The planned Ram Temple in India to be built at Ayodhya will use a stone from Sita Eliya, a place in Sri Lanka where Sita, the wife of Lord Ram, is believed to have been held captive by the demon king Ravan. In India, the place is commonly known as Ashok Vatika.

“A stone from Sita Eliya in Sri Lanka for the Ram Temple in Ayodhya will be a pillar of strength for India-Sri Lanka ties. It will celebrate multifarious commonalities between the countries and also encourage more tourism and exchanges between the two peoples,” reads a statement from the Indian High Commission in Colombo.

Milinda Moragoda, the Sri Lanka high commissioner designate to India, received the stone at Mayurapathi Amman Temple in Sri Lanka, informed the Indian High Commission in Colombo. Gopal Baglay, the Indian High Commissioner to Sri Lanka, was also present at the temple.

According to a report in Colombopage, the stone is expected to be brought to India by the new Sri Lankan envoy.

The temple site in Ayodhya, where the construction of the grand temple is taking place, had remained disputed for several decades. Both communities, Hindu and Muslim, claimed the rights over the place.  However, the Indian Supreme Court on 9 November 2019 gave a verdict in favor of the Hindus.