Grand Ramayana Tour
"TRAVEL to understand the cultures and shape your personality."
Description
This package is for those who want to follow Ramayana trail in depth and see the magnificent monuments and temples influenced by the great Indian epic Ramayana. This trip covers full of Sri Lanka with Mannar and Jaffna in the north, Trincomalee to the east, Kataragama to the south, Kandy and Nuwara Eliya in the center and Colombo to the West. Your suggestions to customise the package as per your interest and budget are always welcome. Real Lanka takes you on an unforgettable journey past ancient temples and stunning scenery on this tour.
Activities Covered
- Visit the Munneshwaram and Manaveri temples
- Visit Rama Sethu Bridge & Thiruketheeshwaram Temple.
- Visit the Sigiriya and Cobra Hooded Cave
- Visit Sanjeewanee Drops in Sri Lanka. (Ritigala/Rumassala)
- Enjoy the Baths in Kanniya Hot Springs
- Visit the Thirukoneshwaram and Shankari Devi Temples
- Kandy, Jaffna, Galle and Colombo City Tours
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Visit the Bhaktha Hanuman/Seetha Amman Temples
- Explore the Ravana Caves and Ravana Waterfalls
- Witness the Ashoka Vatika and Hakgala Botanical Garden
- Lord Anjenayar Temple,Vibeeshana and Nallur Temple
Locations Covered
- Mannar
- Jaffna
- Trincomalee
- Kandy
- Nuwara Eliya
- Kataragama
- Galle
- Colombo
Travel Route
Detailed Itinerary
- Ayubowan !! Welcome to Sri Lanka. You will be met by representatives of Real Lanka at the airport and transferred to Mannar. (5 hours without stop)
- En route visit the Munneshwaram and Manaveri temples and then transfers to Mannar Hotel and check-in.
Munneshwaram Temple: Munneshwaram means the first temple for Lord Shiva (Munnu + Eswaram). Lord Rama after his victorious battle left for Ayodhya with Sita in one of Ravana’s vimanas. He felt he was being followed by Bramhaasthi dosham (A malevolent black shadow) as he had killed Ravana who was a Brahmin. When the vimana was passing over Munneshwaram he felt the vimana vibrating and in Munneshwaram realised the Brahmaasthi Dosham was not following him at this particular point. He stops the Vimana at this juncture and asks Lord Shiva for a remedy. Lord Shiva blessed Rama and advised installing and praying for four Lingams at Manaveri, Thiru Koneswaram and Rameshwaram in India, as the only remedy to get rid of the dosham.
Manaveri Temple: Manaveri is the first lingam installed and prayed by Lord Rama and till date this lingam is called as Ramalinga Shivan. Rameshwaram is the only other lingam in the world named after Lord Rama.
- After the breakfast check-out from the hotel in Mannar and proceed to Jaffna. (2 to 3 hours without stop)
- En route to Jaffna visit the Ramasethu Bridge (Adams Bridge) and Thiruketheeshwaram Temple.
- Check- in hotel in Jaffna later in the evening and enjoy at beach.
- Dinner and overnight stay in Jaffna Hotel.
Adams Bridge (Rama Sethu): Also known as a Rama’s Bridge it is chain of limestone shoals between Rameshwaram Island (India) to Mannar Island (Sri Lanka). The bridge was first mentioned in the ancient Ramayana (7th Century BCE To 3rd Century CE) written by Valmiki wherein the Lord Rama had his monkey army construct it to reach Lanka and secure his wife Sita from the King Ravana.
Thiruketheeshwarama Temple: According to history this temple was bulit by Mayan, the king of Manthai who is also the father of Mandothari who was the wife of King Ravana. According to one Hindu legend Maharishi Bhrigu worshipped Lord Shiva at this shrine. Another tradition holds that the Hindu planetary god worshipped Shiva at the shrine, thus creating the shrine’s name “Ketheeswaram”.
- After the breakfast proceed to visit the tourist attractions in Jaffna.
- Visit the Nilaveri Water Springs/Kachchative/Jafnna Fort.
- Enjoy the local cuisine then Jaffna city tour including shopping in local market.
- Dinner and overnight stay in Jaffna Hotel.
Jaffna : Known as “Yalpanam” in tamil language, capital of the northern province in Sri Lanka, it served as the capital for four centuries long. Jaffna kingdom was later siege several times from invaders outside of the country. One can observe significant difference in food, culture, language ,etc with respective to other parts of the country. Almost three decades of the tearful war Jaffna was ready to rise up from the dust and serve with her beauty to the world.
Nilaveri Water Springs: The well never dries up not even during severe droughts. It is told that when Lord Rama’s army entered Lanka they took positions on different sides. The army situated in the northern dry zone faced a severe water crisis, so Lord Rama shot a magic arrow into the ground and water sprung out immediately. Another version of the legend has it that the arrow was shot by Hanuman to satisfy the thirst of Lord Rama.
Kachchathive Island: Its small island in the middle of the Palk strait halfway between Jaffna and India’s Rameshwaram. At different points of time during the war both Lord Rama and Lakshmana were hit by powerful arrows, fell unconscious and to bring them back to life Lord Hanuman was instructed to fetch the life saving herbs from Himalaya. Hanuman went to the hill, lifted the whole hill and brought it, as he was not able to identify the life saving herbs alone. Parts from the hill fell on five places in Sri Lanka, namely, Kachchativu in the north, Rumasala in Galle, Dolu Kanda in Hiripitiya, Ritigala on the Habarana Anuradhapura road and Thalladi in Mannar,
Nallur Kandasami Kovil: The historical Kandaswamy temple in Nallur was founded in 948 AD not far away from the center of the town. This temple is dedicated to Lord Murugan in the form of the divine spear Vel, a well known symbol of tamil religiousness therefore many temples have been built in Europe and North America using the same name as a cultural memory.
Jaffna Fort: This fort build by Portuguese conquerer name Phillippe de Oliveira in 1618 AD. In 1658 Dutch overtook the fort and expanded it eventually British took control of the fort. Even though fort was hit by civil war one can see many Portuguese era buildings such as Governors Residence, Queens House, Kruys Chuch, police quarters and Garrison Parade Ground.
- After the breakfast check-out from the hotel in Dambulla/Habarana and transfer to Ritigala Sanjeewanee Mountain and explore the site and its Buddhist monastery .
- En route to Trincomalee visit the Kanniya hot springs and have a bath from the wells and will have lunch in nearby restaurant.
- Dinner and overnight stay In Trincomalee Hotel.
Ritigala Sanjeewanee Mountain: It is believe that mountain is a piece of the Himalayas that was dropped here by accident by Lord Hanuman. According to Hindu epic Ramayanaya, King Ravana abducted Sita and kept her imprisoned here. The armies of Lord Rama came to this island to wage war against King Ravana. Prince Lakshmana, Lord Rama’s brother was severely injured in battle and so Hanuman brought back a piece of the Himalayas in order to treat his wounds using the medicinal herbs found on the Himalayas.
Kanniya hot water springs: One legend about Kanniya’s origin is that this is the place where King Ravana carried out the last rites for his mother. When he was unable to find water to duly perform the rites, his anger pierced his Trishula into the ground seven times. Water started gushing out immediately. The very hot water cooled down to the present degree when Ravana’s anger calmed down. The temperature of the water in each well is different then another.
- After the breakfast visit the Thirukoneswaram Temple and Shakthi Peetam Temple .
- Optional we can do whale watching or boat ride to Pigeon Island.
- Dinner and overnight stay in Trincomalee Hotel.
Thirukoneshwaram Temple: Thiru Koneswaram was built by Rishi Agastya on the instructions of Lord Shiva who was impressed by the devotion of King Ravana. This place is unique in this respect because the Lord built a temple for his devotee as a reward for his devotion. Lord Rama is believed to have offered his prayers here in order to get rid of the malediction of killing Ravana who was a Brahmin, meaning Brahmahasthi Dosham.
Shankari Shakthi Peetam Temple: Adjacent to Koneswaram temple there is another small shrine; with some significance for Hindu pilgrims. The original Shankari Devi temple, said to be built by Ravana, was the first in the list of Ashta Dasha (18) Shakti Pitas written down by Adi Shankara. But the whole cliff was destroyed by Portuguese cannon balls, only a pillar for commemoration is placed on that spot now. It is believed that the original idol of the Goddess has been preserved, replaced and being venerated now in this nearby new Shankari Devi temple.
- After the breakfast proceed to Kandy en route visit the Sigiriya.
- Visit the Dambulla Cave Temple.
- Visit Spice Garden and take lunch and proceed to Kandy.
- Visit the Kandy Tooth Of Relic Buddhist Temple.
- Dinner and overnight stay in Kandy Hotel.
Sigiriya/Cobra Hooded Cave: It is a natural geological formation, part of the famed Sigiriya rock. According to the records in the Palm Leaf Book, Ravana Watha, Sigiriya was built under the directions that were given by King Visthavasa, father of King Ravana. According to Ravana Watha, the blue hued lady in the frescoes represents the Yakka tribe and the other ladies represent the Naga, Deva and Gandabhbha tribes. It is said that Sita was held captive in Cobra Hood Cave by King Ravana. There are many pre-historic drawings on its ceiling. There is a distinct link between Sita and the cave having following inscription, ‘Parumaka naguliya lene’. It would have been inscribed after Ravana’s period but positively it has a connection to Sita’s stay in this cave, as the word ‘naguliya’ refers to Sita.
Dambulla Cave/Golden Temple : Rangiri Dambulla Cave Temple is a living Buddhist site that is focused on a series of five cave shrines. There is a large rock that thousands of years ago was carved out by hand to create a large type of “cave”. Within this cave, there are five separate rooms, each with its own temple which you get to explore while visiting. Inside the caves, the ceilings had been painted with intricate images of the Lord Buddha and Bodhisattvas, as well as various gods and goddesses following the contours of the rock.
- Breakfast and visit the Seetha Kotuwa.
- Kandy city tour and evening witness the Sri Lankan culture dance show.
- Dinner and overnight stay in Kandy hotel.
Kandy: The cultural capital of Sri Lanka, a world heritage site sits pretty in a valley surrounded by rings of mountains. Right in the heart of the city center of Kandy is the man-made lake called Kiri Muhuda (Sinhala: the sea of milk), the one and only decorative lake in Sri Lanka. Kandy is most famous for the Temple of the Sacred Tooth Relic (Sri Dalada Maligawa). This beautiful city is gifted with scores of attractions that include Royal Botanical Gardens, Kandy Lake, Bahirawakanda temple for spiritual seekers, Udawattekele Sanctuary, Ceylon Tea Museum – a paradise for tea lovers, Wales Park – for a peaceful walk and many more.
Seetha kotuwa: This is the place where the city of Lankapura once stood. The city had a beautiful palace for queen Mandothari surrounded by waterfalls, streams and variety of flora and fauna. Seetha Devi was kept in this palace until she was moved to Ashoka Vatika, Seetha Kotuwa means Seetha’s fort and got its name because of Seetha Devi’s stay here.
- After the breakfast proceed to Nuwara Eliya and optionally we can visit to Peradeniya Royal Botanical Garden.
- Visit the Sri Bhaktha Hanuman Temple its surrounded waterfalls (Ramboda waterfall, Puna Ella waterfall, Duvili Ella waterfall or Gerandi Ella waterfall.
- Tea Plantation and tea tasting tour along with tea factory visit.
- Later in the evening Nuwara Eliya city tour, dinner and overnight stay in Nuwara Eliya.
Tea plantation in Sri lanka: With contribution of billion dollars per year to Sri Lankan economy, Ceylon tea industry employs 1.5 million Sri Lankans directly and/or indirectly. Tea was introduced in Sri Lanka in 1867 by a young Scotsman James Taylor. Ceylon tea holds great reputation of being the best tea in the world and holds 4th place as the largest tea producer to the world. You can taste the original Ceylon fresh tea and opportunity to see the tea process at work; how the green tea leaves end up in drinkable tea through various steps of withering (drying), rolling, fermentation, oxidizing, drying again, followed by sorting and bulk packing.
- Breakfast and in the morning hours visit the Gayathri Peedam & Seetha Amman Temple (Ashoka Vatika).
- Optionally we can visit to Hakgala Botanical Garden and lunch at the restaurant nearby.
- Visit Aghnipariksha Temple and proceed to Kathirkamam via Ravana Waterfalls and optionally we can visit to Ravana Tunnels.
- Later in the evening visit Kathirkamam Temple in Kataragama, dinner and overnight stay at hotel in Kataragama..
Gayathree Peedam: Gayathri peedam is believed to be the place where King Ravana’s son Meghanath regain favor of Lord Shiva with penance and pooja’s and in turn was granted super natural powers by Lord Shiva.
Seetha Amman Temple: The site which is believed to have sheltered Sita during her abduction. Today many Hindu devotees flock to the temple throughout the year and worship with fervour and zeal. A century ago, three idols were found onsite which gave rise to the speculation that the temple would have been in existence since ancient times. Now there is temple for Lord Rama, Sita, Lakshman, and Hanuman by the side of this stream. It is interesting to note that foot prints akin to Lord Hanuman’s are found by this river and some are of small size and some are of large size, which tells us of the immense powers of Hanuman transforming himself into any size.
Hakgala Botanical Garden: Hakgala Botanical Garden were established back in the year 1861. It was created with the intention of cultivating Cinchona as an experiment. After tea was introduced to the island, garden was used for the cultivation of tea. In the year 1884, it was transformed into a flourishing garden .
Agni Pariksha / Divurampola Temple: Divurumpola means a ‘place of oath’. This is the place where Sita underwent the “Agni” test. She came unscathed and proved her innocence and purity. Sita approached the blazing fire. Joining her palms in salutation, she said, “if I am pure, o fire, protect me.” With these words she jumped into the flames. Then arose from out of the flames, Lord Agni, the fire-god, whom she had invoked. He lifted Sita from the flames unharmed, and presented her to Rama. “Don’t I know that she is spotless and pure at heart? cried Rama, standing up to receive her. It’s for the sake of the world that I made her go through this ordeal of fire, so that the truth may be known to all.”
The spot was initially fenced and walled to protect it from surrounding wilderness. Then a sapling of the Anuradhapura bodhi tree (one of the 30 original saplings) was planted as a mark of respect of the place. A small Stupa was built subsequently under the Bodhi tree. The temple depicts paintings of the Ramayana epic.
- After the breakfast visit the Ussangoda Ramayana site and proceed to Galle fort.
- Galle Fort walking tour, visit the Rumassala Ramayana site and Japanese Peace Pagoda nearby.
- Proceed to Colombo and Colombo City tour. Optionally we can visit Lord Anjenayar Temple
- Dinner at outside restaurant and overnight stay in Colombo hotel.
Ussangoda: According to Ramayana, after meeting Sitadevi Lord Hanuman decided to test the strength of the mighty King Ravana and his army of Rakshasas. In the events that unfolded, Lord Hanuman’s tail was set on fire by the rakshasa’s, who in turn went on to torch some parts of King Ravana’s empire. Ussangoda is one of the torched areas, which is said to have been a airport used by king Ravana.
Rumassala Sanjeewani Mountain: At different points of time during the war both Lord Rama and Lakshmana were hit by powerful arrows, fell unconscious and to bring them back to life Lord Hanuman was instructed to fetch the life saving herbs from Himalaya. Hanuman went to the hill, lifted the whole hill and brought it, as he was not able to identify the life saving herbs alone. Parts from the hill fell on five places in Sri Lanka, namely, Rumasala in Galle, Dolu Kanda in Hiripitiya, Ritigala on the Habarana Anuradhapura road, Thalladi in Mannar and Kachchativu in the north.
Galle Old Dutch Fort: Galle Fort is a UNESCO World Heritage site which countless tourists and locals visit throughout the year. The fort is also known as Dutch Fort and Ramparts of Galle. The Portuguese built the majestic fort back in the year 1588 when they were ruling the territory. After the Dutch took over the reins from the Portuguese, the fort was extensively fortified. The fort which has braved the winds of time for over 400 years continues to amaze visitors with it spectacular appearance.
Lord Anjenayar Temple: This is the first Anjaneyar Temple in Sri Lanka and also the only Panchamuga (five faced) Anjaneyar Temple in Sri Lanka. Its the only temple in the world to have a chariot for Ajanyear. The chariot festival is held annually end December/ beginning of January. Hanuman’s mother is Anjan. Hanuman is known as Anjan + Aiyar = Anjaneyar in South India (Hamuman in North India).
- After the breakfast proceed to airport (1 hour drive without stop)
- En-route visit to Kelaniya Buddhist Temple (Vibeeshana Shrine)
- Proceed to departure terminal and end of the tour. Have a nice flight!
Kelaniya Buddhist Temple / Vibeeshana Shrine in Kelaniya: After King Ravana’s death, Vibeeshana was coronated as King of Lanka by Lakshmana at Kelaniya. There are murals enshrined outside the Buddhist temple depicting the crowning of Vibeeshana. The Kelani River is mentioned in the Valmiki Ramayana and Vibeeshana palace was said to be on the banks of this river. King Vibeeshana was considered a fair king, as he supported Rama against his own brother’s injustice. Many devotees that visit king Vibeeshana’s shrine pray to him asking his intervention to a fair recourse to their problems. A painting of King Vibeeshana adorns the new Parliament of Sri Lanka. In fact there are no temples dedicated for Ravana, but many exist for Vibeeshana; this goes to prove that his stand towards dharma & justice made people to revere him as a god in Sri Lanka.
Inclusions
- 10 nights accommodation at the hotels with breakfast and dinners and the last night dinner outside restaurant in Colombo.
- Arrival and the departure assistance at the airport and transportation by A/C vehicle on private basis with passenger insurance.
- Service of the English/Hindi/Tamil speaking chauffeur guide.
- Complimentary visit to spice gardens/tea factory and gem gallery.
- Vegetarian and Jain Meal Plans
- Free WI-FI , Water bottles,Sim card
- 'Ramayanaya in Sri Lanka' book free for each family.
- All government taxes are included for above all
Exclusions
- Air fares and visa charges.
- Sightseeing entrance charges (unless specified).