The Chariot Path and Seetha Tear Pond

The Chariot Path and Seetha Tear Pond The Chariot Path and Seetha Tear Pond The Chariot Path and Seetha Tear Pond
Chariot Path

The chariot path is the route which Ravana transported Sita Devi on his chariot from Sita Kotuwa to Ashoka Vatika also known as Ravana grass pathway which is located jungle on the top of Ramboda Hills on the Kandy – Nuwara Eliya main road. This is one of the iconic Ramayana sites in Sri Lanka. Till date no vegetation grows on this barren land except grass. King Ravana is believed to have used this passage on top of these hills to show Sitadevi, the beauty of his kingdom as stated in the great epic of Ramayana. Chariot path and Sita tear pond are important Ramayana Sites in Sri Lanka.

Sita Tear Pond

The Sita tear pond is a small pond that can be found en-route by the chariot path. A pond located on this Chariot Path is believed to have been formed here by the tears of Sita Devi and has not dried up so far even during severe droughts when the adjoining rivers do. It is located on top of a mountain range in the central highlands of Sri lanka which has spectacular views from an angle of 360 degrees around. Sita tear pond also one of the very important sites of the Ramayana tour of Sri Lanka.

Vegetation of Chariot Path area

Only grass can be observed throughout the pathway giving proof to the great story of Ramayana. In this area there are many large trees with bright red blooms which adds a bright colour to the scenery. These flowers are being called by the name of Sita flowers by the local villagers. The peculiarity of these flowers is the configuration of the petal, stamen and pistil, which resemble a human figure carrying a bow, and is said to represent Rama. It is also believed that These flowers are unique only to this area in the whole of Sri Lanka.

Way to access Chariot Path & Sita Tear Pond

This route is quite bad and accessible only through a 4WD vehicle or estate tractor. Drive time is about 2 hours to Frotoft tea estate from Labookelle. The trek to the summit is extremely challenging and may not be suitable children, elderly and physically infirm.

There are two accesses to this place.

  • Via pussellawa : this is the better route. Turn off left 2km from Pussellawa town on Peradeniya – Nuwara Eliya road. Then it is further 17km uphill.
  • To Frotoft ( via Labookelle) . This is accessible only through off road vehicles. From Frotoft to the site the trek along estate road and jungle.

Time need to visit Chariot Path To reach the site it needs to drive to Frotoft aprox 2 hours. Trek from Frotoft t the site it takes 3 hours ( 2 hours to top and 1 hour to down) It needs minimum half a day to spend there in this wonderful Ramayana site.

It is not possible to reach this place easily and not possible place for senior citizens and people who are suffering with a heart problem or respiratory illnesses.

The Chariot Path and Seetha Tear Pond The Chariot Path and Seetha Tear Pond The Chariot Path and Seetha Tear Pond
【Text by Lakpura™. Images by Google, copyright(s) reserved by original authors.】

About Nuwara Eliya District

Nuwara Eliya is a town of central province in Sri Lanka. It is located at an altitude of 1,868 m (6,128 ft) in the central highlands and is considered one of the most important locations for Tea production in Sri Lanka. The town is overlooked by Pidurutalagala, the highest mountain in Sri Lanka.

Due to the high altitude, Nuwara Eliya has a much cooler climate than the lowlands of Sri Lanka, with a mean annual temperature of 16 °C. But the temperature changes and sometimes it can be like 3°C. In the winter months it is quite cold at night, and there can even be frost. Although it rapidly warms up as the tropical sun climbs higher during the day.

Sinhala and Tamil is the major language spoken in the Nuwara Eliya. The population is a mixture of Sinhalese, Tamil and the Moors. Many tea plantation workers are Indian Tamils, brought over to Sri Lanka by the British in the 19th century.

Horton Plains National Park and Victoria Park are main attraction in Nuwara Eliya.

About Central Province

The Central Province of Sri Lanka consists primarily of mountainous terrain. The province has an area of 5,674 km², and a population of 2,421,148. Some major towns include Kandy, Gampola (24,730), Nuwara Eliya and Bandarawela. The population is a mixture of Sinhalese, Tamil and the Moors.

Both the hill capital Kandy and the city of Nuwara Eliya are located within the Central Province as well as Sri Pada. The province produces much of the famous Ceylon tea, planted by the British in the 1860s after a devastating disease killed all the coffee plantations in the province. Central Province attracts many tourists, with hill station towns such as Kandy, Gampola, Hatton and Nuwara Eliya. Temple tooth or Dalada maligawa is the main sacred place in Centrel province.

The climate is cool, and many areas about 1500 meters often have chilly nights. The western slopes are very wet, some places having almost 7000 mm of rain per year. The eastern slopes are parts of the mid-dry zone as it is receiving rain only from North-Eastern monsoon. The Temperatures range from 24°C at Kandy to just 16°C in Nuwara Eliya, which is located 1,889 m above sea level. The highest mountains in Sri Lanka are located in the Central Province. The terrain is mostly mountainous, with deep valleys cutting into it. The two main mountain regions are the central massif and the Knuckles range to the east of Kandy.

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