This place is located in the central province of Sri Lanka, framed by mountains and the vastness of various tea plantations. The place was founded in the 19th century by Samuel Baker as a resort for the British. For this reason, you can still see some British colonial buildings such as the post office, which characterize the landscape. Very briefly and succinctly my opinion on Nuwara Eliya - it was a nice stopover, but if you could have omitted something from the round trip, then it would have been in my opinion most likely this place. Nevertheless - for a round trip it makes sense for some routes (especially for the famous train ride) to make a stop in Nuwara Eliya - in my opinion then one night here is enough in any case.
A walk through Nuwara Eliya
We started the walk in Victoria Park. A local, with whom we later got to chat on the train to Ella, also revealed to us that the park is the "Couples Park" for the locals. Anyway, this park is very beautifully landscaped and houses wonderful plants as well as opportunities for children's activities such as a small slow train.
After that we walked through the Fruit Market, which is a nice little change and you can see again the variety of fruits, which can not be grown here. Afterwards, we walked through the rest of the city and looked at the British colonial buildings, such as the post office or the National Bank.
Seetha Amman Tempel
In Nuwara Eliya we visited the Seetha Amman Temple. This Hindu temple is very small and beautifully located in nature and is accompanied by an interesting story.
This is the only Hindu temple in Sri Lanka dedicated to Princess Sita. The meeting between Sita and Hanuman is an important event in the Hindu epic Ramayana. There are several versions of this legend, one of which I have summarized below.
According to the legend, Sita was held captive at this place by King Ravana. Ravana wanted her to forget her husband Rama and marry him instead. Sita sat weeping under a tree and prayed there daily that her husband Rama would come to rescue her. Rama and his brother Lakshmana set out together to find Sita. Hanuman is portrayed as a strong and loyal follower of Rama, and after receiving blessings from Rama, he also set out in search of Sita. He crossed the ocean between India and Sri Lanka. Once there, he disguised himself as a monkey and explored the city in search of Sita.
Hanuman found Sita in a grove called Ashoka Vatika, dropped a ring in her lap and assured her that her husband would come to rescue her. However, Hanuman was then captured by demons. They wanted to set him on fire, but he managed to free himself. He set Ravana's throne on fire and left a trail of fire all over Sri Lanka.
On the rock face opposite the stream there are depressions in the stone, which are believed to be Hanuman's footprints. And in the temple itself, the abduction of Sita is depicted in many individual pictures. The temple visit was very interesting and what was also nice that only a few tourists were on the road.
Restaurant recommendations for Nuwara Eliya
Ambaals
In Nuwara Eliya we chose a local restaurant called Ambaals with Indian cuisine. There are only vegetarian dishes but an incredibly large selection of dishes. We were surrounded by locals who gleefully ate their food with their (right) hand as it should be. We decided to have a vegetarian Biryani. The name of this dish comes from Persian and means "fried" or "roasted". In its preparation, the rice is first sautéed before being cooked together with spices. Like (almost) all the dishes here, the biryani was very spicy, but really good. And it was also an experience in the middle of the hustle and bustle of locals to eat this traditional Indian dish.
For a little British flair at breakfast in Nuwara Eliya, check out Cafe Noshers. The cafe is simple but cool and creatively decorated and offers very different delicious dishes.
We ordered banana-strawberry pancakes and a healthy yogurt bowl with seeds and fruit for breakfast. The portions were incredibly large and delicious. The prices are very European but for these large portions still fully within the framework. What I found particularly great here was the friendliness of the staff. We had a few questions about various activities and the staff took the time to answer all our questions or to give us additional very helpful tips. So this visit has paid off twice!
When we entered this pub, the first thing that caught our eye was a sign with "We have beer as cold as your ex`s heart". With a smile we entered the restaurant. Inside, the pub was also very stylishly decorated. There was a tiled stove, on the wall behind a cool plant wallpaper and all around on the other walls personal greetings and painted pictures of tourists.
The menu was found on a chalkboard in the entrance area. This was so special that you needed a "personal guide" to get an overview of all the dishes. For example, I ate a Veggie Blue Dolphin - a dish consisting of bread, vegetables and cheese, which was very tasty, I have never eaten so and a good change from the traditional cuisine here. It was accompanied by a beer, which was really very well chilled. 😊
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