A Sri Lankan envoy showed up at the Ram Janmabhoomi Temple in Ayodhya conveying shila (sacred stone) from Ashoka Vatika, where Maa Sita was held hostage by Ravana.
The Sri Lankan envoy, including Sri Lanka’s Ambassador, Deputy Ambassador and two clergymen, committed the shila of Ashoka Vatika to Shri Ram and furthermore performed aarti at the Ram Janmabhoomi mandir.
During the visit, Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust’s General Secretary Champat Rai, and trustees, including Dr Anil Mishra and Raja Vimalendra Mohan Pratap Mishra had invited the envoy. Sri Lankan Ambassador was additionally advised on the development work of Ram mandir by Trust’s General Secretary Champat Rai.
The Dharmic Significance of the Ashoka Vatika
According to the Hindu epic Ramayana, during Shri Ram’s outcast in the timberlands, Ravana kidnapped Maa Sita from Panchavati and held her hostage in a cavern situated in Ashoka Vatika in Sri Lanka. In Sri Lanka, where Maa SIta was held hostage is known as Sita Eliya, which is a delightful nursery beautified with lakhs of Ashoka trees. The Ashoka Vatika has a remarkable sanctuary, in particular the Seetha Amman Temple, committed to Maa Sita. The sanctuary has the icons of Shri Ram, Maa Sita and Lakshman.
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The Sita, which served Maa Sita during her jail days, courses through the Ashoka Vatika. Regarding a century prior, a few symbols were found from the stream showing that the spot was venerated in the antiquated past.
Along the waterway stream, there are round discouragements in the stones, which are accepted to be the impressions of Shri Hanuman who entered and obliterated the Ashoka Vatika to safeguard Maa Sita from the grip of Ravana.
Ashoka Vatika or Sita Eliya is a sacrosanct site and draws in fans and travelers from across the world.
A-Pillar of Strength for Sri Lanka-India Ties
It is interestingly that an authority appointment, including the envoys, of the Government of Sri Lanka visited Ram Janmabhoomi Temple in Ayodhya. The declaration for dedicating a stone from Sita Eliya (Ashoka Vatika) for the development of Sri Ram Janmabhoomi Temple was made by the Indian High Commission in Colombo, Sri Lanka through a tweet, recently. It said:
“A stone from Sita Eliya in Sri Lanka for the Ram Temple in Ayodhya will be a mainstay of solidarity for India-Sri Lanka ties. This stone was gotten at the Mayurapathi Amman Temple by HC-assign of Sri Lanka to India HE Mr. Milinda Moragoda in presence of the High Commissioner.”
While the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Theertha Kshetra Trust is yet to unveil where the stones will be utilized, the Trust’s General Secretary Rai said, “these stones will address the feeling of the Sri Lankan culture,” and consequently are of extraordinary socio-strict importance.
