Adam's Peak
The Adam 's Peak [ ædəmz ˌ pi ː k] ( Sinhala: සමනළ කන්ද Samanala Kanda [ samənələ ˌ kan̪d̪ə ] " butterfly mountain", Tamil: சிவனொளிபாத மலை Civaṉoḷipāta Malai [ siʋənoɭi ˌ pa ː də ˌ malɛi̯ ] ) is a 2243 meter high mountain in the central highlands of Sri Lanka. It is located in the Ratnapura district in the province of Sabaragamuwa. The Adam 's Peak is known for the Sri Pada ( Sinhala: ශ්රී පාදය Lord Pādaya [ ˌ ɕri ː pa ː d̪əjə ], derived from the Sanskrit for " sacred foot" ), a rock formation near the summit, which selectively interpreted as a footprint of the Buddha, the God Shiva or Adam will. Because of its religious significance of Adam ' Peak is the most famous, if not the highest mountain in Sri Lanka (this is the Pidurutalagala ).
Religious significance
The mountain is a place of pilgrimage for Buddhists, Hindus, Muslims and Christians.
At the summit is an inhabited monastery, where a 1.8 -meter footprint ( " Sri Pada " ) is, who is revered by Buddhists as the footprint of the Buddha. Hindus see the footprint than the Shiva. Muslims see it as the footprint of Adam, the Christians of the Apostle Thomas.
According to Buddhist- Sinhala faith any good Buddhist should have climbed this mountain at least once in life.
The rise
The pilgrimage season begins on the December full moon and ends on the last full moon of May.
Traditionally, the mountain is climbed at night. So you can avoid the heat of the day and witness the sunrise, which is accompanied by the locals with euphoric " Sadhu, Sadhu " Call, and consider the triangular shadow of the mountain in the fog on the western side.
There are two main routes for the ascent possible:
- From the north from Dalhousie (33 km south-west of Hatton ) directly at the foot of the mountain (a few hours, approx 1000 meters ) and
- From the south from Ratnapura via Malawa - Palabadalla - Heramitipana (about one week).
The long stretches of steep steps and climbing trails existing 7 km-long northern ascent, for which one needs at a leisurely pace six hours, is lined with numerous tea rooms and during the pilgrimage season since the late 80s, electrically illuminated at night. From earlier centuries there have been reports about how pilgrims due to the exertions of the climb died of exhaustion or from not yet secured with railings path of wind gusts were blown into the abyss; even today there are regularly complain deaths.
Tourism
In Dalhousie, the Hatton from easily accessible by bus and taxi starting point of the ascent from the north, numerous pubs and shops, places to stay, souvenirs and meals are offering.
From the summit of the mountain one can enjoy a magnificent view of a bridge with a view to the " Hill Country " in the north and east and down to the lowlands to the south and west; you can see on a clear day up to Colombo (approx. 65 km).
The nearest train station is Hatton, the nearest large town is Nuwara Eliya.