Sri Lanka, April 21 -- Maskeliya is one of the less visited towns, and yet thousands of pilgrims both local and foreign, travel through it every year on their way from Hatton to climb the holy Sri Pada mountain.

It was almost March when, on an impulse, we decided to make a trip to Maskeliya, a hillside town in the Central Province while returning from a two-day pilgrimage to Sri Pada. Donned in sweaters, we were ready for the six-hour trek to Maskeliya through the untouched beauty of the mountain ranges and the hauntingly beautiful Moussekelle Reservoir in the valley.

To reach Maskeliya, there are two routes; a drive on the Avissawella/Hatton (A7) highway, passing Ginigathhena. The road branches off in two directions - one proceeds to H...