INDIAN CORPORATION TOTRACE RAMAYANAINNUWARAELIYA

The Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation Ltd (IRCTC) has launched a pilgrimage tour to trace the journey of Rama from Ayodhya to Nuwara Eliya in central Sri Lanka, where Sita was believed have been held captive, The Hindu reported yesterday.

This is the first time that IRCTC, South Zone has embarked on the Lord Sita-Rama temples circuit.

R. Kasturi, a Coimbatorebased retired professor who took the trip with her friend, Gita Venkataraman, said, “There were some spots mentioned on a board near the Ravana falls. It is only a small fall and I have suggested that the tour should include the Buddha statues nearby. They are just 20km away so we should be able to make it”.

In their response sheet, visitors have sought inclusion of some other temples in Sri Lanka.

Vasanthi Rajiv, a resident of Chennai who took the trip, said, The Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation Ltd (IRCTC) has launched a pilgrimage tour to trace the journey of Rama from Ayodhya to Nuwara Eliya in central Sri Lanka, where Sita was believed had been held captive “If you include Kadirgamam, Tirukoneswaram in Trincomalee, Tirukeethiswaram in Mannar and Naguleswaram in Jaffna, the trip would be complete”. (The Hindu) The report: The 2,200-km tour is divided into two parts: the visit to Sri Lanka is by flight for five days and to Ayodhya by train for 11 days. About 30 pilgrims, aged above 55 years, participated in the maiden Sri Ramayana Yatra (Sri Lanka) tour, in which six historical temples were showcased. It included Sita temple, Ravanan temple and cave, Gayathri Peedam and Bhakta Hanuman temple among others. /The Hindu