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| Adam's Peak | |
|---|---|
| Sri Pada | |
 Adam's Peak from a distance | |
| Highest point | |
| Elevation | 2,243 m (7,359 ft) |
| Coordinates | 6°48′34″N80°29′59″E / 6.80944°N 80.49972°E /6.80944; 80.49972 |
| Naming | |
| Native name | |
| Geography | |
  Adam's Peak Ratnapura District, Sri Lanka | |
| Parent range | Samanala |
Adam's Peak is a 2,243-metre-tall (7,359-foot) conicalsacred mountain located in centralSri Lanka.[1][2] It is well known for theSri Pada (IAST:Śrī Pāda;Sinhala:ශ්රී පාද,lit. 'sacred footprint'), a 1.8 m (5 ft 11 in) rock formation near the summit whose name is alsoused for the mountain itself. InBuddhist tradition the print is held to be thefootprint of the Buddha, in Sri LankanHindu tradition that ofHanuman orShiva (its Tamil name,சிவனொளிபாதமலை,Sivanolipaathamalai, means 'Mountain of Shiva's Light'), and in someIslamic andChristian traditions that ofAdam or StThomas the Apostle.[2][3][4][5]
The mountain is also known asMount Malaya in Buddhist sources, particularly theMahayanaLankavatara Sutra, which states that the Buddha preached thissutra on top of the mountain. According to thissutra, the mountain was the abode ofRavana, overlord of theRakshasas and ruler ofLanka.[6][7] Other names inSanskrit sources include Mount Lanka, Ratnagiri ("Mountain of Gems"), Malayagiri and Mount Rohana.[1]
The mountain is also seen as the abode of the deitySaman and also goes by various names associated with this, includingSamanthakūta in Pali, andSamonalakanda ("Mountain of Saman").[1][2]
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The mountain is located in the southern reaches of the Central Highlands in theRatnapura District andNuwara Eliya District of theSabaragamuwa Province andCentral Province—lying about 40 km (25 mi) northeast ofRatnapura and 32 km (20 mi) southwest of Hatton. The surrounding region is largely forested hills with no mountain of comparable size nearby. The region along the mountain is a wildlife reserve, housing many species varying from elephants to leopards, and including many endemic species.
Adam's Peak is important as a watershed. The districts to the south and the east of Adam's Peak yield precious stones—emeralds, rubies and sapphires, for which the island has been famous, and which earned for it the ancient name of Ratnadvipa.[8]
Adam's Peak is the source of three major rivers inSri Lanka:Kelani River,Walawe River, and theKalu Ganga (river).[9]
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Access to the mountain is possible by six trails: Ratnapura–Palabaddala, Hatton–Nallathanni, Kuruwita–Erathna, Murraywatte, Mookuwatte and Malimboda. The Nallathanni and Palabaddala routes are most favoured because they are shorter, better developed with facilities such as tea shops and lighting, and more accessible from transport hubs.[10][11] The Kuruwita–Erathna trail is used less often because it is longer, more strenuous, less convenient to reach, and less supported by facilities compared to the more popular routes.[12][11] These trails are linked to major cities or towns by bus, accounting for their popular use. The Murraywatte, Mookuwatte and Malimboda routes are seldom used but do intersect with the Palabaddala road midway through the ascent. The usual route taken by most pilgrims is ascent via Hatton and descent via Ratnapura. Although the Hatton trail is the steepest, it is also shorter than any of the other trails by approximately five kilometres.
Once one of the starting 'nodes' of Palabadalla, Nallathanni or Erathna is reached, the rest of the ascent is done on foot through the forested mountainside on the steps built into it. The greater part of the track leading from the base to the summit consists of thousands of steps built in cement or rough stones. The trails are illuminated with electric light during the six-months period considered in-season, making night-time ascent possible and safe to do even when accompanied by children. Rest stops and wayside shops along the trails serve refreshments and supplies during the same period.
Whilst there are many ancient monuments on the mountain, there is an importantPeace Pagoda located halfway up, built byNipponzan Myohoji in 1978.
Due to its multicultural and religious significance to the various people that inhabit the country, the mountain is referred to by a variety of names.
The often usedSri Pada is derived fromSanskrit, used by theSinhalese people in a religious context; this name also has meaning inPāli, and may be translated roughly as "the sacred foot". It refers to the footprint-shaped mark at the summit, which is believed byBuddhists to be that of theBuddha. Some Christian and Islamic traditions assert that it is the footprint ofAdam, left when first setting foot on Earth after having been cast out of paradise, giving it the name "Adam's Peak".[13] Sri Lankan Hindu tradition refers to the footprint as that of theHindu deityShiva, and thus names the mountainShiva padam (Shiva's foot) inTamil. Tamils may also use the nameShivanolipatha Malai to refer to the mountain.
AnotherSinhala name for the mountain isSamanalakanda, which refers either to the deitySaman, who is said to live upon the mountain, or to the butterflies (samanalayā) that frequent the mountain during their annual migrations to the region. The name Sri Paada, however, is the more commonly used.
Other local and historic names includeRatnagiri ("jewelled hill"),Samantakuta ("Peak of Saman"),Svargarohanam ("the climb to heaven"),Mount Rohana and other variations on the rootRohana.
Sri Pada is mentioned in the 5th-century chronicleMahawamsa, where it is stated that the Buddha visited the mountain peak. The chronicleRajavaliya states that King Valagamba (1st century BCE) had taken refuge in the forests of Adam's Peak against invaders from India, and later returned to Anuradhapura. The famous Chinese pilgrim and Buddhist travellerFa Hien stayed in Sri Lanka in 411–12 CE and mentions Sri Pada although it is not made clear whether he actually visited it. The Mahawamsa again mentions the visit ofKing Vijayabahu I (1058–1114) to the mountain. King Vijayabahu I's Ambagamuwa rock inscription records that the king himself ascended the mountain and worshipped the Buddha's footprint on the mountain.[14][15]
The Italian merchantMarco Polo in hisTravels of 1298 CE noted that Adam's Peak was an important place of pilgrimage but did not mention a footprint in the rock.[16] The Arab travelerIbn Battuta climbed to the summit of the mountain which he calledSarandīb in 1344 CE. In his description, he mentions a stairway and iron stanchions with chains to help the pilgrims.[17][18][19] The first ascent of the peak by an Englishman was made by Lieutenant William Malcolm of the 1st Ceylon Regiment on 26 April 1815, from theRatnapura side; his account of the ascent was published in theGovernment Gazette on 10 May 1815.[20]John Davy, brother of the noted chemist SirHumphry Davy, visited the peak in 1817. He recorded observing an oversized footprint carved in stone and ornamented with a single margin of brass and studded with gems.[21]
It is revered as a holy site byBuddhists, Sri LankanHindus, and someMuslims andChristians. It has specific qualities that cause it to stand out and be noticed, including its dominant and outstanding profile, and the boulder at the peak containing an indentation resembling a footprint. According to theEncyclopædia Britannica Eleventh Edition:
For a long period Adam's Peak was supposed to be the highest mountain in Ceylon, but actual survey makes it only 7353 ft. above sea-level. This elevation is chiefly remarkable as the resort of pilgrims from all parts of the East. The hollow in the lofty rock that crowns the summit is said by theBrahmans to be the footstep ofSiva, by theBuddhists ofBuddha, by theMahommedans ofAdam, whilst the Portuguese Christians were divided between the conflicting claims ofSt Thomas and theeunuch ofKandake, queen ofEthiopia. The footstep is covered by a handsome roof, and is guarded by the priests of a rich monastery half-way up the mountain, who maintain a shrine on the summit of the peak.[22]
It is an important pilgrimage site, especially for Buddhists. Pilgrims walk up the mountain, following a variety of difficult routes up thousands of steps. The journey takes several hours at least.
The mountain is most often scaled from December to May. During other months it is hard to climb the mountain due to very heavy rain, extreme wind, and thick mist. The peakpilgrimage season is in April, and the goal is to be on top of the mountain at sunrise when the distinctive shape of the mountain casts a triangular shadow on the surrounding plain and can be seen to move quickly downward as the sun rises.
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For Buddhists, the footprint mark is the left foot of the Buddha, left behind when Buddha visited Sri Lanka, as a symbol for worship at the invitation of the Buddhist god Saman.
Tamil Hindus consider it the footprint ofShiva. It is also fabled that the mountain is the legendary mountTrikuta, the capital ofRavana in theRamayana from where he ruled Lanka.
A bell lies on top of the temple and tradition holds that pilgrims can ring it as many times as they have achieved the pilgrimage to the top of the peak.
A shrine to Saman, a Buddhist deity (people who have spent spiritual lives during their life on earth and done pacificist service are deified by Sri Lankan Buddhists) charged with protecting the mountain top, can be found near the footprint.
One or more of the preceding sentences incorporates text from a publication now in thepublic domain: Chisholm, Hugh, ed. (1911). "Ceylon".Encyclopædia Britannica. Vol. 5 (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press. p. 778.
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