Lanka is the name given in Hindu epics to the island fortress capital of the Rakshasa king Ravana, and features prominently in the Ramayana and the Mahabharata. According to these texts, the citadel stood on a plateau set between three mountain peaks, collectively known as the Trikuta Mountains.
In the narrative of the Ramayana, the ancient city of Lankapura is described as having been burnt down by Hanuman during his search for Sita. The traditions further recount that after Ravana was slain by Rama, with the assistance of Ravana's brother Vibhishana, the latter was crowned king of Lankapura. Ravana's palaces are described as being guarded by four-tusked elephants, an embellishment that conveys the grandeur attributed to the city in the epic imagination.
The kingdom continues to figure in the Mahabharata, where the descendants of Vibhishana are said to have ruled Lanka during the time of the Pandavas. The text relates that the Pandava prince Sahadeva visited the kingdom in the course of his southern military campaign undertaken for the rajasuya sacrifice of Yudhishthira.
The island historically known as Ceylon was long associated with the Lanka of the epics. Reflecting this traditional identification, the country officially adopted the name Sri Lanka in 1972, prefixing the Sanskrit honorific Sri to the older epic name.