“This waterfall is named after the ten-headed demon king of the Ramayana, who legend says hid the kidnapped princess Sita in caves nearby.”
About Ravana Falls
Ravana Falls draws its name and aura from the Ramayana, the ancient epic in which the demon king Ravana abducts Sita and holds her in his island kingdom. Sri Lankan tradition associates many sites around Ella with this story, including caves near the falls said to have concealed Sita. The falls have long been both a natural landmark and a place steeped in legend.
What Ravana Falls actually is
Ravana Falls is one of the widest and most popular waterfalls in Sri Lanka, tumbling in broad cascades down a rocky hillside beside the road near Ella. Easily reached and impressively powerful, especially after rain, it is wrapped in the legends of the ancient Indian epic the Ramayana, which give the falls and the caves nearby their evocative name.
Ravana Falls is one of the widest and most popular waterfalls in Sri Lanka, tumbling in broad cascades down a rocky hillside beside the road near Ella.
The Falls of the Demon King
The waterfall is named after Ravana, the ten-headed demon king of the Ramayana, who in the epic abducts the princess Sita and carries her off to his kingdom, identified by Sri Lankan tradition with the island. Legend holds that Sita was hidden in caves near these falls, and that the surrounding area was part of Ravana's realm. The story ties this natural cascade to one of the great myths of South Asia, layering legend over landscape.
The Experience
You can view the broad, fan-like cascade right from the roadside, where it crashes down the rocks in multiple streams, thunderous after rain and gentler in the dry season. Vendors and viewpoints cluster nearby, and the more adventurous explore the caves and pools associated with the legend. Its easy access makes it a quick, scenic stop on the route through the Ella hill country.
Why It Matters
Ravana Falls links Sri Lanka's natural scenery to the pan-South Asian mythology of the Ramayana, reinforcing the island's identity as the legendary kingdom of Ravana. As one of the country's most accessible and well-known waterfalls, it is a popular highlight of the Ella region.
Ravana Falls links Sri Lanka's natural scenery to the pan-South Asian mythology of the Ramayana, reinforcing the island's identity as the legendary kingdom of Ravana.
Why Visit
One of Sri Lanka's widest and most accessible waterfalls, a powerful roadside cascade near Ella steeped in the Ramayana legend of the demon king Ravana.
✦ Insider Tips
- 1
The falls are most dramatic just after rain.
- 2
You can view it right from the roadside near Ella.
- 3
Take care on wet, slippery rocks if you climb around.
- 4
Ask locally about the Ramayana caves linked to the legend.
