Ashok Vatika – Where Sita took Shelter

Ramayana is one such epic that connects a number of Asian nations together. Spilling past the various borders Ramayana has woven hundreds of versions for itself. Each entwined into the other, so much so that you cannot differentiate between them all. However, the crux of the epic remains unchanged. We are neither here to fact-check the various versions nor to check their authenticity. Rather we will be visiting one of the many places mentioned in the epic, Ashok Vatika.

History has it that when Sita was abducted by Ravana, it was here in Ashok Vatika she found her shelter away from the main palace where she refused to stay. Geographically today this famed garden is situated in Nuyara Elliya of Sri Lanka. Although access to Ashok Vatika is restricted you can easily visit the Temple of Rama, Lakshman and Sita built on the banks of River Sita with Ashok Vatika in the background.

With a steady gurgling flow of the river in the background, the Sanjeevani Mountain in the backdrop and a continuous chanting of prayers coming from the temple, you get an ancient assurance from the past.

But the real surprise of this place lies behind this temple!

As you find your way there, just where the rocky mounds of the foothills of the Ashok Vatika start there is a giant footprint of over 5 feet! Footprint because this natural crater is in the exact shape of a foot. A single foot! Considering the size of it the next footprint must be somewhere inside the garden itself. Now it is believed to be the footprint of Lord Hanuman who had come to visit Sita. Demarcated with a yellow and red paint border, it has a tiny Lord Hanuman etched in one corner.

This footprint will definitely make you wonder if this is its size then what will be the height of the one who possessed it. Without getting into any argument about that it is safer to say that this place not only provided shelter to Sita but also a serene place to visit.