Indians on Ramayana trail in Lanka

Channa BANDARA WIJEKOON

A group of 150 VVIPs comprising Union Ministers and businessmen from India are in Sri Lanka on a pilgrimage to see locations where King Ravana had kept Sita Devi, thousands of years back.

The dawn of peace in Sri Lanka has encouraged Vikas Travels to organize this tour in the nature of a pilgrimage which will strengthen cultural and spiritual sentiments of the two countries and also pave the way for the Indian natives to visit and mingle with Sri Lankan friends, Vikas Travels New Delhi Managing Director, Mohan Garg said.

A special reception and Satsang (Bhajan) session was held at Hotel Taj Samudra.

Economic Development Minister Basil Rajapaksa was the chief guest. Resettlement Deputy Minister Vinayagamoorthi Muralith- aran was also present.

India is our neighbour and inter-religious and inter-cultural relationships between the two countries have to be further nurtured, the Deputy Minister said.

This new initiative by Ashok Vatika Dharshan Yathra Samiti of New Delhi in association with Vikas Travels of New Delhi and Bernard Tours and Travels branded as 'Ramayana Trail' will see thousands of Indians coming to Sri Lanka on tour to see the historical sites associated with Rama-Sita epic as well as other locations.

Sri Lanka is the custodian of more than 50 Ramayana sites, which is a Universal Heritage. The group pilgrimage from India to Sri Lanka will be promoted by leading cleric in India Swami Ajai Bhai Ji.

Sri Lankans for many years travelled to India on pilgrimage to visit sacred places connected with Lord Buddha's life and Parinirvana. This is the first ever venture which promotes an Indian delegation to visit Sri Lanka on pilgrimage which has a great significance.

The Ramayanaya trail will be an eight day tour taking the delegation to visit 16 legendary sites out 52 already identified, associated with the Rama-Sita-Ravana epic. Hanuman Kovil at Saranankara Road, Colombo 6, Rumassala Mountain in Galle, Seetha Amman Temple in Nuwara Eliya and Munneshwaram in Chilaw will be some locations of significance.

'Ramayanaya Research Centre' will be commissioned on June 5 at Divurumpola (close to Welimada), where Sita Devi is said to have performed Agni Pareeksha to prove her purity.

The Hanuman Bridge made with huge stones by Lord Hanuman which leads from Mannar to Dhanushkodi is still visible from skies, Bernard Tours Chairman, Angelo Mendis said adding credibility to the Ramayanaya epic.

This bridge will be developed as a passage to India with the support of the two governments, he said.

According to folklore, King Ravana's body is buried at a location in Welimada in Sri Lanka.