Sri Pada; ascent to the sunrise

The colors of the wind sigh in a language close to your heart. Greens, blues and whites entwined in eternal harmony, the sun sends a soothing ray to revitalize aching muscles and dampened spirits so that you finally greet the sun god with pure devotion and unite with the universe- the view from the summit is worth the ascent.

View from the top.

  The significance of the mountain is diverse as portrayed by the different faiths.  Known as Sri Pada (Sacred footprint left by Lord Buddha) by the Buddhists, Adam’s Peak (Adam first set foot on earth after being cast out of heaven) by the Christians and Muslims and Shiva Padam by the Hindus, Samanala Kanda, Samantakuta, Samanhela, Samangira, and Samanalagira (named after the God Saman or Samanata – and also because it is said to be where butterflies go to die) this summit has been the focal point for devotees of the world’s three main religions. The mythical conception woven into the history of the mountain, tells a story of a foot impression that lies on a blue sapphire under the boulder which has been put there by God Sakra to conceal it from profanity.

The entrance

Personally, to me it wasn’t the religious connotations that stirred my sweet tooth, but the call of the wilderness. Nothing like the sound of the wind in my hair, the pulse of the breathing flora or the absence of mobile phones and internet to tickle my fancy.  Looking back at the path we trod, the difficulties we conquered, the challenges that made us suffer, only to see the sun shine bright to calm our sore muscles and stifled spirits after a strenuous trek was the perfect closing line for the end of 2013.

A towering trail of mist

There is a saying among those who eye the mountain; “eka parakata wada nagina kenath modaya, eka parakwath nagge nethi ekath modaya” which roughly translates to “Fools are those who climb it more than once and those who never climb it”.  Perhaps there is a certain meaning behind this saying. Riddled with many a legend and ritual for first timers, the mountain emits a sacred allure that draws only the determined and more adventurous of souls.

a merchant surrounded by trinkets illuminated by her lamp

If you’re planning on a trek, now is the ideal time. Hiking season begins on Unduvap full moon (16 December for 2013) and goes on till Vesak Poya when the dry season prevails. Wet season trekking is a depressing and hazardous affair that involves getting soaked to the bone and being fossilizing in the icy winds but if that’s your cup of java, why not? Located in the Ratnapura district, most commonly accessed route to the peak that soars above 7000 ft is via the Hatton route, from the Nallathanniya Base.


En route you will pass the Sama Chatiya, Bhagava Cave, several ambalamas (resting places for pilgrims), small shops where the prices of the few basic items on trade will increase with every ascending mile, few basic toilet facilities and the occasional bamboo stools on which rests a tired hiker.



The climb usually starts in the night. A long line of lights illuminates the path to the summit and each little speck of light that glistened in the darkness seemed to beckon us towards the top.

Adam's Peak - courtesy National Geography Greg Elms, Getty Images

The ultimate goal of reaching the zenith is to witness the rising sun illuminate in the “ira sewaya”, an optical illusion of sorts, where the sun dips in the eastern horizon, as though paying homage to the Buddha’s Foot print before residing in its place among the gods. On cue, a unison of “Sadhu Sadhu Saa” would echo in the mountain air. Overlooking the western side of the mountain, you’d see the perfectly triangular shadow of the mountain laying over the landscape.

It is ideal for those of you who are more into an adventurous hike up a trying mountain past the greenery of the foliage, the brown of the solid mountain body as opposed to a relaxing weekend by the beach. Here in Sri Lanka, we can easily switch between the two because everything is pretty much within ear shot. Travelling at night in the pitch darkness, enveloped with the mist of the mountain chill, relying on psyche and physic to make our way to the top is only half the battle won. Descending the mountain down the S curved stairs is an entirely different story.

In the day light when we descended, we saw many bits and pieces of polythene scattered just next to the clearly labeled bins which was evidence enough for me, that not most people who climb it are as “devoted” as they seem to be. Had people thought of the ‘take only pictures; leave only footprints’ motto that is engraved in each respectful traveler, this would not be the case.  There were some aptly camouflaged dustbins that look like tree stumps so as not to spoil the surrounding backwoods.

Notice the tree stump? yeah, that's a bin.

Attempt number one

Several intriguing rituals are followed by first timers.

• Seetha gangula – A must is to bath/wash hands face using lime when passing this, aptly named, this is in definition an icy source of H2O that flows past the rocks from where we cleanse ourselves in preparation of the climb to come.

• Indikatu paana aka geththam pana – which is the entrance to the Maha Giri Dhambaya* - It is said that ancient pilgrims stuck a needle on it, the thread of which is used to guide the pilgrim’s return bit like the bread crumbs in Hansel and Gretel . Visitors continue to abide by this tradition and fasten needles plus sachets of pas panguwa packets to it.

geththam pana (and I have no idea why the picture is upside down)

Rituals en route

• ‘Wandinna yana meh nadayata sumana saman devi pihitiyai’ which translates to ‘blessings of God Saman to those who are going to worship the shrine’ – Limericks are sung by and replied to by those ascending and descending to motivate others.

• Aggala –Prepared with extra pepper to keep the chills away, this is the traditional food of the mountain.

Travelling in groups may divide the struggle and multiply the fun. The mix of devotees walking the trail was nothing short of inspirational. One would see everything from young parents carrying their newborn children to 83 year old women. We were lucky enough to sing those pleasant lyrics to a hunched old man who identified himself to be over 90, was only guided by his walking aid and a devoted soul when we ourselves conveyed back packs with basics like tit bits and water.

dents in geography as far as the eye can see

Faith is what this mountain is all about. Everyone who climbs it relies upon, discover and value during before and after conquering it. In the end, everything comes down to your mind. If your mind is strong enough, you can do things well beyond what others would say is impossible. If I would have been alone climbing for four hours at night with the least possible facilities, unkind weather, and unbearable physical exertion, I would have given up before I even began. I almost did. Because the mind will give up long before the body does. Seeing my nade or pilgrim gang gave me the strength and inspiration to carry on – if you do it together, you can lift each other up

On the way down from the mountain, our legs were shaking from the stress endured during the climb – the pain was almost unbearable, but we had to get down and there was only one way to go.

“Getting to the summit is optional, getting down is mandatory” - Ed Viesturs

It’s pretty much the same thing with life, we often reach points where we simply have no choice but to finish what we started.

P.S. Pictures are mine except for the Nat Geo one.