Ratnapura, Sabaragamuwa – Sri Lanka
Coordinates: 6.809692, 80.499370
Adam’s Peak is a 2,243 m (7,359 ft) tall conical mountain located in central Sri Lanka.
It is well known for the Sri Pada (“sacred footprint”, a 1.8 m (5 ft 11 in) rock formation near the summit, which
In Islamic traditions is held to be the footprint of of Hz. Adam عليه اسلام ,
In Buddhist tradition is held to be the footprint of the Buddha,
In Hindu tradition that of Hanuman or Shiva
(Allah Knows best)
The Arab traveler Ibn Battuta mention his climb to the summit of the mountain which he called Sarandib in 1344 CE. In his description he mentions a stairway and iron stanchions with chains to help the pilgrims.
Legends
Muslims and Christians in Sri Lanka ascribe it to where Hz. Adam عليه اسلام, the first Ancestor, set foot as he was exiled from paradise.
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 Buddhist God Saman.
Tamil Hindus consider it as the footprint of Shiva. It is also fabled that the mountain is the legendary mount Trikuta, the capital of Ravana during the Ramayana times from where he ruled Lanka.
The Sacred Mountain and the footprint
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.
It is an important pilgrimage site. 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 peak pilgrimage 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.
Do not try this route with infants. Some people does that and it’s vevy dangerous.
There are places at some points that if you slip and fall you will fall infintely. That is why you should not attemp the hike OFF Season.
