For millions of Hindus, Sri Lanka is not simply an island south of India but the setting for some of the most consequential episodes in the Ramayana, the ancient epic in which King Ravana ruled from Lanka and held Sita captive before Rama’s forces crossed the strait to reclaim her. A growing pilgrimage tourism market, driven largely by Indian travellers, has begun mapping the epic onto the island’s actual geography, temples, waterfalls, and caves reinterpreted or newly understood through the lens of a story that predates almost everything else this island is known for. This is a journey for the traveller approaching Sri Lanka through myth and devotion rather than through its Buddhist temples or colonial forts.
Five days moves from the west coast to the hill country and south, tracing a route that pilgrimage operators increasingly formalise but that independent travellers can follow with equal meaning and rather more flexibility.
Day 1 — Munneswaram and the Pre-Ramayana Temple
Begin at Munneswaram Temple near Chilaw, about two hours north of Colombo, a Shiva temple whose name derives from Munnu, meaning first, and Easwaran, a name for Shiva, reflecting local tradition that a lingam already existed here before Rama’s arrival. According to the story associated with the site, Rama, having killed Ravana, a Brahmin by birth, felt himself pursued by Brahmahatya dosham, the spiritual burden of killing a Brahmin, and stopped his aerial vimana at Munneswaram specifically because the affliction lifted at this location, prompting him to seek Shiva’s guidance on how to be freed from it entirely.
The temple complex today functions as a significant working Hindu site for the surrounding Tamil and Sinhalese Hindu community, its daily rituals conducted with a seriousness that rewards a quiet, observant visit rather than a rushed photograph stop. For lunch, a simple vegetarian restaurant in Chilaw town serves a South Indian-influenced thali reflecting the temple’s devotional community. For accommodation, a mid-range hotel in Negombo, about an hour south, offers a comfortable base for the first night before the drive inland the following morning.
Day 2 — Seetha Amman Temple and the Ashok Vatika
Drive into the hill country toward Nuwara Eliya, stopping en route at Ramboda for the waterfall and the small Hanuman temple built into the hillside there, one of several sites across the island associated with Hanuman’s search for Sita. Continue to Seetha Amman Temple, built beside the Sita Ella stream on the outskirts of Nuwara Eliya, the site local tradition holds as the place where Ravana kept Sita captive in the Ashok Vatika, the garden described in the epic.
Small depressions in the rock along the streambed are pointed to by temple caretakers as marks left by Hanuman’s footprints, and the temple itself, modest in scale but clearly significant to visiting pilgrims, sees a steady flow of devotion from both Sri Lankan and Indian visitors. A short distance away, the Hakgala Botanical Gardens, now formally a colonial-era botanical institution, is identified by tradition as the broader site of the Ashok Vatika itself, its considerable elevation and cool climate lending a genuine atmosphere to the association regardless of one’s view on its literal historical accuracy. For accommodation, The Grand Hotel in Nuwara Eliya offers a comfortable, atmospheric base for the night.
Day 3 — Divurumpola and the Trial by Fire
Drive toward Welimada to visit Divurumpola Temple, the site local tradition identifies as the location of Sita’s agni pariksha, the trial by fire she underwent to prove her purity after being rescued from captivity, an episode of considerable emotional and theological weight within the epic and one that continues to generate discussion among Hindu communities regarding its interpretation. The temple itself is modest, a working Buddhist site today rather than a Hindu one, reflecting the layered religious history of the island in which sites associated with the Ramayana have often been absorbed into or coexist alongside Buddhist devotional practice.
The name Divurumpola derives from a Sinhala phrase referring to the place of the oath, a linguistic trace of the story’s local memory independent of any physical archaeological evidence. Spend the remainder of the day driving toward Ella, the road descending gradually from the highland plateau into a landscape of dramatic ridgelines and valley views. For accommodation, 98 Acres Resort above Ella offers comfortable rooms with views over the Ella Gap, and a restful base for the following day’s visits.
Day 4 — Ravana Ella Falls and the Ravana Cave
Visit Ravana Ella Falls in the morning, a broad, multi-tiered waterfall a short drive from Ella town and one of the most visually striking sites associated with the epic, local tradition holding that Ravana held Sita in a cave in the hillside above the falls during part of her captivity. The falls themselves are worth visiting purely as a natural feature regardless of the association, particularly after the north-east monsoon has filled the catchment.
The Ravana Cave itself, reached by a steep climb up the hillside above the falls, is a modest rock shelter rather than an elaborate structure, and the physical experience of the site, exposed rock, a narrow approach path, a view back down toward the falls and the valley, does more to convey the atmosphere of the story than any interpretive signage could. Arrange a local guide through your accommodation for the climb, both for safety on the steep sections and for the specific local narrative detail a guide typically provides. For lunch, a small restaurant in Ella town serves a straightforward rice and curry.
Day 5 — Ussangoda and the Return
Drive south to Ussangoda on the southern coast, a striking reddish, largely barren plateau above the sea that local tradition associates with an airfield used by Ravana’s forces, its unusual soil composition and complete absence of the vegetation surrounding it on all sides lending the site a genuinely strange, otherworldly character that long predates any specific religious interpretation. Walk the plateau in the morning light, when the contrast between the red earth and the surrounding green coastal vegetation is at its most visually striking.
The drive back to Colombo from Ussangoda takes around three and a half hours on the southern expressway, closing a pilgrimage route that has moved from the west coast’s oldest Shiva site through the hill country’s captivity narrative to the south coast’s stranger, more speculative associations, a full arc of the epic mapped, however imperfectly, onto the actual landscape of the island.
Practical Notes
The best months for this route are January through April, avoiding the north-east monsoon that affects the hill country and the south-west monsoon that affects the west coast start of the journey. A knowledgeable guide, ideally one specifically experienced with Ramayana pilgrimage sites, considerably enriches the visit at each location, as several sites carry local narrative detail not available through general signage. Modest dress is expected at all temple sites throughout the route. Carry cash, as card acceptance is limited at the smaller temple towns along this itinerary.
