Hanuman started entering Lanka by placing deliberately his LEFT foot first. He did this because he had heard that if any one enters a house, a city or a country by placing his/her left foot will pronounce a very bad omen for that house, city or the country.
After moving a few cautious steps he heard various musical instruments being played. He also observed the movement of the guards. Avoiding them dexterously he entered the city at that night and took the grand road ahead shining by flowers and pearls.
He found the beautiful city shining like the cloudless sky. The beautiful houses were rocking with the sounds of laughter and with sounds of musical instruments at the interior. He noticed that the houses were as strong as diamonds.The windows were decorated with diamonds. The city of Lanka was shining brilliantly with the well decorated houses of the Rakshasas. These were modern houses which looked like white clouds, and were in the shape of lotus and swastika both of which were auspicious.
Going from one building to another, Hanuman observed that the buildings were in various shapes and forms on every side. Hanuman heard a sweet song which was decorated by the sound from the three svaras - Mandra, Madhya and Tara - of love borne women like Apsara women in heaven. Hanuman also heard there the sounds from the tinkling of ornaments worn around the waist of women as well as by some men in the houses of wealthy people, sounds of footfall over stair, sounds from clapping of arms by warriors and roar of ogres. Hanuman heard ritual chants muttered by rakshasas in their houses. He saw ogres engaged in the study of Vedas. He also saw roaring rakshasas who came together to praise Ravana. He saw many spies of Ravana and a big army of ogres which stood surrounding the royal highway in the central zone of the city. Hanuman noticed with amusement some rakshashas were initiated into various Vedic practices; some with matted locks on their head, some with shaven heads, some wearing cow hides, some were carrying Kusa grass as weapons, some had fire vessels as weapons, some carried hammers and clubs in their hands, some had worn staffs as weapons, some were one-eyed, some had one ear, some were pot-bellied and with hanging breast, some had horrible appearances, some with twisted mouths, some were horrific, some were very short, some carried bows and arrows, some carried swords, some carried pestles and clubs as weapons, some carried excellent iron mace in their hands, some with strange armour, some were not very fat, some were not too thin, some were neither tall nor short, some were not very fair, some were not very dark, some were not very hunchbacked, some were not very short, some had great brilliance, some carried banners, some carried flags and some carried different weapons. Hanuman saw many people, who had great might, who carried javelins and trees as weapons. Some carried spear with a sharp edge or some other weapon with three points, some carried thunderbolts, some carried in their hands sling and nooses, some carried flowered garlands, some wearing sandal paste and decorated with lovely jewellery, some had various kinds of appearances roaming freely at will. Hanuman noticed at the front of the inner city, a hundred thousand central protective force which was attentive and was strategically positioned.
Then Hanuman noticed an amazingly wonderful golden doorway. He presumed it to be the palace of Ravana. That lovely palace was on the top of a mountain. Motes filled with white lotuses surrounded it. It was also surrounded by a compound wall. He simply could not take his eyes away from that lavishing and opulent building.
Hanuman noted that the city looked like paradise, but rendered noisy by the neighing of horses and the tinkling of ornaments, by chariots, vehicles and aerial-cars. There were decorated auspicious elephants and horses and great elephants with four tusks. It had beautiful entrances and was protected by thousands of mighty rakshasas.
Hanuman entered the inner city of Ravana without being spotted. He noted that it was filled with gold, had a golden court-yard, a central area decorated by pearls and diamonds of very top quality and sprinkled (obviously daily) with water containing aloe wood or Agalloch [aromatic resin embedded wood] and sandal-wood.
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