A stone from Sri Lanka village, Sita Eliya, will be used in the construction of the grand Ram Mandir in Ayodhya. This announcement was made by the high commission of India in Colombo on Twitter.
It is believed that “Sita Eliya” is the place where goddess Sita was held captive by the demon king Ravana, according to ‘Ramayana.’ The Sita Eliya Temple is located in Colombo. This village also has a dedicated temple to goddess Sita and it is believed that she regularly prayed to her husband Lord Rama for her rescue. The stone is expected to be brought by Sri Lankan high commissioner to India “Milinda Moragoda.” Goddess Sita was held captive in Ashoka Vatika. Interestingly, there are thousands of Ashoka trees still there at this place.
Lanka came to be equated with the mythic ‘Lankapura’ of Valmiki’s epic, exploring both positive and negative portrayals of Ravana in Sinhala and Tamil literature. A part of Ramayana narrates that after Ravana found out that Hanuman had come to free Sita, he set Hanuman’s tail on fire after attempting to keep his captive. In the process, Hanuman set the kingdom on fire by jumping over distances and places which were a part of the Ravana’s kingdom. Even today, in some parts, the soil is somewhat darker than that of the surrounding area.
There are various places in Sri Lanka that remind us of the epic saga of Ramayana. Bringing a divine stone from Sri Lanka and using it in the construction of the Ram temple in Ayodhya is an awful event for sure.
Moreover, it will further boost the ties between the two nations, India and Sri Lanka.
