Sri Pada ( Adam’s Peak )

 

Sri Pada or Adam’s Peak is an ancient pilgrimage site, which has long attracted thousands of pilgrims from all faiths. This conical mountain is 7,360 feet (2,250 meters )high, soaring clear above the surrounding mountain ranges. The mountain is located in the southern reaches of the Central Highlands in the Ratnapura District and Nuwara Eliya district of the Sabaragamuwa Province and Central Province —lying about 40 km northeast of the city of Ratnapura and 32 km southwest of the city of Hatton. The surrounding region is largely forested hills, with no mountain of comparable size nearby.

The region along the mountain is a wildlife reserve, housing many species varying from elephants to leopards, and including many endemic species. The region of Peak Wilderness Sanctuary that encompass the Sri Pada together with Horton Plains National Park and Knuckles Range, all in the Central Highlands of Sri Lanka is recognized as a World Heritage Site in the year 2011. 

Sri Pada is derived from Sanskrit, used by the Sinhalese people in a religious context; roughly translated as “the sacred foot”, It refers to the footprint-shaped mark at the summit, which is believed by Buddhists to be that of the Buddha. Christian and Islamic traditions assert that it is the footprint of Adam, left when first setting foot on Earth after having been cast out of paradise, giving it the name “Adam’s Peak”. The legends of Adam are connected to the idea that Sri Lanka was the original Eden, and in the Muslim tradition that Adam was 30 ft tall. Hindu tradition refers to the footprint as that of the Hindu deity Shiva, and thus names the mountain Shiva padam (Shiva’s foot) in Tamil. 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. Another Sinhala name for the mountain is Samanalakanda, which refers either to the deity Saman, who is said to live upon and protect the mountain (a shrine dedicated to the deity can be found near the footprint), or to the butterflies (samanalayā) that frequent the mountain during their annual migrations to the region.

The summit of the mountain is a small plateau, and according to measurements it is 74 ft. in length and 24 ft. in breadth. On the top of the Peak broad steps lead up to a walled enclosure containing the rock over which is a tower-like structure. The real footprint on Adam’s Peak is believed to be set in jewels beneath the visible rock. The soles of the Buddha’s feet are said to be flat with all the toes of equal length. On each sole there are one hundred and eight auspicious marks (mangala­lakkhana), with the wheel (chakra) the principal mark at the centre while around it are grouped figures of animals, inhabitants of various worlds and other kinds of symbols. Access to the Adam’s Peak is possible by 6 trails: Hatton-Nallathanni; Ratnapura-Palabaddala; Kuruwita-Erathna; Murraywatte; Mookuwatte; Malimboda; the most popular routes are the Hatton-Nallathanni&Ratnapura-Palabaddala due to the picturesque views and postcard worthy scenery that can be encountered along them. Once a final node is reached (Nallanthanni or Palabaddala or Erathna), there begins the difficult journey through the jungle on foot.

 

Most of the pilgrims use the Hatton route as the journey can be reduced by more than five kilometers even though the slope of this route is much steeper than the others. The greater part of the track leading from the base to the summit consists of thousands of steps built in cement or rough stones. The trails are illuminated with electric light, making night-time ascent possible and safe to do even when accompanied by children. Rest stops and wayside shops along the trails serve refreshments and supplies. On the way up, after a few minutes climb the SamaChatiya, the World Peace Pagoda, can be found.This stupa was built by the famous Japanese Buddhist monk VenNichi Fuji in 1976 and stands out dramatically with the amazing backdrop of Adam’s Peak during the daytime.

The pilgrims’ season to Sri Pada traditionally starts on the full moon of December and ends on the full moon of April, with the crowd increasing during the latter half of the season. During other months it is hard to climb the mountain due to very heavy rain, extreme wind, and thick mist. Most people make the climb by night to reach the mountain top to watch the sun rise over the sea; the sun almost leaps over the eastern horizon drawing a perfect triangle of a shadow of the mountain spreading over the western backdrop of the mountain. As the sun keeps on rising, the shadow shifts towards the base of the mountain until it completely disappears, a grand finale to a breathtaking natural spectacle. Sri Pada is one of the rare places that people of four major religions in the world worship. Devotees of many religions climb the mountain daily to invoke blessings while trekkers enjoy an exhilarating hike through the different access routes to the summit.

Sigiriya the Eighth Wonder of the world

 

Sigiriya is one of the most valuable historical monuments of Sri Lanka. Referred by locals as the Eighth Wonder of the World, this ancient palace and fortress complex has significant archaeological importance and attracts thousands of tourists annually. It is probably the most visited tourist destination in Sri Lanka.

 

The palace is located in the heart of the island between Dambulla and Habarane on a massive rocky plateau 370 meters above sea level. Entrance to Sigiria can only be purchased at the site!

 

Sigiriya rock plateau, formed from the magma of an extinct volcano, is 200 meters higher than the surrounding jungles. Its view astonishes the visitors with the unique harmony between nature and human imagination.

 The fortress complex includes remnants of a ruined palace, surrounded by an extensive network of fortifications, vast gardens, ponds, canals, alleys, and fountains.

 The surrounding territories of Sigiriya were inhibited for several thousand years. Since the 3rd century BC, the rocky plateau of Sigiriya has served as a monastery. In the second half of the 5th-century king, Kasyapa constructed a royal residence here.

 After his death, Sigiriya again became a Buddhist monastery until the 14th century, when it was abandoned.

 The main entrance is located on the northern side of the rock. It was designed as a huge stone lion whose feet have survived until today, but the upper parts of the body were destroyed.

 Thanks to this lion, the palace was named Sigiriya. The term Sigiriya originates from the word Sihagri, i.e., Lion Rock.

 The western wall of Sigiriya was almost entirely covered by frescoes created during the reign of Kasyapa. Eighteen frescoes have survived to this day.

 The frescoes depict nude females and are considered to be either portraits of Kadapa’s wives and concubines or priestesses performing religious rituals. Despite the unknown identity of the females depicted in the frescoes, these unique ancient paintings celebrate female beauty and have incredible historical significance.

 One of the most striking features of Sigiriya is its Mirror wall. In the old days, it was polished so thoroughly that the king could see his reflection. The Mirror wall is painted with inscriptions and poems written by the visitors of Sigiriya.

 The most ancient inscriptions are dated from the 8th century. These inscriptions prove that Sigiriya was a tourist destination over a thousand years ago. Today, painting on the wall is strictly prohibited.

Nine Arch Bridge

In 1893 and in 1894, the construction of the railways to Haputale and Bandarawela came to a point where it was necessary to build a bridge with a bend. It is the location of the 100 feet high and 400 feet long Gotuvala Nine Arches Viaduct which was built in 1919. This is quite famous among Sri Lankans as it is a creation of a bass known as 'Appuhami' who lived in Demodara area.

The work on the railway from Bandarawela to Badulla started long after the initial construction of the Colombo-Badulla railway line, i.e. the departmental level construction work started in 1913. Accordingly, five years later, on the first day of July 1918, the road was opened for traffic up to Ella. The 39th basement of this railway, which was built through a very famous and suitable environment for vegetable cultivation, was excavated at the 161st mile. The distance of this plot is 660 feet. Similarly, on March 21, 1921, the road from Ella to Demodara was also opened for traffic. One important place mentioned in this special note that we are placing is also located in this section. That is, there is the "Arukku Navaye" or "Aas Navaye" bridge, which is called Demodara Bridge. By this time, due to the First World War, importing iron from England to Sri Lanka had become an extremely difficult task. Due to this, the construction of bridges was a very problematic task in the construction of roads in this country and other alternative methods had to be found for it. During this period, it was problematic for the whites to build railway bridges without iron, but it was not a big problem for some of our Sinhalese artisans. It is not for any other reason but because our ancient Sinhalese bass known as "Galveda" has died out. When speaking like that, we hear the name of a noble person who lived in Welimada at that time. His name is P. K. Unbelievable There is also a legend that the work of this nine-arched bridge was completed by Appuhami Basunnehe. However, one hears about an extraordinary task done by Galveda Dutt Appuhami Unnehe.

In other words, the whites who removed the embankment around a mountain that looked like an embankment between the railway tracks saw a huge rock. Appuhami Bass was asked about this by the white engineers who were thinking that it would take a long time to demolish it little by little according to their technology available at that time and he was walking nearby watching the construction of the road and he said that it can be removed in a few days. Taking responsibility for it, he carefully removed the mounds of earth under the stone and dug three basements under the stone from a distance of a few meters from the stone so that they meet at one point on three sides (in the middle of the stone).

       

An Appuhami Bass shot string filled with gunpowder was pulled out in the middle of it, closing all the three tunnels and then setting fire to the shot string, the stone broke and the roadblock was removed. When asked by the white man what is this countermeasure, he replied that the value of Buddhism is the power of our religion. The white man, who was deceived or impressed by it, has since promised to give two salt serums to a nearby temple every week. Because of this, our Sinhalese also have the honor of constructing this wonderful bridge built in Gotuwala, a beautiful village square near Allademodara. This bridge is built with 09 arches, connecting two small hills located on both sides of the flowing river at 169 miles Damvel 40 station, without using concrete or iron rods and holding together the stones cut in a certain pattern. The height of the pillars of the bridge is 97 feet. Pillars and arches are built using blocks of black stone measuring 2 feet, 8 inches, 3 inches and 1 foot, 8 inches, 3 inches. The width of one arch is 24 feet 6 inches. This beautiful, interesting and wonderful design is even more important because of the location of the 132-yard-long basement called number 40 near the bridge. And even if this bridge was built, the white engineers were a bit afraid to run a train through it.

Because of this, our Appuhami Baz, who challenged it, said that he should drive the train without any fear and that he will sit under the bridge until the train arrives.