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Many people are thinking and confidently stating that Ravana's Lanka is in fact present day Sri Lanka, situated south-east of India.

However, the narration given by Sage Valmiki in Sundara Kanda gives a different picture about the location of Ravana's Lanka.

  1. After flying 100 Yojanas over the ocean and reaching Lanka, Sri Hanuman observes the scenic beauty of flora of the Lanka. Sage Valmiki describes elaborately in Sundara Kanda.

संततान् विविधैर्वऋकैः सर्वर्तुफलपुष्पितैः |
उद्यानानि च रम्याणि ददर्श कपिकुञ्जरः ||

(Sundara Kanda 2nd Sarga 13th Sloka)

Hanuman saw various glorious pleasure-groves filled by various trees that give fruits and flowers in all seasons and beautiful gardens.

  1. After reaching Asoka Garden, Sri Hanuman observes the beautiful flora in that Garden.

नन्दनम् विविध उद्यानम् चित्रम् चैत्ररथम् यथा || ५-१५-११

अतिवृत्तम् इव अचिन्त्यम् दिव्यम् रम्यम् श्रिया वृतम् |
द्वितीयम् इव च आकाशम् पुष्प ज्योतिर् गण आयुतम् || ५-१५-१२

पुष्प रत्न शतैः चित्रम् पन्चमम् सागरम्य था |
सर्व ऋतु पुष्पैर् निचितम् पादपैर् मधु गन्धिभिः || ५-१५-१३

नाना निनादैः उद्यानम् रम्यम् मृग गणैर् द्विजैः |
अनेक गन्ध प्रवहम् पुण्य गन्धम् मनो रमम् ||

(Sundara Kanda 15th Sarga 11 -14th Slokas)

Like the garden of Nandana, a celestial garden, wonderful like Caitraratham, a garden of Kubera, surpassing all, unfathomable, an excellent one, a beautiful one consisting of glory together with flowers like clusters of stars, like a second sky wonderful with flowers, like hundreds of diamonds, like a second ocean with flowers of all seasons, spread with trees having the smell of honey, beautiful with groups of animals of various sounds, diffused with many smells with an auspicious soul pleasing smell.

It is necessary to study the following phrase used by Sage Valmiki :

सर्वर्तुफलपुष्पितैः - Trees that give fruits and flowers in all seasons

Modern research revealed that the equatorial zone on the Earth has the special climatic feature of allowing the trees to bear flowers and fruits in all seasons.

The various causes now enumerated are sufficient to enable us to understand how the great characteristic features of the climate of the equatorial zone are brought about; how it is that so high a temperature is maintained during the absence of the sun at night, and why so little effect is produced by the sun's varying altitude during its passage from the northern to the southern tropic.

As a result of this condition of the earth and atmosphere, there is no check to vegetation, and little if any demarcation of the seasons. Plants are all evergreen; flowers and fruits, although more abundant at certain seasons, are never altogether absent; while many annual food-plants as well as some fruit-trees produce two crops a year. In other cases, more than one complete year is required to mature the large and massive fruits, so that it is not uncommon for fruit to be ripe at the same time that the tree is covered with flowers, in preparation for the succeeding crop.

Sri Hanuman flew 100 Yojanas over the ocean.

1 Yojana = 13 Kms (approx.)

Hence, Sri Hanuman flew 1,300 Kms. over the ocean.

We have to calculate the aerial distance from Southern tip of India to Northern tip of Lanka only, as Sri Hanuman flew 100 Yojanas over the ocean to reach Ravana's Lanka.

The Latitude and Longitude of Sri Lanka at Jaffna, the Northern tip of Sri Lanka, is 09°45'N and 80°02'E.

Hence, Sri Lanka cannot be Ravana's Lanka.

Am I correct?

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  • Comments are not for extended discussion; this conversation has been moved to chat.
    – Mr. Alien
    Oct 15, 2015 at 18:12
  • en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kishkindha#/media/… . See this and ( en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kumari_Kandam ) There's lost hypothetical island in Indian ocean. Westerns say it as hypothetical because it's not in accordance with continental drift theory. BTW, i am not sure about veracity of above theory and picture.
    – The Destroyer
    Nov 15, 2015 at 5:05
  • @AnilKumar: If that lost land can be located as Dwaraka of Sri Krishna was located, then we can think of it. Nov 15, 2015 at 5:12
  • You may be right. I have had similar questions. There is a small book authored by Sampath Iyengar and Seshagiri, titled "From Kishkinda to Lanka" that provides interesting perspectives based on Astronomy. They speculate the Lanka mentioned in The Ramayana might be somewhere off the coast of Madagaskar. They also show map with calculations arguing that the modern Lanka was not separated from the Indian landmass at the time of Ramayana. Interesting theories, hard to prove though. I lost that book, and still trying to find a copy.
    – Vidyarthi
    Jan 14, 2020 at 7:11
  • This is the book. Please let me know if you ever get hold of a copy. worldcat.org/title/kishkinda-to-lanka/oclc/16737114
    – Vidyarthi
    Jan 14, 2020 at 7:17

3 Answers 3

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There are different values of Yojana used in different Hindu texts. This research paper, The Speed of Light and Puranic Cosmology, by Subash Kak discusses two such values in details. He calls them Standard Yojana and Puranic Yojana. Hence, this premise on which the inference is made is shaky.


Also, I would like to give evidences, in terms of multiple places, which suggest that Sri Lanka is the Ravana's Lanka.

Weragantota means the Place of Aircraft landing in Sinhala. This is the first place Sita Devi was brought to Lankapura

Sita Devi was kept at queen Mandothari’s palace at Lankapura. The place Sita was held captive is called Sita Kotuwa; which means Sita’s Fort in Sinhala.

It is believed Rāvana had an aircraft repair centre at Gurulupotha close to Sita Kotuwa. Gurulupotha means Parts of Birds in Sinhala.

Ashok Vatika is a garden where Rāvana held Sita captive. This is in the area of Sita Eliya, close to the city of Nuwara Eliya. The Sita Amman Temple is located at this spot.

Whilst crossing the ocean, Hanuman was tested by Surasa Devi, the Naga maiden en-route to Lanka. This place is now called Nagadeepa.

Hanuman on the way back to India rested at Mani Kattuthar.

Rāvanagoda which means Ravana’s place in the Kotmale area is one such complex of tunnels and caves.

Gayathri Peedum is the place where Ravana’s son Mehganath was granted super natural powers by Lord Shiva prior to the battle.

Neelawari is located in the North of the country in the Jaffna peninsula is a place Lord Rama shot an arrow to the ground to obtain water for his army upon arriving Lanka.

Dondra, Seenigama & Hikkaduwa are places in the South of Lanka where Sugriva (king of Vanaras) prepared for his onslaught on king Ravana’s forces from the Southern flank.

Dunuwila is a place from which Lord Rama fired the Brahmastra at king Rāvana who was directing the war from Laggala, where he was killed.

After Rāvana’s death, his body was kept at Yahangala, Divan or Bed Rock in Sinhala for the country men to pay their respect for their departed King.

In the end, there is Setu Samudram which connects India and Sri Lanka.

I have not included all the places mentioned in the reference. There are so many more.


Some people believe that Ramayana happened around 7000 years ago. Others believe that it happened even farther back. In either case, the argument about flora is not valid because of two reasons:

One, there is continental drift. India and Sri Lanka would not have been at the same place so many millenia back.

Two, the flora itself evolves and changes over the millenia. So, what existed then need not exist now.

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Ancient Tamil poems makes mention of Sri Rama's making use of the port built by Pandyan king. So definitely it's the southern Lanka.

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Lanka in Ramayana is pronounced "Langka" which is an aspect of universal spiritual dimensions applicable to all of creation. Present day Sri Lanka only is a geographical land mass which has been changing its shape and boundaries over the miliions and millions of years. The meaning of Maha Bharatha also has a similiar hidden cosmic spiritual meaning and an absolute truth. The nme India came recently, and earlier itws the Indus valey which consisted of many present day countries. Its not Bharath. Those who attain the higher mental state of analisyis (Dhyana) will know it. Those who have attained the state of understanding nama-shakthi in root sound syllables (gana) will know it. This is the grandest mystery to be uncovered by the sages of all times, and its not for the ordinary humans (Sattvas) since the manifestation of satthvas is part of and by iteself inherant in the universal intellegence of what we worship by the nama, Brhama, "Vishnu" or Shiva. The manifested universe is the maya or Para-shakthi (Rupa) (Saraswathi,Lakshmi,Parwathi) of which we are part of as experiencing entities of samskaras. Then some one willask as to how these names and places are being established on earth with such names as Seetha eliya, yakgala etc in present day Sri Lanka. This is the most difficult part of explanation since we have totally forgotton that universe is a process uninteruptedly and ever evolving from a micro-system to a macro-system. Thats why the quantum energy forms the atoms and sequentially forms the planetary systems to milkeyways to quarsars which again becomes the (time differentiated) pulse of the universe - the nuro signal of inelligence. Hence the details of the Macro-system is recorded in the micro system and vice versa. Hence w have records of these on earth which is the life (Intel) centre of our region. Blessings to all.

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    Welcome To Hinduism SE! Scientific speculation are off-topic on this site.Pls. site some sources from authentic Hindu Scriptures for views expressed in the answer. Dec 6, 2016 at 11:23

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