Sacred Sites
From the shore where Sita was abducted to the peak where Hanuman took his great leap — follow the Ramayana across Sri Lanka's most extraordinary landscapes.
Munneswaram & Manavari
Begin at Chilaw's Munneswaram temple complex — ancient shrines Ravana is said to have worshipped at. The adjoining Manavari temple holds one of Lanka's most sacred Shivalingams, installed, legend says, by Rama himself.
Sita Eliya & Hakgala Gardens
High in the mist-wrapped mountains near Nuwara Eliya lies Sita Eliya — a sacred stream with Sita's footprint stone. Adjacent Hakgala Botanical Garden is believed to be the site of Ashoka Vatika, the garden where Ravana kept Sita captive.
Ravana Falls & Ravana Cave
Ella's spectacular Ravana Falls cascade 25 metres down a jungle cliff into a pool said to be where Sita bathed. Above the falls, Ravana's Cave — cut into the rock face — is where mythology says the demon king concealed his captive from Rama's search.
Ussangoda — The Burnt Plain
A haunting coastal plateau of rust-red earth stretching to the cliffs above the Indian Ocean — scorched, legend says, by Hanuman's burning tail as he flew south after destroying Lanka. The reddish soil supports almost no vegetation even today, a strange and sacred silence.
Anuradhapura — Ancient Capital
The ancient capital where Vibhishana ruled after Ravana's fall, and where Rama is said to have installed a Shivalingam. Walk among the great stupas — Ruwanwelisaya, Jetavanaramaya — and the 2,300-year-old Jaya Sri Maha Bodhi, the oldest living tree in the world.
Sri Pada — Adam's Peak
Sri Pada — 'Sacred Footprint' — rises 2,243 metres above the island. The pre-dawn pilgrimage climb follows a chain of lanterns up the sacred mountain. At the summit, watch the conical shadow of the peak stretch across the entire island at sunrise — one of the world's great spectacles.