A sacred 2,243 m conical mountain crowned by a rock 'footprint', climbed by night by pilgrims of four faiths for a famous dawn.

Overview

Adam's Peak, known in Sinhala as Sri Pada ('sacred footprint'), is one of Sri Lanka's most revered pilgrimage sites, a striking conical summit rising to 2,243 m on the southern edge of the central highlands. Near the top a rock formation resembling a giant footprint is venerated by Buddhists as the footprint of the Buddha, and also honoured by Hindus, Muslims and Christians. Pilgrims and trekkers climb through the night to reach the summit for sunrise, when the peak casts a perfect triangular shadow across the plains. The classic Ratnapura-side ascent begins at Palabaddala and is longer and steeper than the popular Hatton route.

History

The mountain has drawn pilgrims for well over a thousand years and is mentioned by medieval travellers including Ibn Battuta and Marco Polo. Sinhalese kings maintained the pilgrimage routes and made grants for the upkeep of the sacred footprint, and the god Saman, enshrined at Ratnapura's Maha Saman Devalaya, is regarded as the guardian deity of the peak. The surrounding Peak Wilderness is a protected sanctuary.