From the bus park, we had to take autorikshaws up the hilly road to the Hanuman temple.
From one point, the mountains in the distance looked like Hanuman lying with his face up towards the sky, praying to Rama - when we were informed about this, we felt the curves really did create such an image.
This was followed by a visit to a tea garden. Having visited tea gardens in Moonnar, Kerala, as well as Darjeeling, it was not a great fascination for us. We did taste the different varieties of tea there.
We had lunch at their restaurant.
As we drove on, we could see tea estates everywhere ...
About 16 km short of Nuwara Eliya, we visited the Hakgala Botanical Garden, which has around 500,000 visitors annually during the Spring season.
The garden has a cool temperate climate because the altitude is 5,400 feet above the sea level. As per the folklore, Sri Lankan demon King Ravana after abducting Sita, kept her hidden in this area which finds mention in the Ramayana as Ashok Vatika. The area was named as 'Sita Eliya' and 'Sita Amman Temple' was built on the site.
There are over 10,000 species of flora planted here.
The garden is famous for the number of species of orchids and roses. It wasn't Spring yet.
So we could see only the saplings, and of course
the perennials and variety of trees, some very very old.
Blossoms were very few.
The glass house had some exotic varieties of ferns.
The cacti section was an eyeful.
It was a sprawling garden,
complete with waterfalls,
and bridges, ... and we could get lost easily!
Seetha Amman Temple is located approximately one kilometre from Hakgala Botanical Garden.
The temple, located in the village of Seetha Eliya,where Sita was believed to be held captive by King Ravana, and where she prayed daily for Rama to come and rescue her in the Hindu epic, Ramayana.
The temple is very beautiful structure in rust and cream color, with golden statues of Sita, Rama, Lakshmana and Hanuman.
This is the only temple dedicated to Sita.
The highlight of the place is the waterfall, with a rock nearby,
on which are imprints of two giant paws - rather holes made by them. As per the popular lore, it was here that Hanuman jumped in front of Sita, with the message from Rama.
Visitors pay their respects at the feet.
We checked in at Queensburry Hotel, Nuwara Eliya around 5 pm, after the day's itinerary. We were informed that there was a spa in the hotel, we could enlist their services. Actually I had promised myself the luxury of full body massage after having tortured my body with the double climbs on the hills on the second day of our tour. I was not sure whether I should have it in the posh spa of our Maldives resort (I had seen captivating videos of different resorts in Madives) for a hefty packet or go for a modest one in Sri Lanka. I decided on the latter. There was time, convenience and opportunity. It was a truly rejuvenating experience for a reasonable rate of some 4000 SLR (equivalent to 2000 INR).
We had a surprise before we retired to bed. We received a special fruit platter.
We had already noticed that our room had been decorated in a romantic manner. But we never imagined that it was a special gesture for us - on our wedding anniversary. One call to reception confirmed that it was a complimentary gift from the hotel, with their best wishes. Such a cute gesture!
The next day, we were to leave Nuwara Eliya for Colombo.
The next day, we were to leave Nuwara Eliya for Colombo.
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