I think every Hindu has read or has heard the Ramayana story. And even many non-Hindu people have a knowledge of the main characters and the plot of this ancient Indian epic. Sita, Rama's wife, was kidnapped by Ravana, the king of Lanka at those times. He brought her to his kingdom and she spent there some time before Rama came and freed her. So, in today's Sri Lanka you can visit the places connected with this story. First of all, Sita was brought to Lankapura, then the capital of Lanka, and was kept at Ravana's queen's palace there, but not for long. From there he moved her to Ashok Vatika, a beautiful garden in the mountains. This place is called Sita Eliya and is situated near Nuwara Eliya town.
That is exactly the place where Hanuman found Sita. There is a famous Sita Amman temple here dedicated to the event. Near the temple there is a huge print in the rock said to be of Hanuman's foot. The temple is decorated in South Indian style, with bright coloured sculptures of Rama, Sita, Hanuman and other dieties. The walls are covered with the paintings telling the Ramayana story.
Hanuman's print
After the visit of Hanuman Ravana took Sita yet to another place. He hid her in the cave behind a waterfall, now known as the Ravana falls. This waterfall is the widest in Sri Lanka and is 25 m high. The cave where Sita was held captive lies 1,370 m above sea level on the foundation of a cliff.
After the war between Ravana and Rama Sita met finally her husband and, as we know, had to undergo "Agni Pariksha", or fire test to prove her innocence and purity to Rama. Divurumpola is the place where it happened and the name itself means "the Place of Oath".
The spot was fenced and walled to protect it from surrounding wilderness. Then a sapling of the Anuradhapura bodhi tree was planted as a mark of respect of the place and a small dagoba was built under the tree. The temple depicts paintings of the Ramayana epic.
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