Sri Lanka. What comes to your mind when you hear this? The 12,000-run strong Jayasuriya, Ceylon tea, the picture-perfect Negombo Beach?? And maybe Ramayana. Soon that may be the first thing to come to your mind. Religious scholars in Sri Lanka have identified 47 spots of mythological importance and Sri Lankan tourism is all set to cash in on the wave. Now, you can take an organised tour and see the spot where, supposedly, Ravana spirited off Sita. A debate between rationality and belief was inevitable. I was prepared for it even before venturing on the Ramayana trail. Maybe, that?s the boon of a structured instruction.
Time is the luxury of the modern day ? and the wish as much I had ? I could not visit all the 47 spots ? for that would entail a month ? long holiday. I started with Wariyapola, the Ravana Caves, Seetha Kotuwa, Laggala and Seetha Amman temple for these are the ?core? Ramayana spots on the trail.
A small township in northwestern Sri Lanka, Wariyapola means an airport in the native language, Sinhalese. Wa, means air, riva is the craft and pola is a port. It was here, my guide told me, that Ravana built an airport. It is incomprehensible how the thought of an airport must have struck him then. Situated on a flat ground surface, without any mountains in view, it does make Wariyapola a perfect landing site.
Ravana Caves are interesting. Crooked hills, dense forests surrounded by tunnels and beautiful landscapes. Legend has it that Ravana imprisoned Sita here. At the beginning of the journey to the Caves, I was optimistic of going uphill in a short time span. However, the two km journey uphill on crooked stairs left me short of breath. I wonder how Ravana dragged Sita to the cave atop the hill. The dense forests coupled with the howling of wolves (not a figment of my imagination) made this an unforgettable experience. Located on the panoramic Ella mountain range, the tunnels brilliantly capture the architectural expertise of Ravana. They once served as a quick means of transport through these hills and also as a secret passage to all important cities, airports and even dairy farms. A close look at these tunnels indicates that they are man-made and not natural formations.
Seetha Kotuwa or Sita?s fort got its name because Sita stayed here. Located at Gululupotha-Hasalaka, about 190 kms from Colombo, it was in these jungles that the city of Lankapura once stood. The city had a beautiful palace for queen Mandothari surrounded by waterfalls, streams and varieties of flora and fauna. Sita Devi was kept in this palace until she was moved to Ashoka Vatika.
That?s all I could manage in a week. But it was an enriching experience nevertheless, where, unlike what I had expected, the belief won over the rationality. ?Willing suspension of disbelief? is a must, or one can never experience the beauty of it,? my guide had said before we set for the trail. Now, I can?t but agree with him more.
Faith travels
Religious tourism is definitely a booming market in India. Of the 230 million tourist trips undertaken in India, the largest proportion is made up of religious pilgrimages, according to the Delhi based National Council for Applied Economic Research. Undertaken by both rural and urban Indians, they outnumber leisure holidays in hill stations, getaways to sea beaches and even trips to metropolitan cities. Over 23 million people visited Tirupati, a temple town near the southern tip of India to catch a glimpse of the deity, Lord Balaji. Tirupati?s annual list of pilgrims is higher than the total number of travellers visiting Mumbai, Delhi, Bangalore and Kolkata put together. In the northern state of Jammu and Kashmir 17.2 million devotees trek uphill for 15 km to pay respects to the goddess, Vaishno Devi. Himachal Pradesh has earmarked Rs eight crore to boost its religious tourism. The amount would be spent on renovation and development of premises of shrines and to provide the basic amenities.
