"The first major legendary reference to Sri Lanka is found in the great Indian epic, the Ramayana (Sacred Lake of the Deeds of Rama), which was written around 500 B.C. It refers to a conquest of Lanka in 3000 B.C. by Rama, to liberate his abducted wife, Sita, from Ravana, the demon god of Lanka. It is believed that this poetic account is an indicator of the early southward expansion of Brahmanic civilization. Many place names in Sri Lanka, very especially in and around Sri Lankan cities such as Galle, and Nuvara Eliya have close resemblance and relationship with this legendary."