri Lanka. KathirkamamLegend: This is the temple of Lord Karthikeya Subramaniam at Kataragama. Lord Karthikeya was requested to go to the battlefield by Lord Indra on the last day of war. This was done to protect Lord Rama from the wrath of Brahmasthra aimed by King Ravana which other wise would have weakened Lord Rama. The benefit was one of the most powerful weapon brahma asthra aimed at Lord Rama for the second time was rendered useless by the presence of Lord Karthikeya. Ussangoda – the city that Hanuman burntThis 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.According to legend, Ussangoda is one of the cities of Ravana’s kingdom that Lord Hanuman burnt down. After he found Sita Devi, Lord Hanuman decided to meet Ravana, so he allowed himself to be captured by Indrajit, the most valiant of Ravana’s sons. Ravana wanted to teach Lord Hanuman a lesson so he instructed his demons to set Hanuman’s tail on fire. Things got heated and Lord Hanuman burnt down the city of Lanka. Following the destruction of Lanka, he leaped to Ussangoda,
Day 10Colombo – Airport	Rumassala – – a piece of the Rishabha Mountain from the Himalayas During the Ramayana war, Indrajit wounded Lord Lakshmana. Noticing how critical the wounds were, Jambavanta, the king of bears, asked Lord Hanuman to fetch four medicinal herbs (Mrita Sanjeevani, Vishalyakarani, Suvarnakarani, and Sandhani) from the Rishabha Mountain in the Himalayas. Hanuman flew all the way to the Himalayas, but could not identify the herbs, so he decided to pick up the entire mountain and fly back with it to Lanka. Along the way, several pieces of the mountain are said to have fallen off at places like Sirumalai (India), Rumassala, Ritigala, Doulkanda and Talladi (Sri Lanka). To this day, medicinal herbs are extracted by traditional healers from each of these locations.

Other sites

Dolukanda

Location : Kurunegala

Legend : At different points of time during the war both Lord Rama and Lakshmana were hit by powerful arrows, fell unconscious and to bring them back to life Lord Hanuman was instructed to fetch the life saving herbs from Himalaya. Hanuman went to the hill, lifted the whole hill and brought it, as he was not able to identify the life saving herbs alone. Parts from the hill fell on five places in Sri Lanka, namely, Rumasala in Galle, Dolu Kanda in Hiripitiya , Ritigala on the Habarana Anuradhapura road, Thalladi in Mannar and Kachchativu in the north.

Ella

Ella is a small mountain village near Bandarawela and boasts three locations linked to the Ramayana where local legend claims Ravana was hiding Sita. First there is the Ravana Ella Cave, located at the massive Ella Falls; a breathtaking 1080 feet high waterfall that cascades into several falls. The rocky undergoes of the waterfall is Khondalite, a kind of limestone which undergoes faster decay as hard gneiss or granite. This has resulted in many caves being formed near the falls. King Ravana is said to have lived in one of the caves above the waterfall. A nearby pool bored out of the rock by the gushing waters is where Sita is said to have bathed Ravana.

Ishtripura / Konda Kattu Gala

Location : This is situated in the Welimada Area

Legend : Ishtripura means an area of women in Sinhala. This was one of the places to which King Ravana shifted Seetha Devi as a precautionary measure, which he was forced to take by Lord Hanuman’s advent.

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.

Panchamuga Anjaneyar Temple

Legend: This is the first Anjaneyar Temple in Sri Lanka and also the only Panchamuga (five faced) Anjaneyar Temple in Sri Lanka. Its the only temple in the world to have a chariot for Ajanyear. The chariot festival is held annually end Dec/ beginning of January.

Seetha Kotuwa

Legend: This is the place where the city of Lankapura once stood. The city had a beautiful palace for queen Mandothari surrounded by waterfalls, streams and varieties of flora and fauna. Seetha Devi was kept in this palace until she was moved to Ashoka Vatika. Seetha Kotuwa means Seetha’s fort and got its name because of Seetha Devi’s stay here.

Shankari Devi Temple (Shakthi Peetham)

Adjacent to Koneswaram temple there is another small shrine; with some significance for Hindu pilgrims. The original Shankari Devi temple, said to be built by Ravana, was the first in the list of Ashta

Dasha (18) Shakti Pitas written down by Adi Shankara, 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 replaced, being venerated now in this nearby new Shankari Devi temple.

Nallur Kandaswamy temple  Jaffna

s the majestic Hindu temple for Skanda/ Murugan – the god of love, war and beauty.

This huge Hindu temple, crowned by a towering god-encrusted, golden-ochre gopuram, is one of the most significant Hindu religious complexes in Sri Lanka.

The temple was originally founded in 948 AD. However, it reached fame when it was rebuilt in the 13th century by Puvaneka Vaahu, a minister of the Jaffna King Kalinga Maha. The Nallur Kandaswamy Temple was built for a third time by Senpaha Perumal (a.k.a Sapumal Kumaraya) who was the adopted son of the Kotte king.

The third built temple was destroyed by the Portuguese in 1624 AD;

The current temple was built in 1734 AD by Don Juan. However, the ‘Golden Era’ of the Nallur Temple began in the latter 1890s with the takeover of the temple administration by Arumuga Maapaana Mudaliyar; who started renovating it to bring it back to its earlier magnificence.

NAGAPUSHANI AMMAN

Nainativu Nagapooshani Amman Temple

The legend behind Nainativu itself goes to tell us that Lord Indra, king of storms, was attracted to the wife of the saint Gautama, named Ahalya. After the sage realized that the god had made love to his wife, he cursed Indra to have yoni marks-female genitalia-all over his body. In shame Indra fled to the island of Nainativu where he did penance to atone for his misdeeds. The Goddess Devi was pleased by his penance and transformed the marks into eyes. Another story of the little isle mentions a cobra that was swimming towards it with a lotus in its mouth when an eagle attacked it. In fear the snake wrapped itself around a rock and its attacker perched itself on another out at sea.

A merchant sailing by noticed the two animals and asked the bird to let its prey go. The eagle agreed on the condition that the merchant build a temple to Goddess Shakthi on Nainativu, and the long-standing rivalry between the animals was settled at last. The legend dates back to the Chola Kingdom. Nainativu itself has been important to both South Indian and Sri Lankan Tamils as well as to the Sinhalese, especially as part of the foreign trade route that existed during the medieval era. Inscriptions dating back to the 12th Century AD show us that plenty of traders stopping by the island of Kayts also made a detour at Nainativu. During this time, King Parakramabahu I was the ruler of the country and he had made large-scale international trade the norm with his shipyards and numerous harbors around the island.

The Nainativu Nagapooshani Amman Temple is one of 64 Shakthi Peeth around the Indian Subcontinent. These are temples especially built for the Hindu goddess Shakthi.The island of Nainativu is the center of one of the most sacred Hindu sites in all of South Asia,

Thiruchendur Murugan Alayam Temple – Battic

Built in 1984 as a stopping point on the Pada Yatra pilgrimage to Kataragama, the temple’s Murugan image is said to have opened its own eyes before the painter could do the job. The structure was slammed by the tsun…

Anipandi Sitivigniswara Alayar

Of the many Hindu temples, the expanding Anipandi Sitivigniswara Alayar is visually the finest, with a magnificent gopuram (gateway tower) that’s decorated with a riotous festival of intertwined god figures

Ramaya Tour – 10 days – site details