Page 27 - Seniors Today

Travel
Sri Lanka - The Land of
the Legend
Sri Lanka is a beautiful country
and has plenty to offer, writes
Malti Gaekwad
We all know it as Sone ki Lanka, the
kingdom of the all-powerful yet dreaded
demon King Ravan. He was a devotee of
Lord Shiva, he was blessed with so many
boons which made him almost invincible.
He was rich, powerful, a successful warrior,
good looking, multi-talented and ideal for
any woman to fall in love with, yet Sitaji was
not impressed! That disturbed him, arrogant
as he was, his ego was hurt and that led to
his own destruction.
Indians have grown up hearing stories of
the Ramayan and seeing it on TV time and
again. We dream of visiting Sri Lanka to see
the beautiful Ashok Vatika where Ravan
had kept Sitaji while he awaited her consent.
I had also imagined what the place would
look like. What must Ravan’s Golden Palace
SENIORS TODAY | ISSUE #68 | FEBRUARY 2025
looked like, Ramsethu the bridge over the
ocean and all those fancy places.….
Let me tell you, if you plan to visit Sri Lanka
to see all this from a historical point to view
you will be highly disappointed. The stories
of the Ramayana are embedded in our psych,
and we thrive on examples of Lord Ram’s
life, his virtuous character …. Maryadaa
Purushottam Ram is how we know him.
We found, nor saw any architectural or
historical remnants unlike the temples of
India - even Angkor Vat despite being in
ruins, they stand testimony to a by gone era!
In Sri Lanka there was nothing pertinent
to see even though the people of Sri Lanka
speak highly of Sita ji and Hanuman Ji and
have temples dedicated to them. We visited
the Seetha Amman Temple, Sri Bhakta
Hanuman Temple and the Ravan Waterfalls.
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