As Jaya, I was happy. I joyfully made my way to heaven. On my way I watched Sri Devi and Sri Hari in the Vaikuntam making a great play in Lanka. in In the name of proving or showing her sanctity to the world even after being for almost a year in my land, in my custody—that is in the custody of Bad—Sita does an Agni Pariksha and proves herself clean. Now dwell on this from my perspective and on my behalf: if Sita Devi’s Agni Pariksha proved her purity, doesn’t it also prove my loyalty towards her.
And then, all the Gods including Siva and Brahma came down to Sri Rama and disclosed his birth secret. They said that he is none other than Sri Maha Vishnu’s incarnation and further instructed him with, “Rama, with Ravana’s death, the Bad has come to an end on earth for now. It is your duty in this avatar to kindly spread Good to every corner of this world and return back to Maha Vishnu at Vaikuntam.”
This is Ravana Yanam (journey of Ravana) in Rama Yanam or Ramayanam (journey of Rama). And remember, my name is Ravana.
RAMAYANA TRAIL IN SRI LANKA
(Narration by the author)
Hope you liked and understood the story of Ravana in his own words. I would like to share some information about Ramayana trail in Sri Lanka and visit the various sites and locations available on the pearl of the Indian Ocean, Sri Lanka.
To understand the trail, it is necessary for one to understand a few subjects pertaining to Mythology, Sanathana Dharma, Ramayanam, Historicity, Geography and more. I will try to keep this as short as possible and quickly take you to the places that you can visit on the island in relation to the Ramayanam today.
Mythology:
Ancient Vedic land where many sciences and philosophies like Upanishads, Vedas, Sastras took birth is today spread across the lands of Afghanistan, Pakistan, Tibet (now in China), India, Nepal, Bhutan, Bangladesh, Myanmar, Laos, Thailand, Vietnam, Cambodia, Malaysia, Singapore, Sri Lanka, Indonesia and Papua New Guinea. According to the mythologies of such wide spread Vedic land, Sri Maha Vishnu or Sri Hari is the supreme energy that runs the entire universe. For easier understanding let me put it like this: this supreme energy is given a humanlike appearance by our ancient scientists more often called as sages. The entire universe and everything in it including the galaxies, planetary systems, the living and the nonliving has to run on the Dharma or law allotted to them respectively. Whenever this Dharma at any place in the universe tends to deviate, the supreme power corrects it by sending a substitutional power to the point of correction. This substitutional power or energy sent by the Supreme onto our planet Earth to set the things back in place is referred to as the Incarnation of the Supreme or Sri Maha Vishnu. Depending on the kind of correction required, these incarnations take the form that best suits on our planet. One such incarnation was Rama and the supporting element created by the Supreme for the incarnation was Ravana. The element that got corrected during the said incarnation was making the life on Earth understand the difference between Good and Bad, also to set better living standards to make this Earth, a better living place. Ten such incarnations were documented in Sanathana scripts and the names given to those are Matsya, Kurma, Varaha, Narasimha, Vamana, Parashurama, Rama, Krishna, Buddha, and Kalki.
Sanathana Dharma:
Sanathana Dharma or Dharma is the blend of various sciences like physics, law, biology, psychology etc. Dharma differs from one being to another and from one time to another. For anything and everything in the universe to exist or to retain its existence, it has to be in the limitation of the respective Dharma. Dharma being too complex for a common man to understand, our ancient sages created religions. Religion is that which was born from the thoughts of a person or group of people. From a Sanskrit word ‘mathi’ which means mind and the word ‘matham’, which means religion, was derived. The whole purpose of those great Sages creating religions were to make us follow Dharma irrespective of whether we actually understood the complex Dharma or not. Such religions were Sivam, Vaishnavam, Boudham (Buddhism), Jainam (Jainism) etc.
Ramayanam, Historicity and Geography:
Ramayanam, its historicity and the geography involved, may be discussed together for better understanding. First and foremost one should understand that Ramayanam is not a religious text. It is a historic book of documented facts that happened on the very earth we all live in. Ramayanam was quoted as ‘Ithihas’ or ‘Ithihasa’ in many books related to Sanathana or Vedic Darma. The word ithihasa was derived from ‘iti-ha-asa’ and it means “thus-it-happened”. That clearly tells that Ramayanam is the history that happened on the Earth we all live in and hence it should no more be considered as a myth or mythology. Ramayanam and the characters in the text were quoted in various religions like Sivam, Vishnavam, Boudham or Buddhism, Haindavam or Hinduism which clearly indicated that Ramayanam is beyond the boundaries of a religion.
Ramayanam written by Maharshi Valmiki is the widespread and most read version. However, the fact is that Ramayanam was not written by Maharshi Valmiki alone but by many writers since ages. In every story irrespective of the author, the characters their names and the geographical locations of various places like Janaka Rajya (now in Nepal), Ayodhya (now in Northern India), Kishkinda (now in Southern India) and Lanka (Sri Lanka) were all in common. The main storyline of Prince Rama, son of King Dasaratha going to forest with his wife Sita and brother Lakshmana; Ravana, King of Lanka abducting Sita; Rama with the help of Sugreeva, Hanuman and team battling in Lanka; Killing Ravana, crowning Vibhishana as the next king of Lanka and going back to Ayodhya with Sita are all common. Multiple authors producing the same sequences, relations, characters and quoting to the same geographical lands yet again narrowing down to the conclusion that Ramayanam is the History of this Vedic land and is not just a story that took birth in one individual’s mind. Ramavatharam popularly known as Kamba Ramayanam by Kamban, Sri Ramcharitmanas popularly known as Tulasidas’ Ramayanam written by Goswami Tulsidas were two other popular texts on Ramayanam.
Let us get into Sri Lanka now:
The island even today has few places named after the characters in the historical text Ramayanam. Below are some of them for your reference.
Name of a place in Sri Lanka Place named after which historical character of Ramayanam
Sita Eliya Named after Sita Devi
Sita Kotuwa Named after Sita Devi
Sita Waka Named after Sita Devi
Ravana Ella Falls Named after King Ravana
Ravana Cave Named after King Ravana
Ravanaboda Named after King Ravana
Ramboda Named after Sri Rama
Rumassala Named after Ruma, Queen of Vanara Sena and wife of King Sugreeva
Ravana Hot Wells Named after King Ravana
Rama Setu or Nala Setu Named after Sri Rama and Nala (the civil engineer of the said bridge)
Maha Ravana Named after King Ravana
Kuda Ravana Named after King Ravana
Today, as on 2017 AD, there are more than 50 sites in Sri Lanka that are having relation with Ramayanam based on various considerations. The count is increasing as more and more research is getting added. I will discuss about these sites in the view of research in my next book on the subject. However, for now, l will give you the list and a brief note on the places that you as a pilgrim or tourist or as an individual of specific interest can visit during your travel in Sri Lanka.
Covering all the places we are going to discuss now can together be considered as the ‘Ramayana Trail in Sri Lanka’. Places of Ramayana Trail in Sri Lanka are those which are located at comfortable or semi comfortable locations and have access to amenities like accommodation, good roads, semi thoroughfare as well as food and medical clinics for you to visit. Below is the list for you.
Rumassala:
Location: South Western part of Sri Lanka.
The name derived from the words Ruma and Massala where Ruma is the historical character in Ramayanam—the queen of Vanara Sena and wife of King Sugreeva—and Massala means big rock.
This rock is believed to b
e one of the pieces of the Aushadhi mount which was brought by Hanuma to Lanka during Rama-Ravana battle.
Ussamgoda:
Location: On the southern coastline of Sri Lanka.
Believed to be the land that was holding one of the five King Ravana’s airports. It is also considered as the place where deadly missiles fell during the Rama-Ravana battle.
Kataragama:
Location: South Eastern Sri Lanka.
A famous Karthikeya temple, with multiple legends that are blended to this temple. One of the lore associated with the tembple is the belief that this was the location where Indra requested Karthikeya to support Rama during the battle.
Ravana Ella Cave and Tunnels:
Location: South Central Sri Lanka.
Where one can find the opening of caves and tunnels which are yet to be explored inside and strongly referred to the underground tunnel network of King Ravana.
Ravana Ella Waterfalls:
Location: South Central Sri Lanka.
Waterfalls considered to be in existence since the legendary Ravana age.
Divurampola:
Location: Central Sri Lanka.
The place where Sita Devi took the legendary Agnipariksha as referred in the Ramayanam.
Hakgala Gardens:
Location: Central Sri Lanka.
Considered once a part of Ashoka Vanam, the Hakgal Gardens is today a government-run botanical garden.
Sita Eliya:
Location: Central Sri Lanka.
A temple of Sita Devi, Sri Rama, Lakshmana and Hanuman. There is no record as to who installed and when these idols were installed. A stream behind the temple is considered as the stream where Sita used to bathe. One can see the footprints of Lord Hanuman here. This is also considered as a part of Ashoka Vanam.
Gayatri Temple:
Location: Central Sri Lanka.
Location of this newly built Gayatri temple is considered as Nikubini Homam place mentioned in Ramayanam.
Ramboda:
Location: Central Sri Lanka.
This location is considered as the place where Hanuman first identified or sensed the location of Sita Devi and this location is also considered as one of the camping places of Rama’s army during the battle. The Chinmaya Mission recently built a Hanuman temple at this location.
Gurulapotha:
Location: Central Sri Lanka.
It is believed that King Ravana’s aircraft repair and construction station used to be in this location.
Sita Kotuwa:
Location: Central Sri Lanka.
This is the place where King Ravana, built a castle for Sita Devi, however the same was refused by her.
Istripura:
Location: Central Sri Lanka.
Derived from the words Stri and Puram which means land of women. This location has tunnel connectivity and the place is considered—as per local legends—as the place where Ravana temporarily shifted Sita as a precautionary or safety measure, when the battle had got more fierce.
Koneswaram and Shankari Devi Shakti Peetam:
Location: North Eastern Sri Lanka.
Koneswaram Siva Temple and Shakari Devi Shakti Peetam are located at the same place today. Koneswaram is considered as the place where King Ravana performed penance to Lord Siva. The locals believe that Sri Rama installed the Lingam here as one of the four Lingams to get rid of Brahma Hatya Dosham (Sin for Killing a Brahmin, Ravana). Shakari Devi Shakti Peetam is considered to be a powerful presence on this land from the times immemorial, before Ravana’s era.
Ravana Hot Wells:
Location: North Eastern Sri Lanka.
This was the place where King Ravana dug the wells in order to conduct the passing away rituals for his mother.
Rama Setu or Nala Setu:
Location: North Western Sri Lanka.
This is the legendary structure built for the Vanara Sena to cross the sea. This structure got immersed in late 1400 AD due to natural calamities and global warming. Today at 16 locations between Danush Koti in India and Talai Mannar in Sri Laka this structure is exposed as sand dunes. One needs to take special permissions and guards to visit this location.
Tirukoneswaram:
Location: North Western Sri Lanka.
According to the local legends, this is yet another place among the four Lingams installed by Sri Rama.
Manavari:
Location: Western Sri Lanka
According to the local legends, this is the first of the four Lingams installed by Sri Rama and this Lingam here is called as Rama Lingam. The last and the fourth Lingam is considered as that of the Rameswaram which is today in Southern India.
Munneswaram:
Location: Western Sri Lanka.
It is believed that this temple was in existence from even before Rama came to Lanka. It is considered that Lord Siva recommended Lord Rama to install Lingams during His visit to Munneswaram. Locals also believe that the name Munneswaram was given by Lord Rama to the temple.
Kelaniya Vibhishana Temple:
Location: Western Sri Lanka.
After the Ravana era, Vibhishana took over the Kingdom and made Kelaniya as his capital for administration. One can see a temple created in the honour of Vibhishana here. It was also recorded that Lord Buddha during his first visit to Sri Lanka made a point to visit the said Vibhishana temple.
Sanctity of Ramayana Trail/ Ramayana Yatra
In Sri Lanka:
Ramayana Trail or Ramayana Yatra in Sri Lanka is a must experience for all those who believe in Ramayanam and Sanathana Dharma. Irrespective of religion, one should go on this trail at least once in lifetime as this takes us through the oldest history of mankind ever known and documented.
LIST OF NAMES IN THE BOOK
1.
Sri Rama / Rama
1.1.
Vishnu
1.2.
Maha Vishnu
1.3.
Sri Maha Vishnu
1.4.
Sri Hari
1.5.
Vaikuntaadheesha
1.6.
Brahmanda Nayaka
2.
Sita Devi / Sita
2.1.
Sri Devi
3.
Ravana
3.1.
Jaya
3.2.
Lankaadeeshwara
3.3.
Hiranyakashypa
3.4.
Sisupala
4.
Kumbhakarna
4.1.
Vijaya
4.2.
Hiranyaksha
4.3.
Dantavaktra
5.
Hanuman
5.1.
Anjaneya
6.
Mandodari
7.
Nagatalpa (A bed made of snake on which Sri Hari adobe)
8.
Sanaka (among Kumaras)
9.
Sanat Kumara (among Kumaras)
10.
Sanandana (among Kumaras)
11.
Sanathana (among Kumaras)
12.
Brahma
13.
Sri Vishrava Maharshi / Vishrava Mahamuni
14.
Kaikasi
15.
Vibhishana
16.
Mandakini
17.
Kubera
18.
Siva / Lord Siva
18.1.
Parameshwara
19.
Meghanath
19.1.
Indrajith
20.
Indra
20.1.
Devendra
21.
Surpanaka
22.
Kara
23.
Dushana
24.
Lakshmana
25.
Maricha
26.
Mandodhari
27.
Jataayu
&nbs
p; 28.
Supaarva
29.
Sampathi
30.
Kadamba
31.
Sugreeva
32.
Vaali
33.
Ruma Devi / Ruma
34.
Jambavanta
35.
Neela
36.
Mahabala
37.
Nala
38.
Gavaksha
39.
Ulkamuka
40.
Asamga
41.
Madhana
42.
Amgadha
43.
Lankini
44.
Jambumali
45.
Virupaksha
46.
Yapaakshyu
47.
Dhoordara
48.
Prugasu
49.
Basaakara
50.
Akshya
51.
Prahastha
52.
Dushmukha
53.
Vajradanushta
54.
Yamasatra
My Name Is Ravana Page 9
