Ashoka Vatika () is a grove in

Lanka Lanka (; ) is the name given in Hindu epics to the island fortress capital of the legendary Rakshasa king Ravana in the epics of the ''Ramayana'' and the ''Mahabharata''. The fortress was situated on a plateau between three mountain peaks kn ...

that is located in the kingdom of the

rakshasa Rākshasa (, , ; ; "preservers") are a race of usually malevolent beings prominently featured in Hinduism, Buddhism, Jainism and Folk Islam. They reside on Earth but possess supernatural powers, which they usually use for evil acts such as ...

king

Ravana According to the Mahakavya, Hindu epic, ''Ramayana'', Ravana was a kingJustin W. Henry, ''Ravana's Kingdom: The Ramayana and Sri Lankan History from Below'', Oxford University Press, p.3 of the island of Lanka, in which he is the chief antag ...

. It is mentioned in the

Vishnu Purana The Vishnu Purana () is one of the eighteen Mahapuranas, a genre of ancient and medieval texts of Hinduism. It is an important Pancharatra text in the Vaishnavism literature corpus. The manuscripts of ''Vishnu Purana'' have survived into ...

and the Hindu epic ''

Ramayana The ''Ramayana'' (; ), also known as ''Valmiki Ramayana'', as traditionally attributed to Valmiki, is a smriti text (also described as a Sanskrit literature, Sanskrit Indian epic poetry, epic) from ancient India, one of the two important epics ...

'' of

Valmiki Valmiki (; , ) was a legendary poet who is celebrated as the traditional author of the epic ''Ramayana'', based on the attribution in the text itself. He is revered as ''Ādi Kavi'', the first poet, author of ''Ramayana'', the first epic poe ...

, and all subsequent versions, including the ''

Ramacharitamanas ''Ramcharitmanas'' ( deva, रामचरितमानस, rāmacaritamānasa), is an Epic poetry, epic poem in the Awadhi language, composed by the 16th-century Indian bhakti poet Tulsidas (c. 1511–1623). It has many inspirations, the prima ...

'' written by

Tulsidas Rambola Dubey (; 11 August 1511 – 30 July 1623pp. 23–34.), popularly known as Goswami Tulsidas (), was a Vaishnavism, Vaishnava (Ramanandi Sampradaya, Ramanandi) Hinduism, Hindu saint and poet, renowned for his devotion to the deity Rama. H ...

, where it finds mention in the Sundara Kanda. The Vatika has garden houses around it, built by Vishvakarma himself.''Historic Rama of Valmiki: Shastragrahi Rama'', by Visvanath Limaye. Published by Gyan Ganga Prakashan, 1985. ''Page 142, 189''.

Literature

It was the location where

Sita Sita (; ), also known as Siya, Jānaki and Maithili, is a Hindu goddess and the female protagonist of the Hindu epic ''Ramayana''. Sita is the consort of Rama, the avatar of god Vishnu, and is regarded as an avatar of goddess Lakshmi. She is t ...

, the wife of

Rama Rama (; , , ) is a major deity in Hinduism. He is worshipped as the seventh and one of the most popular avatars of Vishnu. In Rama-centric Hindu traditions, he is considered the Supreme Being. Also considered as the ideal man (''maryāda' ...

, was held captive by Ravana after her abduction, also because she refused to stay in Ravana's palace and preferred to stay under a simsapa tree in Ashoka Vatika. It was here that Ravana's wife Mandodari came to meet her and also where

Hanuman Hanuman (; , ), also known as Maruti, Bajrangabali, and Anjaneya, is a deity in Hinduism, revered as a divine ''vanara'', and a devoted companion of the deity Rama. Central to the ''Ramayana'', Hanuman is celebrated for his unwavering devotio ...

met her for the first time, and identified himself with the finger ring of Rama. Sita stayed at Ashoka Vatika until the end of the epic battle between Rama and Ravana, which resulted in the destruction of Ravana himself and most of this clan. Much of the Ashoka Vatika was destroyed by

when he first visited Lanka searching for Sita. Also destroyed was the Pramda Vana at the centre of the Ashoka Vatika.

Identification

Its present location is believed to be the Hakgala Botanical Garden, in the area known as Seetha Eliya, close to the resort city of

Nuwara Eliya Nuwara Eliya ( ; ) is a city in the hill country of the Central Province, Sri Lanka. Its name means "city on the plain (table land)" or "city of light". The city is the administrative capital of Nuwara Eliya District, with a picturesque landsc ...

. The garden is situated at the base of the Hakgala Rock forms, has Sita Pokuna, a barren area atop the Hakgala Rock Jungle, where Sita was supposedly held captive; the Sita Amman Temple is located here. Another connected site is a spot where Sita bathed in a stream at Sita Eliya, called Sita Jharna. The site has attracted media interest in recent years owing to its connection with Hindu mythology."Sita's Ashok Van awaits restoration in Lanka"
Sify.com.

References

External links

- Ashoka Vatika in Sri Lanka
{{Ramayana Places in the Ramayana Nuwara Eliya Places in Hindu mythology