Sri Lankan Prime Minister Dinesh Gunawardena unveils Special Commemorative Cover for Sita Temple and laid the foundation stone for Meditation Centre at Ramayana fame Ashok Vatika site with an aim to attract more tourists from India and beyond.
Prime Minister Gunawardena, accompanied by Indian High Commissioner Gopal Bagalay and other dignitaries, issued the cover for Sita Temple near Nuwara Eliya in Sri Lanka on Sunday.
The meditation centre, which is believed to signify the place of Ashok Vatika in the epic Rramayana, will add to the facilities at the Temple and help attract more tourists.
“H.E Prime Minister @DCRGunawardena accompanied by High Commissioner and other dignitaries issued a Special Commemorative Cover for Sita Temple near Nuwara Eliya in 🇱🇰 today. They also laid the foundation stone for a Meditation Centre at the Temple which is believed to signify the place of Ashok Vatika in the epic #ramayana. The Meditation Centre will add to the facilities at the Temple and help attract more tourists from #India and other places,” the Indian High Commission in Sri Lanka tweeted.
H.E Prime Minister of #SriLanka @DCRGunawardena accompanied by High Commissioner and other dignitaries issued a Special Commemorative Cover for Sita Temple near Nuwara Eliya in 🇱🇰 today. They also laid the foundation stone for a Meditation Centre at the Temple, (1/2) pic.twitter.com/3YwAOYFqXP
— India in Sri Lanka (@IndiainSL) April 23, 2023
Ashok Vatika is a garden in Lanka (present-day Sri Lanka) that is believed to have been the location where the demon king Ravana held Sita captive in the Hindu epic, Ramayana.
According to the story, Rama and his brother Lakshmana, along with their devotee Hanuman, went to Lanka to rescue Sita from Ravana’s captivity. In the Ashok Vatika.
The garden was named after the Ashoka tree, which is considered sacred in Hinduism. It is said that Hanuman uprooted the tree to show his strength.
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Today, there is a temple in Sri Lanka called the Seetha Amman Temple, which is believed to be located at the site of the Ashok Vatika. The temple is a popular pilgrimage site for devotees of Rama and Sita.
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