Beyond Good and Evil: A Ramayana Trail in Sri Lanka


                                                                                                        April 20, 2026 – April 26, 2026   




         Poorvam Rama thapovanaanigamanam 

         Hathvam Mrugah Kanchanam 

         Vaidehi Haranam Jatayu Maranam 

         Sugreeva sambhashanam 

         Vaali nigrahanam

         Samudra taranam

         Lanka puri dahanam

         Paschaat Ravana kumbhakarana mathanam 

         yetadvi Ramayanam

 

This Eka shloka Ramayana, taught to me by my grandfather, will surely be cherished and passed down to generations to come 

 

Undoubtedly, the story of Rama has mesmerised me since my child hood. The Ramayana that we have read in literature, listened to as Maha Kavya, seen in painting and sculptures, watched as dance drama also as a television serial in the eighties, where eighty million people watched the weekly broadcast was an We hugged Sita matha and felt blessed unforgettable experience. 

 

In a time where most people did  not own televisions many of us gathered at the homes of relatives or at local shops to view the epic,  it seems that engineers in the 80 ‘s had worked overtime to supply adequate current to broadcast the epic. 

I had heard that in some places entire villages joined together to rent a television set and watch Ramayana. 

If I question, Why did they do that? 

Because Ramayana is more than a mythological story of immense emotions and larger than life characters.  it's a divine and spiritual experience transcends us to a different realm. Thus the story of Rama has captivated all of us for centuries. 

 

How many Ramayanas? 

A hundred, thousand or more than that

There are many many retelling of Ramayanas  and off course Valmiki's Ramayana is arguably the oldest surviving version that we have of Rama's tale. Story that I have heard and believed in. 

 

I arrived in Sri Lanka with a familiar story in mind. Like most of us, my understanding of Ravana which came from the valmiki Ramayana and the many Ramayanas. 

Ravana as a powerful king, a brilliant mind, but ultimately the antagonist in a story of dharma.

 

But

 

Travel does something that books often cannot …it makes you question what you already know.

 

 This  journey to Srilanka began to gently shift that narrative.

 

Chilaw – The Beginning of Reflection

 



The journey opened near the coastal calm place of Negombo, and soon moved to Chilaw where  Munneswaram Temple and Manavari Temple.

 

Here, the story is not of victory but of atonement. It is believed that Rama paused after defeating Ravana to seek forgiveness.

That stayed with me. 

Even the victorious must reflect. Even the “right” must pause!!!

 

Trincomalee – Power and Devotion


At Thirukoneswaram Temple, perched dramatically above the ocean, I encountered a different layer of the story. Here, Ravana is remembered not just as a ruler, but as a devotee of Shiva. I loved the way it is nestled on a cliff above the sea. After taking the blessings of the Atma Linga, we moved ahead.

It raised a quiet but powerful question:

Can someone be deeply spiritual like Ravana, yet  make flawed choices?

 

Sigiriya – Echoes of a Civilization




 

Sigiriya felt like walking through time.

Legends connect this region to Lanka Pura a land of architectural brilliance and knowledge. Whether myth or history, it hints at a civilization that was far more advanced. It sometimes makes me wonder why do we reduce complex legacies into simple narrative of good vs evil? 

 

Sri Lanka revealed itself to us not just through its landscapes, but through what lay beneath them. In Ratnadweepa  - the country of gems we witnessed the quiet, patient art of mining at Kandy,  where the earth yields its treasures without haste. Holding a yellow sapphire in my hand, I felt as though I was carrying a fragment of the island’s story.

 

It made me think of Kubera, the god of wealth, whom ancient lore associates with Lanka. Perhaps he never truly “lived” here in the literal sense but in a land where the soil itself glimmers with hidden riches, the idea no longer feels like mythology. It feels like a way of understanding abundance.

 

On the way to Nuwar eliya we saw a solar halo 

The sky itself seemed to wear a golden ring as if reminding us why ancient minds imagined this land under the guardianship of Kubera

 

 

Divurumpola – Truth under fire 





As per the Ramayana text, after the victorious battle, Rama came to meet Sita and asked her to undergo agnipravesha to prove her chastity.

This is the place where agnipravesha is said to have taken place. The name means “the place of oath.” There is an Ashoka vruksha and a platform indicating the place where the ritual was conducted.

At Divurumpola Temple, the story reaches one of its most debated moments…Sita’s trial by fire. Credible evidence comes in the form of an ancient stone with a half-moon engraved on it.

Sita is an epitome of sacrifice, freedom from worldly desires and attachments, and adherence to her dharma. Ravana dared to touch such a pious soul, which led to his destruction.

We hugged Sita Matha and felt blessed. Standing there, I wondered—does truth need validation? And if so, for whom?

 

 

Nuwara Eliya – Quiet Strength


Near Nuwara Eliya, there is a calm and serene place called Sita Eliya, nestled amidst a lush green forest canopy. A river flows through it, where Sita Matha is believed to have rested and spent her time. The beauty of the hills and the stream is absolutely incredible.

The ancient idols of Rama, Sita, Lakshmana, and Hanuman made it feel as though Sita Matha might truly have rested here. There was a heightened sense of vibration in the space. I sat by the stream, closed my eyes, and visualized the Ashoka Vatika.

The strength of Sita here was not loud …it was steady, quiet, and unwavering, much like Sita Eliya itself.

 

 Ramboda – Devotion in Action





At Ramboda Hanuman Temple, located amidst the beautiful tea plantations, I wondered how Hanuman the Great could have located Sita amidst these vast mountain ranges.

Here, courage was not about power it was about service, loyalty, and purpose. This was the place where Hanuman is believed to have first set foot in Lanka during his search for Sita, guided not by certainty, but by unwavering devotion and faith.

 

What Changed for Me

 

Somewhere between these places, something shifted. My perspective about Ravana changed. Not because Sri Lanka glorifies him…actually it doesn’t. In fact, he is rarely worshipped but his presence exists in memory, in landscape, in interpretation and that presence is enough to challenge a single, fixed narrative.


 

I began to see Ravana not just as a villain, but as a complex figure - a scholar, a ruler, a devotee, and a man shaped by both brilliance and flaw.

 


And that led me to a larger realization: There is no single story. 

What this journey offered was not answers but perspective.

Stories are shaped by where you stand. Geography influences memory. Culture shapes interpretation. What we inherit is often one version but not the only version.

And perhaps that is the real learning not just from the Ramayana, but from life itself.

When we move beyond “good vs evil”we begin to understand more deeply.

Because every story has many truths and understanding begins when we are open to seeing them all.

 

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