Ashoka Vatika, which according to the legend is a garden in Lanka, is located in the kingdom of the demon king Ravana. Its current location is believed to be the Hakgala Botanical Garden, known as Sita Eliya. Here Hanuman ji met Sita Mata in her great form. There is a footprint of Hanumanth on the stone behind the Ram, Lakshman and Sita temple on the banks of river Sita. It is said that in search of Sitamata, Hanuman jumped on the Ashoka tree under which Sitamata was sitting. His footprints can still be seen by devotees even today. Ashoka trees are found only in this part of Sri Lanka, not anywhere else. There is a river named Sita here on the banks of which there are 3000 year old statues of Ram, Lakshman and Sita.
Ashok Vatika History and Architecture
This is a Hindu temple in the Ashok Vatika forest which is built at the place where Mata Sita was kept captive by Ravana. There is Anjaneyar (Hanuman) temple of Ramayana in Ramboda. Here are the sacred footprints of Hanuman, who met Mata Sita. The beautiful stream of water, hills and trees add to the beauty of the temple, which houses the golden statues of Rama, Lakshmana and Sita.
Ashok Vatika forest is quite inaccessible. Although there are many trees but the most special is the 'Ashoka' tree. Local Tamil Hindus call Ashoka Vatika as 'Ashoka Vanam'. In 'Valmiki Ramayana', there is an incident of Hanuman setting fire to Ashoka Vatika after the Ramayana war. The specialty of Ashok Vatika is its black soil which looks like ash. The land on the other side of Sita River i.e. opposite to Ashok Vatika is red and the soil of all other parts of Sri Lanka is red.
It is mentioned in the Vishnu Purana and Valmiki's Hindu epic Ramayana and all later versions including the Ramcharitmanas written by Tulsidas, where it is mentioned in the Sundar Kanda. There are garden houses around the garden, which were built by Vishwakarma himself.
Ashok Vatika Darshan Timings
Ashok Vatika remains open throughout the week. Darshan timings are from 8 am to 1 pm and evening timings are from 2 pm to 6.30 pm.
Major festivals of Ashok Vatika Temple
Sitanavami, Ram Navami, Hanuman Jayanti are the major festivals of Ashok Vatika temple. Women have to tie their hair to enter the temple. Local Tamil Hindus come for darshan every Saturday and Tuesday.
How to reach Ashok Vatika?
It is located near the beautiful city of Nuwara Eliya in Sri Lanka. Seeing this beautiful temple is truly a divine experience. It is located at a distance of 165 km from Colombo, the capital of Sri Lanka.
Popular Name: Ashok Vatika