DAY 01: AIRPORT / KANDY 

On arrival in Sri Lanka,you will be warmly greeted by your very own chauffeur who will transfer you to Kandy. Visit the Manavari & Munneshwaram Hindu Temples. Afterwards visit Dolukanda Sanjeewanee Drops. Overnight stay at Kandy.

 

MANAVARI TEMPLE:

The first place where Lord Rama installed a Lingam, as an atonement to Lord Shiva for commiting Brahmincide by killing king Ravana, who was a Brahmin. This Shiva Lingam in Manavari is called Ramalingam because it was made by Lord Rama. There are only two Lingams in the world named after Lord Rama, the other one being that of Rameshvaram in India.

 

MUNNESHWARAM TEMPLE:

One of the 5 major Shiva temples of Sri Lanka and Rameshwaram islands, called Ishvarams. According to a Tamil legend, the temple is situated at a place where king Rama prayed to Shiva after committing the worst crime according to Hindu Dharma, namely Brahmahasti, the killing of a priest, because Ravana who had to be killed by Rama in order to liberate Sita, was of Brahmin caste. Rama stopped the Pushpaka Vimana vehicle at Munneshvaram because he believed that his Doshana or sin was not following him at this place. As he descended from the vimana and prayed to God Shiva for forgiveness, Shiva appeared before him and advised Rama to install four lingams, one at Manavari, Trinco, Mannar and Rameshwaram for this purpose.

 

DOLUKANDA SANJEEWANEE DROPS:

During the war with Ravana's army, both Lord Rama and Lakshmana were seriously wounded by powerful arrows and fell unconscious. Lord Hanuman was instructed to fetch life saving Sanjeevini herbs that only grew in the holy Himalayas. Hanuman carried a whole mountain range to Lanka, as he was not able to identify the life saving herbs himself. Parts of that range fell on five places in Lanka. Dolukanda in Hiripitiya, north of Kurunegala, is believed to be one of them. This legend offers an explaination for the abundance of Ayurvedic herbs in this area.

 

DAY 02: KANDY - NUWARAELIYA (B)

After breakfast, proceed to Nuwaraeliya visiting Dunvila, Laggala, Yehangala, Seetha Kotuwa.

Overnight stay at Nuwara Eliya.

 

DUNUVILA:

Dunuvila on the outskirts of Wasgamuwa National Park is sometimes spelled Dunuwila, Dunuvila, or Dunuwilla. It is said to have been the place from where Lord Rama fired the deadly Brahmasthram weapon at King Ravana. The reason for this identification is: "Dunu" means arrow and "Vila" means Lake. So it is explained that this place got its name because Lord Rama fired his arrow from this lake.

 

LAGGALA:

Laggala near Dunuvila is another place in the northeastern area of the Highlands which in recent times became associated with the Ramayana, because the name Laggala or Lakgala or Lakegala is derived form the Sinhala term Elakke Gala meaning target Rock. Laggala is said to have served as a watchtower for king Ravana's army, and it was from Laggala that Lord Rama's army was sighted by Ravana's soldiers for the first time. Not only is the beginning of the war of Lanka associated with Laggala, but so is its final fight. The top of Laggala is flat and this is believed to have resulted from being hit by the Brahmasthram weapon after Lord Rama had fired it from Dunuvila killing Ravana on this very rock.

 

YAHANGALA:

Yahangala means bedrock. There is a local legend that explains the meaning of Yahangala by stating that Ravana did not really die but only became unconscious. His body remains hidden in the rock, laid on his left side.

 

SITA KOTUWA:

Sita Kotuwa is situated close to Gurulupotha, Hasalaka. It is a beautiful remote spot, surrounded by streams and waterfalls and limestone caves and abundant flora and fauna, where ruins of a typical forest monastery from the late Anuradhapura centuries (7th to 10th century) can be visited. But the name Sita Kotuwa meaning "Sita's fortress" connects it to the Ramayana Trail. The area is said to have been the beautiful palace of queen Mandothari. Sitadevi was held captive in this palace until she was moved to Asoka Vatika.

 

DAY 03: NUWARAELIYA (B)

After b/fast Visit Mani Kattuther temple,Sri Baktha Hanuman Temple, Ravana Goda, Gavagala, and back to Nuwara Eliya. Overnight stay at Nuwara Eliya.

 

MANI KATTUTHER TEMPLE:

Mani Kattuther is a small and flat rock boulder within the tea plantations of Laboukelle estate. It is believed that Lord Hanuman, after meeting Sitadevi, rested on this hill top on his way back to Lord Rama with the happy news of finding his lost consort. Nowadays an open temple with statues of Lord Rama, Sita, Lakshmana and Hanuman stands on top of it. Locals visit the holy place frequently.

 

SRI BAKTHA HANUMAN TEMPLE:

The Sri Lanka branch of the Chinmaya mission, commited to promoting the Ramayana philosophy as well as Ramayana Trail pilgrimages, has built a temple with Hanuman as a presiding deity in Ramboda at the Kandy to Nuwara Eliya mainroad. There is a new five metres tall granite statue of Rama's devote supporter. Hanuman is believed to have started his searching for Sita in the Baroda hills. Hanuman traditionally was not as popular among Sri Lankan Tamil devotees as he indeed is in India, because he devastated parts of the island with his burning tail. But in recent times Hindu missionaries and local Tamil spiritual leaders began building shrines for worshipping Hanuman in Sri Lanka, too. The Tamil word for Ramboda, Rampadai, means "Rama's force", this is why Ramboda is believed the area where Rama collected his troops.

 

RAVANA GODA:

The Kotmale valley area opposite to the Ramboda hills is another place where Sita is said to have stayed during her transit from Ravana's palace to the Ashoka Vatika. Ravana Goda is one of the caves believed to belong to an underground network of tunnels in Ravana's kingdom. The main cave entrance was closed because of a landslide in 1947. Locals believe that this part of the complex was used as a prison by Ravana. The cave has not been fully explored till date.

 

GAVAGALA:

Gavagala is located east of Nuwara Eliya on the road to Walapane. It is told that King Ravana had his dairy farm here. Milk was flown to the capital Lankapura from here using the mystic Pushpaka Vimanas as aircrafts. The stone pillars in Gavagala show marks cast by constant use of tying ropes on them.

 

DAY 04: NUWARAELIYA - BANDARAWELA (B)

After breakfast visit Sita Amman Temple & Ashoka Vatica , Divurumpola Temple , Isthirppura caves. Overnight stay at Bandarawela.

 

SITA AMMAN TEMPLE & ASHOKA VATICA:

The Sita Amman Temple,located halfway between the highland village Sita Eliya and the Hakgala Botanical Gardens, has become the most venerated of all Ramayana Trail sites in Sri Lanka, because it is believed to be the place where Sita lived most of the time of her captivity on the island of Lanka. After she refused to stay in Ravana's magnificent palace she was transferred to Ashoka Vatika or Ashoka Vana where she lived under Ashoka trees. It was here that Ravana's wife Mandodarim visited her and that Hanuman met her for the first time, identifying himself with the finger ring of Rama. Sita is said to have bathed in the nearby stream. There are remarkable holes in the rocks at the river bank believed to be footprints of Lord Hamunan

 

DIVRUMPOLA TEMPLE:

Divurumpola is said to be the location where Sita underwent the famous fire ordeal Agni Pariksha, in order to prove her chastity. From the flames arose the fire god Agni who was invoked by Sita. He lifted her from the flames unharmed and presented her to Lord Rama who explained this test was only necessary to prove the truth of her purity and innocence to everybody. Divurumpola is said to have been the location of this episode, because the Sinhalese name means a ‘marketplace of oath’. Today the temple is respected as a suitable place for oaths that can be helpful settling disputes between parties.

 

ISTHIPURA CAVES:

The Sinhalese word Ishtripura or Shtripura means "area of women". It is said that Ravana shifted Sita to this cave as a precautionary measure after Lord Hanuman's advent on Lanka. Legend has it that Sitadevi took a bath in the nearby steam and afterwards dried her hair sitting on a rock and put clips to her hair, hence this rock is known as Konda Kattu Gala, Konda means hair, and Kattu are clips.



DAY 05: BANDARAWELA - COLOMBO (B)

After breakfast proceed to Colombo. Visit Panchamuga Anjaneyar Temple and Kalaniya Vibeeshana Temple before taking a Colombo shopping tour.

 

In the late evening or midnight transfer to the airport for connecting departure flight.

 

PANCHAMUGA ANJANEYAR TEMPLE:

Hanuman is often called Anjaneyar by Tamils, as his mother's name is Anjan. This temple is the first Anjaneyar temple in Sri Lanka and the only one on the island dedicated to Lord Hanuman in his Panchamuga form, this means with five faces. And it is said to be the only temple in the world to have a chariot for Anjaneyar. Its chariot festival is held annually end of December or begin of January, it is one of the most popular processions in Sri Lanka's capital Colombo. Visitors are advised to wash hands and feet before entering temple and not to cross hands inside the temple.

 

KALANIYA VIBEESHANA TEMPLE :

Kelaniya is a Buddhist sanctuary in the first place, because it is believed to be visited by the Buddha himself. Within the temple premises there is Hindu shrine, too. It is dedicated to Lord Vibhishana who was the younger brother of Ravana but during the legendary war on Lanka a supporter of Lord Rama, because he disapproved Ravana's tresspass of Sita's abduction. After Ravana's death Rama appointed Vibhishana as the new king of Lanka. Vibhishana is venerated by Sinhalese Buddhists as a god, they believe him to be one of the main protectors of the island, especially in its western territories.

 

 

 

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