Majestic & Magnificent Ravana Falls

As an Indian; irrespective of our caste or religion, we’ve all heard the great mythology - ‘Ramayana’. So when I was presented with an opportunity of visiting the ‘Ravana Falls’ in Sri Lanka, the first thought that came to my mind was, ‘Why not?’ 

So finally here I was, in the Ella city of Sri Lanka about to come face to face with a piece of mythology. Located approximately 2kms from the city is the majestic and one of Sri Lanka’s widest waterfall - ‘Ravana Falls’. There are many waterfalls in Sri Lanka, some of which I’ve visited myself, but very few can match the grandeur of this iconic landmark in history. 



Located at an altitude of 4500ft above sea level is the great ‘Ravana Cave’ and the ‘Ravana Falls’. This waterfall is actually a 3-tier waterfall forming rock ponds at different levels of the mountain. While the lower one is open to all, some locals told me that the upper two were prohibited. 

As the name suggests, this waterfall has an important role to play in the life of the main antagonist of the epic ‘Ramayana’. It is said that after abducting Sita, Ravana; the villain of the story, brought her to the Ravana Caves, which is believed to be the doorway to Ashok Vatika, the garden where Sita stayed while she lived in Ravana’s kingdom of Sri Lanka, then known as Lanka. It is also believed that Sita bathed in the water of this majestic waterfall. 

The water cascades down huge rocks of the mountain, its typography adding the regal of this place. As I reached the lowest waterfall, I decided to see the other two as well. And hence, I started climbing the rocks to reach the second higher waterfall. Since this is rocky terrain, and also risky at times, there were some warning signs in the parking lot. 



And from my own experience, I can tell you that it wasn’t an easy climb hence I suggest that you risk this adventure only if you’re familiar with rock climbing and wearing shoes that are comfortable and have a good grip. The time of visit wasn’t a wet season therefore I was lucky that the rocks were dry but if you’re visiting in the monsoon I’d suggest you refrain from taking this huge risk as the rocks might be very slippery making it very very dangerous.

Upon reaching the second tier, I found a mud trail that went up and there were some foot marks on it indicating that some people had recently traversed it. The moment I reached the final and highest waterfall I was taken aback by the view in front of me. 

It was phenomenal, might be an understatement. I had honestly not expected to come across a view that was so loud in its beauty yet so amazingly tranquil. Keeping up with the name associated with these falls, they very much live up to the might and the ferocity associated with the name of Ravana. I could very much visualize Ravana standing on the peak of the waterfall with his hands raised in victory, one of which having the sword drawn out its sheath.