Pilgrimage to Sri Pada Via Hatton, Nallathanni Trail

As we started off from the Nallathanni we reached the foot of a staircase that ascends to a Japanese peace pagoda called Sama Chaitya. Passing the temple we continued our walk along the pathway. As the climb continued to ascend there are a few rest stops and a bridge crossing a small stream called the Seetha Gangula. We climbed having plenty of relaxing breaks in some of the stalls, which are found in numbers along the stairway. 💆‍♀️

As we ascended higher and higher we reached a certain point called Indikatupana. The stairway was very crowded at this section. Because of the weekend, the route was jam-packed with thousands of pilgrims and the queues are often so long. We thought that it could turn out to be literally impossible to reach the top because of the crowds of locals on the stairway! 😒

Fortunately we found an alternative pathway to ascend which was joined to Ratnapura road. Even though the Hatton road was illuminated with electric light, making night-time ascent possible and safe, the Ratnapura road was not so. We had to use our torches to find the path. It feels like never ending but the surrounding nature is blissful and the route offer most peaceful and amazing journey towards the peak in the nigh time. 🤩

Gradually it was reached where the stairway suddenly begins to ascend very steeply. This section is known as Mahagiridamba. Thanks to the staircases and railings, climbing those steps had become manageable for us. We ascend the mountain in the night hoping to catch a glimpse of the incredible glory of the sunrise. But It was nearly 10 hours altogether when we reached Mahagiridamba and our wish was ruined. The sun was risen when we reached the top. 🌤

Little by little we exposed mountain top. It was a chilling experience with strong cold winds. I did not forget to take a deep breath and admire the view of our surroundings on the way up this steep section. When we reached the top the entire area was completely covered in a thick fog and it was rather chilly and windy. 🥶

As we reached the top it feels me more like walking in the sky. When we reached the top chantings were began at the temple on the top. We worshipped and rang the bell that pilgrims traditionally ring it number of times which equal for each and every time the pilgrim has climbed the mountain. At the top there are some picturesque views across the surrounding hills. 😍

The descent went a fair bit quickly for us than the ascent. We didn't have any knee problems thankfully and we half walked, half ran down nearly the 5500 steps. It was around 1pm as we finally neared Nallathnniya. All in all the hike took us about 16 hours and we were pretty exhausted but feeling happy and accomplished. ❤