COLOMBO, DECEMBER 25: Sri Lanka has sought India’s assistance to develop sites associated with the Ramayana as tourist destinations. In fact, a Sri Lankan Tourism Department team is now in India to resurrect and sequence with accuracy the revered epic.

“Our team is currently in India to study the project. We have sent our experts to seek assistance in India for developing the sites in Sri Lanka which once witnessed (events of) the historic Ramayana,” Sri Lanka Tourism Development Authority (SLTD) chief S Kalaiselvam said.

The tourism authorities are planning sound and light shows, proper logistic facilities and other amenities at the sites to attract Indians and other tourists from world over. However, Kalaiselvam said nothing has been finalised yet. “We have not yet decided on the knitty-gritties of the Ramayana site package,” he said.

Detailed documents prepared by the Sri Lankan Tourism Ministry said the “Pushpaka Vimanam” could have landed at Werangatota, about 10 km from Mahiyangana, east of the hill station of Nuwara Eliya in central Sri Lanka.

Sita was then taken to Goorulupota, now known as Sitakotuwa, where Ravana’s wife Mandodari lived. Seetakotuwa is about 10 km from Mahiyangana on the road to Kandy. Sita was housed in a cave at Sita Eliya on a highway that links Colombo with Nuwara Eliya, another exotic hill station. A temple dedicated to her exists there. According to the document, Sita is believed to have taken bath in the mountain stream flowing beside the temple.

These are not the only sites in Sri Lanka associated with the Ramayana, the Tourism Ministry document said. North of Nuwara Eliya, in Matale district, is Yudhaganapitiya, where the Rama-Ravana battle took place.

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.