The Ramayana: Epic Story Between India and Sri Lanka

Prince Rama was supposed to become the king of Ayodhya, a beautiful city in India. But his stepmother wanted her own son to be king instead. She asked Rama's father to send Rama away to the forest for 14 years. Rama agreed because he always respected his father. His wife Sita and brother Lakshmana decided to go with him to the forest.

While living in the forest, Ravana heard about Sita's beauty and wanted to marry her. He used magic to trick Rama and Lakshmana into leaving Sita alone. Then he disguised himself as a holy man and kidnapped Sita. He took her to his golden city of Lanka, which is now Sri Lanka. Sita refused to marry Ravana and stayed faithful to Rama.

Rama was heartbroken when he discovered Sita was missing. He met Hanuman and the monkey army who promised to help find her. Hanuman used his magical powers to jump across the ocean from India to Sri Lanka. He found Sita in Ravana's garden and gave her Rama's ring to show she was not forgotten.

Before leaving, Hanuman destroyed part of Lanka to show Ravana how powerful Rama's friends were. He set fire to the golden city with his burning tail, but made sure not to hurt innocent people. When he jumped back to India, he carried with him Sita's jewel as proof that he had found her.

During the great battle in Lanka, Lakshmana was badly hurt by a poisoned arrow from Ravana's son. He fell unconscious and was dying. The only medicine that could save him was a special herb called "Sanjeevani" that grew on a mountain in the far-away Himalayas.

Hanuman flew all the way to the Himalayas to get this life-saving herb. But when he reached the mountain, he couldn't identify which plant was the right medicine among so many herbs. So he lifted the entire mountain and flew back to Lanka! On his way, a piece of the mountain fell near Galle in Sri Lanka - this is now called Rumassala Hill, where you can still find rare healing plants today.

To reach Lanka, Rama's army faced a big challenge - how to cross the vast ocean? The wise bear Jambavan suggested building a bridge. Under the guidance of Nala and Nila (sons of the divine architect Vishvakarma), thousands of monkeys and bears worked together to build an incredible bridge across the sea.

This amazing bridge was made of huge rocks, trees, and mountains that the monkeys carried from far away. Hanuman and other mighty monkeys could lift entire hills! Each stone floated on water because they wrote Rama's holy name on them. The bridge was 100 yojanas (about 800 miles) long and took just 5 days to build.

This bridge is known today as Adam's Bridge or Rama Setu. You can still see the remains of this ancient bridge - it's a chain of coral reefs, sandbanks, and rocks between Pamban Island in India and Mannar Island in Sri Lanka. Even today, scientists and archaeologists study this natural formation that connects the two countries.

When they reached Lanka, there was a great war between good and evil. Many brave warriors fought on both sides. Ravana had ten heads and twenty arms, making him very powerful. But Rama's arrows were blessed by the gods. Finally, Rama defeated Ravana with his special arrow, and righteousness prevailed. The earth shook and the heavens celebrated when Ravana fell.

After Ravana was defeated, some people questioned whether Sita had remained pure while living in Lanka. To prove her faithfulness and purity, Sita asked for a test by fire. She walked into a burning fire, but the fire god protected her because she was completely innocent and faithful.

The fire didn't harm her at all - not even her clothes were burned! This miracle proved to everyone that Sita had always remained true to Rama. This test took place at what is now called Divurumpola in Sri Lanka, where there's a beautiful temple commemorating this event.

After the battle, Rama and Sita were reunited. They were so happy to be together again! Ravana's brother Vibhishana, who was good and had helped Rama during the war, became the new king of Lanka. He promised to rule with kindness and justice.

Rama, Sita, and Lakshmana flew back to India in Pushpaka, a magical flying chariot that belonged to Ravana. As they flew over the places where they had lived during their exile, they remembered all their adventures. When they returned to Ayodhya, the whole city celebrated with lights and joy. This is why people still celebrate Diwali - the festival of lights - to remember Rama's return home.