We checked out of Kandy early morning next day and marched on toward Ramboda, the place of the Anjaneyar Temple (dedicated to Lord Hanuman who set foot in Sri Lanka at this place for the first time). The journey towards base of the temple took us through beautiful mountains and curves (over 3500 ft). The scenery was absolutely stunning.
At the base camp, the temple was situation atop a mountain and road leading to that was very narrow so there were two options for us - Trek your way up or pick up a Tuk-Tuk (auto rickshaw) to reach upstairs. We decided to trek our way up ... It was fun. The climb was steep at places but most enjoyable with all the natural beauty around. After about 15 min, we reached the temple premises.
Today being Karthik Poornima (Full Moon of the Karthik Month in the Hindu calendar), there was a big pooja (prayer) organized at the temple. People from all over had come to visit the temple. The deity was enclosed in the main chamber by a curtain and devotees had gathered in the hall across to catch a glimpse of the 15 feet Hanuman statue. After performing their customary rituals, the curtain was lowered and there stood the magnificent Hanuman statue (all black stone and adorned with flowers, jewels and color). Felt very spiritual looking at the manifestation.
Just across the temple are beautiful valleys and mountains.
There lies the mountain shaped in Hanuman's sleeping pose.
Sleeping on the back with hands on his belly, it is believed that it was his resting spot when in Sri Lanka.
After this blissful experience, we started our journey towards Nuwara Eliya.
Along the way, we stopped at Ramboda falls - a brilliant land-water scape to soothe the eyes.
PS: More about Ramboda Here ... https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ramboda
We had a customary halt at a local tea factory famous for growing and brewing the classic Ceylon Tea. We were given a guided tour through the factory's tea making process, the various grades and then to the shop to buy various brands of tea (Dilmah, Damro to name a few).
From 3200 feet, the climb to Nuwara Eliya is about 6000+ ft. Our bus undulating through the mountain curves and tunnels (breathtakingly beautiful) reached the hill town in about 3 hours.
The first striking view was that of the Nuwara Eliya Lake (called the Gregory Lake). Beautifully maintained and a natural habitat for birds and fish, the sight of the lake was one to behold.
We then reached one of our highlights of the tour - the Ashok Vatika Garden (where Ravana had kept Sita in Sri Lanka, how Hanuman came to meet her to give Lord Ram's ring and assurance that the Lord was on his way to set her free...)
The temple there houses 5 swayambhu (natural creation) idols - Rama, Lakshman, Sita, Hanuman and Jatayu all in black stone. The backdrop of the temple is an awesome mountain with long, dense tree cover indicating the might and security of the place at the time. A beautiful rivulet flows nearby and there lies the stone where Hanuman set his foot at the garden (Hanuman's foot imprint).
The surroundings had big mountain covers and the misty environment of the evening meant the place looked absolutely gorgeous. The slight chill in the air added to the atmosphere.
After a lot of photography and long day, the tour party checked into a local hotel (it was really cold and dark just around 6:00 pm) for the night's stay. Our itinerary next day was to visit the Gayathri Peetha in Nuwara and then move toward Dambulla Caves...
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