Context: Recently, the Civil Aviation Authority of Sri Lanka has sought relevant documents and literature from the public to study the mythological character Ravana’s “aviation routes”.
Key Points

• They has sought any relevant documents and literature from the public, asking them to contact an email ID and phone number to research the topic “King Ravana and the ancient domination of aerial routes now lost”.
• The project aims to bring out an authoritative narrative about King Ravana as there are many stories about Ravana flying aircrafts and covering these aerial routes.
• According to Civil Authority,  there are multiple stories over the years about Ravana flying aircrafts and covering these routes, we want to study this matter.”
• Moreover Sri Lanka’s Sinhala Buddhist community to claim Ravana as a Sri Lankan king. 
• Sri Lanka’s tourism sector promotes the ‘Ramayana trail’ for visitors from India this trail is “one of Sri Lanka’s largest tourism markets”.

About Ravana

• Ravana is portrayed as an antagonistic figure in the Sanskritised Hindu story of the Ramayana however he is widely celebrated as a Dravidian and Tamil icon in Tamil counterculture. 
• He is presented by Tamils as a king of Eelam and a devotee of Siva. Ravanan is also believed to have built the original, ancient temple of Thirukoneswaram in Trincomalee.

Additional Facts
In year 2019, Sri Lanka's first satellite 'Ravana-1' launched successfully. Sri Lanka's first satellite 'Ravana-1', designed and developed by two local engineers, was successfully launched into orbit this week from the International Space Station (ISS) along with two other BIRDS 3 satellites from Japan and Nepal.
India-Sri Lanka Relations: Areas of cooperation

• The People of Indian Origin (PIOs) comprise Sindhis, Gujaratis, Memons, Parsis, Malayalis and Telugu speaking persons who have settled down in Sri Lanka and are engaged in various business ventures.
• Though their numbers (10,000 approx.) are much lesser as compared to Indian Origin Tamils (IOTs), they are economically prosperous and are well settled. Each of these communities has their own groups which organize festivals and cultural events.
• The Cultural Cooperation Agreement has been signed between both the countries.
• The Indian Cultural Centre in Colombo actively promotes awareness of Indian culture by offering classes in Indian music, dance, Hindi, and Yoga. Every year, cultural troops from both countries exchange visits.
• Buddhism is a connecting link between India and Sri Lanka on religious lines.
• Education is another important area of cooperation between India and Sri Lanka. India offers scholarship slots annually to deserving Sri Lankan students.
• Tourism also forms an important link between India and Sri Lanka. India is the largest source of market for Sri Lankan tourism.
• Sri Lanka has long been a priority destination for direct investment from India. India is among the top four investors in Sri Lanka with cumulative investments of over US$ 1 billion since 2003.