The events of the epic poem the Ramayana, which supposedly took place in Sri Lanka, have permeated the nation's psyche; there are an extraordinary number of places – jungle shrines, mountains, plains, streams, ponds and hot springs among them - associated with the epic listed below. Pick up a map and plan an individual itinerary that will take you on a fascinating journey on the trail of a legend.

Under its Sanskrit name of Lanka, the island figures prominently in the Ramayana, written around 2,000 years ago by the sage Valmiki. Although the setting of the Ramayana is Ayodya, capital of the Kosala Kingdom in North India, the story mainly concerns an invasion of Lanka by Rama, a prince of that kingdom. Legend usually stems from historical fact and so it is with the Ramayana, for it is believed to be a dramatization of the first of many Aryan invasions of Lanka.

The relevant part of the story centres on Ravana, the 10-headed, 20-armed king of the Raksha or demon tribe of Lanka, 10-headed because he was an expert on 10 different subjects. It seems that Ravana had worshipped Lord Shiva with such devotion that the god had promised him that he could not be destroyed. Secure in this knowledge, Ravana started to abuse his powers, which caused the gods to confer and make a request to Vishnu to resolve the problem. Vishnu agreed, descended to earth, and manifested as Rama, one of the four sons of King Dasaradha. A brother, Lakshman, also features in the story.