Anjaneri Hills

Anjaneri is a hill about 20 km from Nashik on the road to Trimbakeshwar, rising to 4,264 feet. In one tradition it is where Anjana gave birth to Hanuman, in a cave near the top, and the hill is both a pilgrimage site and a popular hiking route.

The climb covers about 4 km and usually takes five to six hours. The slopes open into meadows full of wildflowers such as sonki. On the way up are caves, waterfalls and small lakes, the cave where the infant Hanuman is said to have been looked after, with inscriptions close to a thousand years old, and the Anjana Mata Temple to his mother. One pond has the outline of a foot, said to have been left by Hanuman's left foot, and the shape is clearest when seen from higher up. The temple on the summit is unusual in showing Hanuman as a child rather than as an adult.