The Holy peak Sri Padaya
Sri Padaya / Adam’s peak has been wonderful and elegant for the whole world because of the importance of many religions. There are 04 religions that claim this sacred place for their religious importance. Among all religions, Buddhists claim this holy place for having their religious leader’s footprint known as Sri Papaya.
How to get there.
There are six main ways to get to Sri Paadaya. Most tourists and devotees use the main two trails to get to Adam’s peak. The first one is the Rathnapura trails. You have to hike about 20km on the ground if you expect to have a nature-mixed journey. All the way to Sri Padaya alias Adam’s peak is well maintained to ease your journey. Though this is one of the most tiresome journeys, people select this trail because of the entertainment and the views they can see on the way.
There are lots of sacredly important places you can see on these trails as well. The second trail falls on Hatton. You will have to get to Hatton from Colombo first. This way has been an important one for the tourists because of the less distance to walk on foot. You will have to go past tea estates to reach Adam’s peak. There are more four routes to reach Sri Padaya along the Battulu Oya. They are the Battulu Oya-Paradise-Dehenakanda trail, and the Battle Oya-Adam’s peak base-Dehenakanda trail (waterfall trail). However, all those routes can meet up with the main 02 trails.
Location of Sri padaya / Adam’s Peak
Adam’s peak belongs to the Rathnapura district. But the mount range spreads out for few districts. It belongs to Sabaragamuwa province. Adam’s peak is situated in one of the highly elevated mountains. Its elevation 2243m from the sea level. It can be seen from Colombo on a sunny day as well. Because of the elevation, you will feel a cold environment when hiking and the heavy breeze is cool enough to take your tiredness.
How the name derived
Often used Sri Paadaya is a Sanskrit word used by Buddhists to call Adam’s peak. This place is visited by lots of devotees in different religions. Buddhists call this name because they believe there is the footprint of Lord Buddha. Christians believe that there is the footprint of Adam who set his footprint after he was cast out of paradise. Christians worship this place believing it’s the footprint of Adam. That’s the reason why they call this peak, Adam’s peak. Tamils believe that there is the footprint of Lord Shiva.
History of Sri Padaya / Adam’s peak
Sri Pada or Samanala mountain is one of the most sacred places for Buddhists among all other places in the world. The Holy peak is not only famous among Buddhists but also devotees from other religions. According to Buddhist history, that this place was visited by Lord Buddha, and this place was used to print his foot. The residents of this area believe this place is ruling by God Saman, a god who is believed to have lived in Sri Lanka. Lord Buddha has left his footprint on a rock to remember his visit to Sri Lanka. Adam’s peak is also known as its first name “Samanthakuta”. There are lots of legends and folks related to this sacred place.
What history reveals
Mahawamsa, one of the oldest books about Sri Lankan history, says that Lord Buddha’s footprint was printed on the top of the Samanthakuta. The chronicle Rajavaliya states that Adam’s peak has an older history than the history we know. It is said that King Valagamba had retreated to this area because of the invasions that occurred during his ruling time in 1st century AC. Mahawamsa again states that King Wijayabahau the Great made a visit to Adam’s peak in the 12th century.
There are some historical pieces of evidence saying that Adam’s peak was visited by the Chinese Buddhist traveler Fa Hien. But it cannot be clearly identified that if he visited the Peak of the mountain. There are also some reports regarding the famous traveler Marco Polo saying he made visits to this holy peak. But, it is not mentioning anything related to the footprint on the rock. The residents of this area believe this place is owned by God Saman, a god who is believed to have lived in Sri Lanka.
John Davy is the most important person who has declared a lot of information about the Footprint of Lord Buddha in a very recent ancient history. He says that there is an oversized footprint of a human on the rock and it is covered by brass and studded with gems. There are some folks saying this peak was staying hidden for a long time and discovered by King Nishshankmalla.in his ruling time. Most importantly, it is believed this place is protected by God Saman even at present. Some rumors say there is a white baby elephant in the forest area. Legends say that it is a belonging of God Saman.
Natural Resources
Adam’s peak alias Sri padaya is one of the most valuable places for biodiversity. It is in the hilly part of the country where we can see one of the highest elevations in the country. The hill’s name where Adam’s peak is located is named as Samanala Kanda. There are lots of facts related to the name of this mountain. Samanala means butterflies in the native language. Natives believe that butterflies visit Sri Paadaya, known as Adam’s peak once a year. Samanala Mountain is one of the dense areas of all islands. There are endemic plants, herbs, shrubs, and creepers that only can be seen in this region. Adam’s peak can only be vested for six months per year because of nature’s activities.
Wild elephants are crowded in the area in the offseason from June to December. Paths are shaded by plants and animals. However, tourists visit this place in the offseason to have nice captures of the wild animals. According to legends, some people belives there has been a cemetery for wild elephants in the past. Elephants had come to that cemetery when they were ready to die. In addition, there are leopards, deer, goats, and wild boars that make their habitat in this holy region. If you pay a visit during the offseason, you will be able to see all those wild creatures along with the water streams. Within the area of peak wildness sanctuary, you can see lots of waterfalls as well. There are Over fifty waterfalls and you will be able to see the beginning points of the Mahaweli, Kelani, Kalu, rivers that flow all across the country.
Occult Incidents in Sri Paada
Sri Pada site is the place where most of the experiences have been reported and the largest number of people have had such experiences. The Sri Pada site includes not only the Sri Pada mountain but also a very large area. These incidents have been reported on Ratnapura Hatton and Kuruvita roads, which are the three most popular roads out of the total 8 roads to Sri Pada. Here, some of the pilgrims who are traveling alone have met a very peaceful old person and they have said that their injuries and pains that happened at that time were relieved. It is said that after meeting this person, he disappears very quickly. Some Mahutharayak people claim that the Lord Saman, who is in charge of the Sri Pada site, appears like this.
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