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At the southwestern corner of Sri Lanka’s Central Highlands, just surmounting the famous gem sources, the lofty Adam’s Peak, 2,243 m tall, is the nation's most iconic mountain, though not the highest point. Fifth in altitude, it’s actually the most striking and prominent mountain of the tropical island. The Buddha-visited place has been a focus for local pilgrimages already since antiquity. In the Middle Ages, the then fame of legendary peak of Serendip, as the island was known in Persian and Arabic languages, sparked attention of Muslim sailors as well as European travellers such as Marco Polo.
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Due to a natural depression in the shape of a giant’s footprint on the very top, the mountain is known as “Siri Pada” by locals, which translates to “Sacred Foot”. Muslim traders believed, that this was the place where Adam first set foot on earth after being cast out of paradise. Thus “Adam’s Peak”, the mountain’s name used by Westerners during the colonial period, has originally been a Muslim name. Christian legend has it, that the footprint was left by Apostle Thomas, but almost nobody calls the mountain “Thomas Peak”.
Siri Pada is a Buddhist and Hindu place of pilgrimage in the first place. According to the account of Sri Lanka’s “Great Chornicle”, the Mahavamsa, the Buddha ascended the mountain through the air during his third visit to the island, after meeting the King in Kelaniya and before proceeding to Dighavapi and Anuradhapura. Tamil Hindus say, the footprint was left by Lord Shiva.
The mountain has even more names, one of them being the poetical "Samanalakanda", which translates to “Butterfly Hill” but originally refers to the local deity Saman, the protector of the mountain, who was converted to Buddhism already during the Buddha’s first visit to the island, which occured in Mahiyangana. The Sinhalese deity Saman is the guardian god or the southwest of the island and Sabaragamuwa Province in particular. His main sanctuary is just outside the provincial capital of Ratnapura. This Sinhalese temple called “Maha Saman Devale” is the starting point of the traditional Siri Pada Pilgrimage from the Ratnapura side.
However, for modern travellers it’s much easier to reach the summit from the hillcountry side. Usually the starting point is Nallathanniya, also known by its colonial name, Dalhousie. Visitors start the climb of 4800 steps usually at 2.00 am in the night in order to reach the summit just in time to see the sunrise at 7.00 am. Fast hikers will manage the climb within 2.5 to 3 hours. But most travellers need plenty of relaxing breaks in some of the stalls, which are found in numbers along the stairway, to enjoy some cups of tea or refreshments. So normal hikers, depending on their physical condition, should calculate 4 or 5 hours altogether to reach the top.
Just like foreign travelers, domestic pilgrims first and foremost come to the top for watching the sunrise. This marks the begin of the sacred hour at Siri Pada when the chimes and chantings begin at the temple on the summit. Clear weather conditions provided, you can see the shadow of the conical mountain in the form of a triangle falling into the lowlands or onto the clouds above the plains. This natural spectacle, which is considered an auspicious singn, lasts almost one hour. As the triangle shadow only occurs when the sky is cloud-free, spotting it is rare, maybe the chances on a specific morning during the pilgrim season are around 20%. During the monsoon season from June to September chances are almost zero.
The official pilgrimage season begins on Fullmoon Day in December and runs until Fullmoon Day in April. This corresponds to the local dry season when chances are best to enkoy nice views and to see the sunrise and the triangle shadow. Be aware that the stairway can be very crowded on weekends and Fullmoon days, which are public holidays in Sri Lanka. In case Fullmoon Days are celebrated on a weekend or on Friday or Monday (prolonged weekend) it could turn out to be literally impossible to reach the top because of the crowds of locals on the stairway!
Peak Wilderness, including Adam’s Peak, together with Horton Plains National Park and Knuckles Range is a mountain area recognized as a World Heritage Site called “Central Highlands of Sri Lanka” in the year 2011. It’s listed as a mixed cultural and natural heritage site, although the main purpose is the protection of the biodiversity of the last remaining montane forests of Sri Lanka. However, due to the pilgrimage site of Adam’s Peak located within this protected forest area, it’s recognized as a cultural World Heritage Site, too.
Siri Pada is a Buddhist and Hindu place of pilgrimage in the first place. According to the account of Sri Lanka’s “Great Chornicle”, the Mahavamsa, the Buddha ascended the mountain through the air during his third visit to the island, after meeting the King in Kelaniya and before proceeding to Dighavapi and Anuradhapura. Tamil Hindus say, the footprint was left by Lord Shiva.
The mountain has even more names, one of them being the poetical "Samanalakanda", which translates to “Butterfly Hill” but originally refers to the local deity Saman, the protector of the mountain, who was converted to Buddhism already during the Buddha’s first visit to the island, which occured in Mahiyangana. The Sinhalese deity Saman is the guardian god or the southwest of the island and Sabaragamuwa Province in particular. His main sanctuary is just outside the provincial capital of Ratnapura. This Sinhalese temple called “Maha Saman Devale” is the starting point of the traditional Siri Pada Pilgrimage from the Ratnapura side.
However, for modern travellers it’s much easier to reach the summit from the hillcountry side. Usually the starting point is Nallathanniya, also known by its colonial name, Dalhousie. Visitors start the climb of 4800 steps usually at 2.00 am in the night in order to reach the summit just in time to see the sunrise at 7.00 am. Fast hikers will manage the climb within 2.5 to 3 hours. But most travellers need plenty of relaxing breaks in some of the stalls, which are found in numbers along the stairway, to enjoy some cups of tea or refreshments. So normal hikers, depending on their physical condition, should calculate 4 or 5 hours altogether to reach the top.
Just like foreign travelers, domestic pilgrims first and foremost come to the top for watching the sunrise. This marks the begin of the sacred hour at Siri Pada when the chimes and chantings begin at the temple on the summit. Clear weather conditions provided, you can see the shadow of the conical mountain in the form of a triangle falling into the lowlands or onto the clouds above the plains. This natural spectacle, which is considered an auspicious singn, lasts almost one hour. As the triangle shadow only occurs when the sky is cloud-free, spotting it is rare, maybe the chances on a specific morning during the pilgrim season are around 20%. During the monsoon season from June to September chances are almost zero.
The official pilgrimage season begins on Fullmoon Day in December and runs until Fullmoon Day in April. This corresponds to the local dry season when chances are best to enkoy nice views and to see the sunrise and the triangle shadow. Be aware that the stairway can be very crowded on weekends and Fullmoon days, which are public holidays in Sri Lanka. In case Fullmoon Days are celebrated on a weekend or on Friday or Monday (prolonged weekend) it could turn out to be literally impossible to reach the top because of the crowds of locals on the stairway!
Peak Wilderness, including Adam’s Peak, together with Horton Plains National Park and Knuckles Range is a mountain area recognized as a World Heritage Site called “Central Highlands of Sri Lanka” in the year 2011. It’s listed as a mixed cultural and natural heritage site, although the main purpose is the protection of the biodiversity of the last remaining montane forests of Sri Lanka. However, due to the pilgrimage site of Adam’s Peak located within this protected forest area, it’s recognized as a cultural World Heritage Site, too.
