Ashok Vatika was a garden in Lanka

Lanka

Sri Lanka is the name given in Hindu mythology to the island fortress capital of the legendary king Ravana in the great Hindu epics, the Ramayana and the Mahabharata...

, the Kingdom of demon king, Ravana

Ravana

' is the primary antagonist character of the Hindu legend, the Ramayana; who is the great king of Lanka. In the classic text, he is mainly depicted negatively, kidnapping Rama's wife Sita, to claim vengeance on Rama and his brother Lakshmana for having cut off the nose of his sister...

, as mentioned in the Vishnu Purana

Vishnu Purana

The Vishnu Purana is a religious Hindu text and one of the eighteen Mahapuranas. It is considered one of the most important Puranas and has been given the name Puranaratna...

 and Hindu epic, Ramayana

Ramayana

The Ramayana is an ancient Sanskrit epic. It is ascribed to the Hindu sage Valmiki and forms an important part of the Hindu canon , considered to be itihāsa. The Ramayana is one of the two great epics of India and Nepal, the other being the Mahabharata...

of Valmiki

Valmiki

Valmiki is celebrated as the poet harbinger in Sanskrit literature. He is the author of the epic Ramayana, based on the attribution in the text of the epic itself. He is revered as the Adi Kavi, which means First Poet, for he discovered the first śloka i.e...

, and all subsequent versions, including the Ramacharitamanas

Ramacharitamanas

Shri Ramcharitmanas , also spelt Shri Ramcharitamanasa, is an epic poem in Awadhi, composed by the 16th-century Indian poet, Goswami Tulsidas...

written by Tulsidas

Tulsidas

Tulsidas , was a Hindu poet-saint, reformer and philosopher renowned for his devotion for the god Rama...

, where it finds mention in the Sundar Kand

Sundara Kanda

Sundara Kanda , literally "beautiful episode/book", is the fifth book in the Hindu epic the Ramayana. It depicts the adventures of Hanuman. The original Sundara Kanda is in Sanskrit and was composed by Valmiki, who was the first to scripturally record the Ramayana. Sundara Kanda is the only...

 .
The Vatika has garden houses around it, built by Vishwakarma himself

It was the location, where Sita

SITA

SITA is a multinational information technology company specialising in providing IT and telecommunication services to the air transport industry...

, the wife of Rama

Rama

Rama or full name Ramachandra is considered to be the seventh avatar of Vishnu in Hinduism, and a king of Ayodhya in ancient Indian...

 was held captive by Ravana, after her abduction, also because she refused to stay in Ravana's palace, and preferred to stay under the Ashoka tree

Ashoka tree

Saraca asoca is a plant belonging to the Caesalpiniaceae subfamily of the legume family. It is an important tree in the cultural traditions of the Indian Subcontinent and adjacent areas.-Description:...

, hence the name . It was here that Ravana's wife Mandodari

Mandodari

Mandodari is the Queen Consort of Ravana, the demon king of Lanka, according to the Hindu epic Ramayana. The Ramayana describes Mandodari as beautiful, pious, and righteous...

 came to meet her and also where Hanuman met her for the first time, and identified himself with the finger ring of Rama.

Sita stayed at Ashok Vatika, till the end of the epic battle between Rama and Ravana, which resulted in the destruction of Ravana himself and most of this clan. Much of the Ashoka Vatika was destroyed by Hanuman

Hanuman

Hanuman , is a Hindu deity, who is an ardent devotee of Rama, a central character in the Indian epic Ramayana and one of the dearest devotees of lord Rama. A general among the vanaras, an ape-like race of forest-dwellers, Hanuman is an incarnation of the divine and a disciple of Lord Rama in the...

, when he first visited Lanka, searching for Sita. Also destroyed was the Pramda Van at the centre of the Ashok Vatika .

Present location

Its present location is believed to be the Hakgala Botanical Garden

Hakgala Botanical Garden

Hakgala Botanical Garden is one of the three botanical gardens in Sri Lanka. The other two being Peradeniya Botanical Garden and Henarathgoda Botanical Garden. It is the second largest garden in Sri Lanka. The garden is contiguous to Hakgala Strict Nature Reserve.-Location and climate:Hakgala...

, the area is known as Seetha Eliya, close to the resort city of Nuwara Eliya

Nuwara Eliya

Nuwara Eliya , meaning "city on the plain " or "city of light", is a town in the central highlands of Sri Lanka with a picturesque landscape and temperate climate. It is located at an altitude of 1,868 m and is considered to be the most important location for Tea production in Sri Lanka...

. The Gardens is situated at the base of the Hakgala Rock forms, has Sita Pokuna, a barren area atop the Hakgala Rock Jungle, where Sita was supposedly held captive, the 'Sita Amman Temple' is located here. Other connected site is a spot where Sita bathed in a stream at Sita Eliya, called Sita Jharna.. The site has attracted media interest owing to its connection with Hindu mythology, in the recent years .