Adam's Peak

Overview

Adam's Peak is a 2,243-metre mountain in south-western Sri Lanka, known in Sinhala as Sri Pada, the sacred footprint. A footprint-shaped hollow at its summit draws pilgrims from Buddhism, Hinduism, Islam, and Christianity. During the annual pilgrimage season, pilgrims climb through the night to reach the summit at sunrise.

Present

The administering monastery is the Sri Pada Raja Maha Viharaya at Galpoththawa, Ratnapura district. Adam's Peak draws Buddhist, Hindu, Muslim and Christian pilgrims to the footprint shrine at its summit. The pilgrimage follows an annual season, which opens on the full moon of December and closes on the full moon of Vesak in May, the Buddhist festival marking the Buddha's birth, enlightenment, and death. During these months the stairways are lit at night, and pilgrims climb through the darkness to reach the summit for sunrise. Processions carry ritual objects up the mountain to open each season and bring them down again at its close. Outside the season the summit shrine is closed. The summit shrine and its rituals are in the care of Buddhist monks.

Religious Significance

Buddhism (from antiquity) Buddhist tradition holds that the Buddha, the founder of Buddhism, left his footprint on the summit during a visit to the island. Saman, a deity whom Buddhists regard as the guardian of the mountain, is honoured in shrines along the pilgrim routes and at the top. Most pilgrims today are Buddhists, and the climb itself is performed as an act of devotion.

Hinduism (from the first millennium CE) Hindu tradition holds that the mark is the footprint of Shiva, one of the principal deities of Hinduism, and Hindus regard the mountain as the place of Shiva's footprint.

Islam (from around the 10th century CE) Islamic tradition holds that the footprint was left by Adam, whom Muslims regard as the first human being and the first prophet, when he descended to earth from paradise. The mountain's English name comes from this account.

Christianity (from the 16th century CE) Some Christians venerate the mark as Adam's footprint, and a Christian tradition attributes it to St. Thomas, the apostle who according to Christian tradition brought Christianity to South Asia.

History & Structure

Adam's Peak is located at the south-western edge of Sri Lanka's central highlands, a conical peak rising above the forest of the Peak Wilderness. King Vijayabahu I, who ruled Sri Lanka from 1058 to 1114 CE, established rest places for pilgrims on the routes to the summit, and later kings made the climb and endowed the shrine. The summit is a small terrace with a shrine building covering the footprint hollow. Stairways ascend the upper slopes from several directions; the most used route climbs several thousand steps from the tea country to the north-east. A bell at the summit is rung by pilgrims, one strike for each ascent they have completed.

Additional Resources

• Official website: Gauthama Sri Pada
• Book: The Sacred Footprint: A Cultural History of Adam's Peak by Markus Aksland (2001)