Sri Lankan airlines' 'Ramayana Trail' ad captivates viewers, strikes a chord with Indians

Sri Lankan Airlines has released an evocative advertisement that has quickly gained widespread attention online. The five-minute video, centered around the "Ramayana Trail," offers a vivid tour of sites linked to the legendary tale of the Ramayana.

The advertisement begins with a touching scene of a grandmother recounting the age-old Hindu epic to her young grandson as she reads from a children’s book. As the story unfolds, the grandson, captivated by the tale, poses a question about the island where Ravan, the antagonist of the epic, had taken Sita after abducting her. The grandmother’s response ushers in a journey into modern-day Sri Lanka, identified as the historical Lanka of the Ramayana.

“All the places in the Ramayana are real. Today we know Lanka as Sri Lanka,” the grandmother states, as the footage transitions to mesmerizing visuals of Ravan’s Cave near the town of Ella. This location is believed to be where Sita was initially held before being moved to the lush Ashoka Vatika within Ravan’s palace.

The video further showcases the Seetha Amman Temple, also known as the Ashok Vatika Sita Temple, a sacred site maintained by the Indian Tamil community in Sri Lanka. This revered temple is said to be the place where Sita spent her days during her captivity.

Adding to the rich narrative, the video also touches on the Ram Setu bridge, a fabled structure believed to have been built by Lord Rama’s army to cross into Lanka. When the grandson curiously asks, “Is the bridge still standing?” the grandmother warmly replies, “Yes, you can still see it today.” This moment is accompanied by footage of the legendary bridge that connects Rameswaram in Tamil Nadu to the northern coast of Sri Lanka.

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