Seetha Amman Temple

A colourful Hindu temple tied to the Ramayana legend, said to mark where Sita was held captive, with curious circular marks on the riverside rocks nearby.

Along the road between Nuwara Eliya and Hakgala, in a valley locals call Sita Eliya, sits a temple built around one of the most significant sites in the entire Ramayana epic. According to legend, this is where Sita was held captive by the demon king Ravana after her abduction, and the temple that now stands here honors her devotion and eventual rescue by Rama with the help of Hanuman. Small depressions in the rocks nearby are pointed to as the footprints of Hanuman himself, scaled to an impossibly large size, a detail that draws pilgrims and curious travellers alike to crouch down and marvel at the scale of the impression.

The temple itself sits beside a gently flowing stream, its walls and shrine painted in bright, saturated colours typical of Hindu temple architecture, a striking contrast against the surrounding tea covered hills. Statues of Sita, Rama, Hanuman and Lakshmana stand within the sanctum, and devotees regularly visit to offer prayers, particularly during festivals tied to the Ramayana story. What makes this temple genuinely rare is its dual pull, it's one of the very few sites in the world claimed as an actual location from the epic itself, rather than simply a place built to honor the story in the abstract, giving it real significance for Hindu pilgrims tracing the Ramayana Trail across Sri Lanka.

Even for visitors with no particular connection to the epic, there's something quietly compelling about standing in a valley tied so directly to one of the most enduring stories in South Asian mythology, especially with the cool hill country air and tea plantations framing the whole scene.

At a glance

Entry fee: Donation
Opening hours: Daylight hours
Time needed: About 30 minutes
Best time: Daytime, alongside Hakgala garden

How to get there

At Sita Eliya on the Badulla road, about 8km from Nuwara Eliya.