According to a Sinhalese legend, Dunuwila is the place from where Rama shot the “Bramshira” (Brahmastra) arrow that killed Ravana. Ravana was making battle plans in a place called Lakgala when the killer arrow struck him.

Since Ravana was a Brahmin, it was considered a sin to kill him, even in battle. To wash off the sin, Rama prayed at the Munneswaram temple in Chilaw, 80 km north of Colombo.

Rumassala and Ramboda, also in the tea-growing central highlands, are associated with Hanuman. Believers say that Hanuman dropped the Dronagiri mountain, which he brought from the Himalayas, at Rumassala. At Ramboda, known for its massive waterfalls, a temple for Hanuman has now sprung up.

The documents state that at the Buddha Vihara at Kelani, near Colombo, there is a representation of Rama handing over the “captured” Sri Lanka to Ravana’s brother Vibheeshana, who sided with him in his conflict with Ravana.