Ramayan Quiz-5: Where did Sri Ram and Devi Sita live during their exile period?

नासिक में गोदावरी के तट पर पांच वृक्षों का स्थान पंचवटी कहलाता है।  ये पांच वृक्ष हैं - पीपल, बरगद, आंवला, बेल तथा अशोक वट। रामायण-काल में पंचवटी दंडक वन के अंतर्गत आता था।

Sri Sri Sanskar Kendra

Under the aegis of Art of Living, inspired by Prabhu Shri Ram’s life, Ramayan Program is being offered by Sri Sri Sanskar Kendra for children (6-13 yrs).

Interesting Fact About The Ramayana

Was the Pushpak Vimana real?

The Pushpak Vimana of Ravana, in which Sri Ram returned to Ayodhya from Lanka, after his victory over Ravana, was just one among the many vimanas.

The word vimana comprises vi, ‘the sky’ and mana, meaning, ‘measure’. Vimana is one that measures the sky as it traverses through it.

There are many stories in the Purana and in the epics Ramayana and Mahabharata that speak about vimana. There is a separate, technical literature available such as the Vaimanika Sastra by Maharishi Bharadwaja, which discusses the vimana from a technical perspective. It explains the Pushpak Vimana’s special capacity to contract (sankocha) or expand (vistrita) in size.

Maharishi Bharadwaj mentions about 120 different vimanas that were present in different times in different lands. He also gives glimpses of fuels used, aeronautics, avionics, metallurgy and other maneuvers that were deployed in flying these vimanas.

Did Ravana have many vimanas?

Yes!
Shri Ram tells Lakshmana, as they fly over Lanka in the Pushpak Vimana, after the victory over Ravana.

Lanka shines on the earth
Studded with many Vimana
As if it is the capital of Vishnu
Covered with white clouds.

Ravana had six airports in his kingdom of Lanka.

• Weragantota in Mahiyangana:  In the Sinhalese language, this word means a place for an aircraft to land.
• Thotupola Kanda at Hoton Plains: The word Thotupola means a port, a place that one touches during one’s journey. Kanda means rock. Thotupola Kanda is a flat land over a rocky range at a height of 6,000 feet from sea level.
• Usangoda on the southern coast
• Wariyapola in Kurunegala
• Wariyapola in Mattale – the word Wariyapola is said to have been derived from Watha-ri-ya-pola meaning place for landing and takeoff of aircrafts.
• Gurulupotha in Mahiyangana – Gurulupotha in Sinhalese means parts of birds, indicating this to be an aircraft hangar or repair center.

The one other well mentioned vimana that was used by Ravana, is Dandu Monara. In the local Sinhalese language, Monara means Mayura, peacock and Dandu Monara means “that which can fly resembling a peacock”.