Where was Ravana’s Lanka?

 Where was Ravana’s Lanka?

Was it Sri Lanka? Yes—going by the Sri Lankan literary sources, Lanka was in Sri Lanka. But the real question is: where in Sri Lanka was Ravana’s Lanka? The answer becomes clearer when we examine the changing names and internal geography of the island. Tambapanni was not the whole island: The Mahavamsa, the great Pali chronicle of Sri Lanka, begins its dynastic history with Vijaya, who landed in the north on the day Gautama Buddha passed away. Seeing the copper-coloured soil, Vijaya named the place Tambapanni (Tamravarni). The name was associated with the northern part of the island, around Jaffna, rather than with the entire island. It was corrupted into Taprobane in western chronicles. Was the whole of Srilanka known as Sinhala? No. The origin of Sinhala is also traced to Vijaya’s lineage. His father was Simhabahu/Sihabahu, associated with the legend of restraining a lion. His capital was Simhapura, and Vijaya was known as Vijayasimha. His followers therefore came to be known as Sinhalas, and the territory occupied by them became associated with Sinhala. Thus, Tambapanni and Sinhala were not simply names for the entire island from the beginning. Ceylon is much later—a Portuguese rendering, Ceilão/Seylon, which eventually became Ceylon.

Two cities in Lanka: Now comes the crucial geographical clue. At the time of Vijaya’s arrival, the Mahavamsa mentions two cities in Lanka: 1. Sirisavattu in the north 2. Lankapuri in the south Significantly, Lankapuri was in the hilly southern region inhabited by the Yakshas. This is where the search for Ravana’s Lanka becomes important.

The Hill of Lanka: The Mahayana Lankavatara Sutra describes Ravana as the king of Lanka and chief of the Yakshas. It says Gautama Buddha stayed on the Hill of Lanka—the abode of Ravana. This Hill of Lanka is identified with Adam’s Peak in southern Sri Lanka. The entire opening chapter of this text centres on Buddha’s presence there and Ravana arriving in his celestial chariot to pay homage and hear his teaching. This can be easily dismissed as imagination, but what cannot be ignored as imagination is the reference to the hill as Lanka, the city of Ravana. Trikuta—the mountain of Ravana: Now compare this with the Valmiki Ramayana. Ravana’s Lanka stood on Trikuta (V.R. 5.2.1)—literally suggesting three peaks or elevations. Adam’s Peak has no three separate summits, but its distinctive three-faceted profile fits the idea of Trikuta. Valmiki further says that Trikuta resembled Mount Kailash (VR: 5.2.23). Amazingly, the peaks of Kailash and Trikuta appear similar.

The mountain of Lanka was also known as Swarga/Swargarohana, which got modified to Rohana, and Malaya. Since Ravana was a devotee of Lord Shiva, the Trikuta mountain (Lanka) in which he lived came to be known as ‘Sivanolipaada Malai’ (Mountain of the Light of Shiva’s Feet). So, where was Ravana’s Lanka? The Sri Lankan literary tradition places Lanka in Sri Lanka. The more precise question is: “Where in Sri Lanka was Ravana’s Lanka?” The geographical trail preserved by the Mahavamsa and Lankavatara Sutra points towards Lankapuri in the mountainous south—in the region of Adam’s Peak. Check my book for more info. #Ramayana_5114BCE