You may call it a myth but I choose to see it as history.
You may call it exaggeration but I choose it as a belief, as an anchor.
In August 2025, my journey through Sri Lanka carried me into the hills of Nuwara Eliya. And while there were many places to see, one stood above all: the Seetha Amman Temple. It wasn’t a casual stop, it was the pull, the reason, the heartbeat of the journey.
Ashok Vatika — Where Faith Touches Earth
In Ramayan, when Hanuman ji leapt across the ocean in search of Seeta ji, it was here, in Ashok Vatika, that he first set foot in Lanka. This was the garden where Seeta ji prayed and waited, held by Ravana’s guards yet unwavering in her faith. It was here that Hanuman ji gave her Shri Ram’s ring, carrying with it the reassurance that she was never forgotten.
Today, this memory breathes through the Seetha Amman Temple in Nuwara Eliya. A river rushes past, its sound filling the air, said to be the very waters where Seeta ji once bathed. Across the stream, on a great rock, are impressions revered as Hanuman ji’s footprints.
Standing there, with the gushing river as my only background, I felt the weight of history and the tenderness of devotion blend into one.
The Footprints That Speak
The footprints on stone are not mere marks — they are anchors. They remind us of the leap made in devotion, of courage that carried mountains, of faith that crossed an ocean. Looking at them, I did not see the past; I saw the strength that quietly waits within us, ready to awaken when we remember who we are.
It is not an answer to doubt; it is an invitation. It asks you, gently, who you become when everything you have is tested.
The Call of Hanuman Chalisa
Right there, beside the rock with Hanuman ji’s footprint, we began to sing Sankatmochan. One verse led into another, and soon the Hanuman Chalisa flowed. The sound of the river merged with our voices, and a family from Bhopal joined us. For a while, the air itself seemed to sing — Hanuman Chalisa and Jai Shree Ram rising above stone and water.
The hymn we chanted is a tool I always return to when I need steadiness; the cadence slows my heart and makes the next small decision possible. That day, with water roaring and voices rising and strangers smiling beside us, the Chalisa did what it always does: it braided fear into faith. I don’t remember ever learning the Hanuman Chalisa. Nobody sat me down with it. My mother’s rituals were different, and yet somehow, it has always lived in me. I cannot tell you when I first knew it, only that it feels like it has always been there — like a rhythm my soul already understood.
Later, we met two men from Africa who had also come as Hindus, drawn by the same devotion that carried us there. Their presence, their joy, was a quiet reminder: the Ramayan is not bound by geography. It travels across lands, across generations, across hearts.
I remember clicking photographs that day, but even as I look at them now, the essence escapes the frame. The real memory lies not in images but in sound, in spirit, in the way devotion can fill a place so completely.
Childhood Echoes of Ramayan
My connection with Ramayan was not born in Sri Lanka. It had always been there, woven into the fabric of my childhood.
One Dussehra, I gathered the children from my lane to stage a small skit of Ramayan. I was the narrator, the storyteller; they were the characters who brought it to life. For days, we rehearsed — dialogues, costumes, makeup. We built Ravana with our own hands, piece by piece, his many heads stitched together with patience and imagination.
On the final evening, the entire lane gathered. Elders took their seats, children leaned forward, and our little stage transformed into Ayodhya and Lanka. And when Ravana finally was on flames, the fire was not just the end of an effigy. It was the end of a week of effort, devotion, and storytelling. Flames rose, sparks scattered into the night, and in their glow I felt the pulse of a tradition that has lived for centuries — not in grand temples alone, but in small communities, in childhood voices, in collective belief.
Faith as a Living Thread
For me, faith is not about proving or disproving. It is not logic versus devotion. It is both history and anchor. It lives in the river that flows beside Seetha Amman Temple, in the footprints carved into stone, and in the hymns that rise when the heart seeks courage.
Places like Ashok Vatika do not create belief. They awaken it. They remind us of the strength that has always been within us, waiting for the right moment to be called.
Closing Reflection
Yes, I will always be a believer.
Because belief gives me strength, stories give me direction, and devotion gives me peace.
And I leave you with a question:
When life feels uncertain, what do you hold on to? What is your anchor — a place, a prayer, or a ritual that reminds you of your own strength?
If you’d like to see glimpses from my visit, you can check my Instagram post here
A Gentle Guide: Ramayan Trail in Sri Lanka
For those who wish to walk this path for themselves, here are other places where the Ramayan still breathes through the land:
- Hakgala Botanical Gardens (Nuwara Eliya) — Once part of Ashok Vatika, Ravana’s fabled garden.
- Divurumpola Temple (near Nuwara Eliya) — Where Seeta ji’s Agnipariksha is believed to have taken place.
- Sri Bhakta Hanuman Temple (Ramboda) — Built by Chinmaya Mission, marking where Hanuman ji first landed.
- Ravana’s Cave & Ravana Falls (Ella) — Sites linked to Seeta ji’s captivity and Ravana’s legend, surrounded by dramatic landscapes.
- Kelaniya Temple (near Colombo) — Where Ram is said to have crowned Vibhishana as king of Lanka.
- Dunuwila Lake (near Kandy) — Believed to be where Ram released the Brahmastra that ended Ravana’s life.
- Sigiriya Rock (Central Province) — A fortress sometimes associated with Ravana’s palace.
- Nilavarai Well (Jaffna) — Said to have appeared when Ram’s arrow struck the ground.
- Kanniya Hot Springs (Trincomalee) — Believed to have been created by Ravana in grief.
- Ketheeswaram Temple (Mannar) — One of the five ancient Pancha Ishwarams.
- Pancha Ishwarams (Across Sri Lanka) — Five Shiva temples associated with Ravana’s devotion to Lord Shiva.
- Adam’s Bridge (Rama Sethu) — The causeway built by Ram’s army to cross into Lanka.
- Adam’s Peak (Sri Pada) — A sacred mountain with a footprint, revered across faiths.