On a crisp night in the mountain forests of Sabaragamuwa, look northeast from the valleys of Nallathanniya or Palabaddala and you will see a ribbon of golden light ascending almost vertically from the forest floor into the clouds. That luminous thread is formed by thousands of electric lamps lighting more than 5,500 steep stone steps up the cone of Sri Pada to an elevation of 2,243 meters. Along that stairway, tens of thousands of pilgrims dressed in white and wrapped in shawls climb step by step through the darkness, exchanging traditional four-line blessings with those descending, all striving to reach the crest before daybreak when the rising sun projects the mountain's triangular shadow across the western sea of mist.
At the very apex of the narrow granite summit, within an enclosure barely twenty meters across, lies a natural rock indentation shaped like a giant human footprint measuring 1.8 meters (5 feet 11 inches) in length. Few mountains on earth unite four major religious traditions in peaceful veneration as this peak does: Buddhists revere it as Sri Pada (the Sacred Footprint left by the left foot of Gautama Buddha), Tamil Hindus honor it as Sivanolipatha Malai (the Mountain of the Light of Shiva's Foot), and Muslims and Christians have known it since the Middle Ages as Adam's Peak (where Adam first set foot upon the earth after his expulsion from Eden).
IThe Sacred Footprint of the Buddha, Guardian Deity Sumana Saman, and four faiths on one summit
The mountain's principal name in Sinhala and Pali is Sri Pada (from Sanskrit Śrī Pāda, the Auspicious or Sacred Foot). In Sinhala it is also affectionately called Samanalakanda (Pali Samantakuta), a name carrying a dual meaning: the Mountain of the Guardian Deity Sumana Saman, and the Butterfly Mountain, because every year at the approach of the pilgrimage season millions of white and yellow butterflies migrate from across the island's forests toward this peak, which local lore describes as butterflies flying to pay homage to the Sacred Footprint. In classical Sanskrit texts and the Mahayana Lankavatara Sutra, the peak is also recorded as Malayagiri, Ratnagiri (Mountain of Gems), and Rohana.
According to the 5th-century Pali chronicle Mahavamsa (chapter 1, verse 77) and the Dipavamsa, in the eighth year after his enlightenment Gautama Buddha made his third and final visit to Sri Lanka at Kelaniya at the invitation of the Naga king Maniakkhi. Before departing the island, at the request of Maha Sumana Saman, the tutelary deity of the central mountain wilderness (who had attained the first stage of awakening, Sotapanna, upon hearing the Buddha preach at Mahiyangana during his first visit), the Buddha pressed the sole of his left foot into the summit rock of Samantakuta as a seal of spiritual protection over the island. Consequently, directly beside the pavilion sheltering the footprint on the summit stands the shrine of Sumana Saman, the white-elephant-mounted guardian deity of Sabaragamuwa.
For more than a thousand years, geographers, chroniclers, and travelers have recorded the multi-faith devotion converging upon this 1.8-meter rock hollow. For Sri Lankan Tamil Hindus, the mountain is Sivanolipatha Malai (சிவனொளிபாதமலை), where Lord Shiva left his luminous footprint while performing his cosmic dance of creation. For Arab navigators and Muslim pilgrims since the 9th century (including Sulaiman al-Tajir in 851 CE and Ibn Battuta in 1344 CE), Sri Lanka was known as Sarandib and the peak as Jabal al-Rahun: Islamic tradition relates that when Adam was cast down from Paradise, he alighted on this highest peak of Sarandib and stood upon one foot in repentance before reuniting with Eve at Mount Arafat near Makkah. From the 16th century onward, Portuguese and local Christian accounts also linked the footprint to Saint Thomas the Apostle during his mission to the East.
Two points often surprise first-time visitors to Sri Pada. First, because the mountain rises as an isolated, sharply pointed cone high above the surrounding southern hills, early European mariners long assumed it to be the highest mountain in Sri Lanka. In fact, at 2,243 meters, Sri Pada is the island's fifth-highest peak (the highest being Pidurutalagala at 2,524 meters in Nuwara Eliya), though its sheer vertical drop toward the southern plains gives it the most commanding profile on the island. Second, during the pilgrimage season worshippers do not touch the bare natural stone of the 1.8-meter depression directly, because the original rock hollow is covered and protected by a fitted stone-and-metal replica frame beneath the summit canopy to prevent erosion from millions of touching hands and foreheads.
IIRoyal pilgrimages, medieval travelers, and the ancient iron chains
From the Anuradhapura and Polonnaruwa eras onward, ascending Samantakuta through trackless mountain jungle to bow before the Sacred Footprint was regarded as a supreme act of merit by monarchs and commoners alike. Long before modern stone and concrete steps were laid, ancient pilgrims had to cross elephant- and leopard-inhabited rainforests and haul themselves up the sheer final cliff face of Mahagiridamba by gripping hand-forged iron chains anchored into the living rock.
- 1st century BCERefuge of King Valagamba in the Samantakuta wildernessAccording to the Rajavaliya chronicle, King Valagamba found sanctuary in the forests around Sri Pada under the protection of the deity Saman before reclaiming his throne at Anuradhapura.
- 4th to 5th century CEAccounts in the Dipavamsa, Mahavamsa, and Faxian's travelsSri Lanka's earliest Pali chronicles record the Buddha imprinting his footprint atop Samantakuta. During his stay at Anuradhapura in 411 to 412 CE, the Chinese pilgrim monk Faxian (Fa Hien) likewise documents the sacred footprint on the mountain.
- 1055 to 1110 CEKing Vijayabahu I's Ambagamuwa rock inscription and rest housesKing Vijayabahu I of Polonnaruwa ascends the peak to worship the footprint and carves the Ambagamuwa rock inscription, recording his endowment of wayside rest houses (Ambalamas) and free food provisions for pilgrims along the highland trails.
- 1153 to 1196 CERoyal ascents of King Parakramabahu I and King Nissanka MallaKing Parakramabahu I climbs the peak and builds a pavilion over the footprint. Shortly afterward, King Nissanka Malla (reigned 1187 to 1196) ascends Sri Pada and carves his bas-relief portrait and Sinhala inscription inside the Bhagava Lena cave just below the summit.
- 1298 and 1344 CEChronicles of Marco Polo and Ibn Battuta on the iron chainsVenetian traveler Marco Polo (1298) and Moroccan scholar Ibn Battuta (1344) describe the international pilgrimage to the mountain. Climbing via the Ratnapura trail in 1344, Ibn Battuta details the ten ancient iron chains fixed to iron stanchions on the final cliff.
- 13th to 18th centuryPatronage of the Dambadeniya, Kotte, and Kandyan monarchsKings Parakramabahu II, Vikramabahu III, Vimaladharmasuriya I, and Kirti Sri Rajasinha successively repair the stone steps, dedicate silver oil lamps, and confirm monastic custodianship of the summit shrine.
- 1950Electrification of the mountain stairwayHydroelectric power from the nearby Laxapana station is connected along the entire length of the stone stairway from the valley base to the summit, illuminating the night-time climb for ratusan of thousands of pilgrims.
- 2010UNESCO World Heritage inscriptionThe Peak Wilderness Sanctuary surrounding Sri Pada (together with Horton Plains and the Knuckles Conservation Forest) is inscribed by UNESCO as the Central Highlands of Sri Lanka World Heritage Site under criteria (ix) and (x) (reference 1203).
The most vivid epigraphic witness to medieval royal pilgrimages survives inside the Bhagava Lena cave (also called Divaguha, revered as the rock shelter where the Buddha rested by day on Samantakuta), located roughly one hundred meters below the summit crest. Carved directly into the rock wall of this cave is a late 12th-century low-relief figure of King Nissanka Malla standing with palms joined in veneration toward the summit, accompanied by a Sinhala rock inscription recording his personal ascent and royal offerings. Higher up on the precipitous rock face of Mahagiridamba, links of the ancient hand-wrought iron chains (which medieval Muslim and European travelers associated in legend with Alexander the Great) still remain fixed beside the modern steel handrails.
IIIThe summit platform, the pilgrim bell, and the six historic mountain trails
Unlike the monumental stupa complexes of the lowland plains, the architecture of Sri Pada is compact and anchored directly into the windswept granite pinnacle. At an altitude of 2,243 meters, the summit consists of a small oval stone-paved courtyard enclosed by a windbreak wall known as the Uda Maluwa (Upper Terrace). Rising some 2.5 meters from the center of this court is the natural summit boulder bearing the 1.8-meter footprint indentation (Padma Lanchana), sheltered beneath a four-pillared, brass-sheathed canopy pavilion (Mandapa) anchored to the cliff with heavy steel cables against highland gales.
Pilgrims approach this summit cone along six traditional mountain trails: the shortest and most heavily traveled is the Hatton via Nallathanniya trail (roughly 7 kilometers with 5,200 to 5,500 stone and concrete steps), the oldest historical royal route is the Ratnapura via Palabaddala trail (the Raja Mawatha or King's Way, roughly 11 kilometers with over 9,000 steps), alongside four longer forest trails via Kuruwita and Erathna, Murraywatte, Mookuwatte, and Malimboda.
The small gilded and timber canopy pavilion crowning the central summit boulder of the Uda Maluwa terrace, sheltering the 1.8-meter footprint hollow where pilgrims file past to touch their foreheads in devotion.
A compact shrine set immediately east and one level below the footprint boulder, housing the silver and sandalwood images of Maha Sumana Saman and his white elephant mount brought up in procession at the start of each pilgrimage season.
A tiered brass oil lamp standing in the open summit court beside the shrine, fueled continuously with coconut oil by pilgrims who pour oil into its reservoir and dab a drop of warm oil onto their foreheads for blessing.
A large bronze bell suspended in a stone frame on the Uda Maluwa terrace. By ancient custom, each pilgrim reaching the summit rings the bell a number of times exactly equal to the total number of times they have climbed Sri Pada in their life.
Idikatupana is a wayside halt partway up the mountain where pilgrims stick needles and unwind white cotton thread on a post in memory of the Buddha pausing to mend his robe, just below the nearly vertical stone steps and ancient iron chains of Mahagiridamba.
Along the lower Nallathanniya ascent, pilgrims cross the icy mountain waters of Seetha Gangula (where devotees wash and tie white cloth bands around their heads) and pass the 25-meter white Peace Pagoda built by the Nipponzan Myohoji order in 1978.
The natural spectacle that draws tens of thousands of climbers through sub-10-degree-Celsius night winds to reach the crest before dawn is the Ira Sevaya (the ceremonial salutation to the rising sun) and the Shadow of the Peak. At the exact moment the sun clears the eastern horizon, the 2,243-meter conical peak blocks the low rays and casts a giant, razor-sharp equilateral triangle of shadow westward across the white carpet of valley clouds. As traditional Hevisi drums beat on the summit terrace, that dark pyramid hovers in mid-air over the western hills before gradually shrinking to the base of the mountain as the sun climbs higher.
IVThe lie of the land and the facing
The Buddhist, Hindu, Muslim, and Christian traditions that converge at Sri Pada revere the peak as a cosmic axis (axis mundi) linking heaven and earth within their respective sacred geographies rather than applying East Asian feng shui. Examined comparatively through the lens of traditional Vietnamese landform analysis and satellite hydrography, however, Sri Pada stands out as a textbook ancestral mountain (Thái Tổ Sơn) generating the primary water veins of an entire island.
In terms of ancestral mountain form and five-element peak shapes, the summit of Sri Pada stands at 6.8094 degrees North, 80.4997 degrees East on the abrupt southern escarpment of the Central Highlands. Among the five classical mountain shapes (round Metal, upright Wood, undulating Water, pointed Fire, and flat-topped Earth), Sri Pada rises as a symmetrical cone combining the soaring verticality of a Wood-element peak (associated with vitality and spiritual lineage) with the sharp apex of a Fire-element peak (associated with illumination and radiance). Rising more than 2,000 vertical meters directly above the southern Ratnapura valley with no intervening hills to block its view toward the Indian Ocean, the peak commands a vast southern bright hall (minh đường) stretching to the sea.
In terms of water dragon veins (thủy long mạch), the most extraordinary geographical feature of the Sri Pada massif is that its cloud forests serve as the watershed birthplace of four of Sri Lanka's major rivers flowing out toward the four quarters: the Mahaweli Ganga (the island's longest river, flowing north and northeast past Kandy to the Bay of Bengal at Trincomalee), the Kelani Ganga (flowing west to the sea at Colombo), the Kalu Ganga (flowing southwest through Ratnapura to the sea at Kalutara), and the Walawe Ganga (flowing southeast to the sea at Ambalantota). In traditional landform theory, a single central mountain giving birth to four great rivers that nourish all four directions represents the rare formation of Four Waters Dividing from One Ancestral Node. At its southern foot lies the valley of Ratnapura (the City of Gems), where alluvial streams washing down from Sri Pada have deposited rubies, blue sapphires, and cat's-eye chrysoberyls for millennia.
VThe six-month pilgrimage season and traditional mountain customs
Unlike lowland temples open evenly throughout the year, the ritual year of Sri Pada is divided into two distinct halves governed by the Sri Lankan Buddhist lunisolar calendar and the monsoon cycle: Uduvihara (the six-month Pilgrimage Season running from the Unduvap full moon in December to the Vesak full moon in May) and Avara (the six-month Off-Season from June to November, when heavy southwest monsoon rains, thick mist, and gale-force winds sweep the mountain, the stairway lights are switched off, and the sacred images of Sumana Saman reside at the valley temple in Pelmadulla).
Throughout the six-month climbing season, pilgrims observe a gentle code of mountain speech and etiquette: a first-time climber is respectfully called a Kodu (or Kirikodu for a child) and wears a white cloth tied around the forehead after bathing at the Seetha Gangula stream. On the narrow stone steps, ascending and descending climbers greet and encourage one another with traditional Sinhala verses: Vandanawe Yemu (Let us go on pilgrimage together), Karunawai (Compassion and goodwill as we give way), and Samanala Kande Karunawai (May the compassionate blessing of Samanala Mountain guard your steps).
| Time of year | Calendar system | Rite or observance | Rituals and traditional customs |
|---|---|---|---|
| Unduvap Full Moon (December) | Sri Lankan Buddhist calendar | Procession of Deity Saman and Opening of the Season (Sri Pada Vandanawa) | Inaugurates the pilgrimage season: the silver statue and regalia of guardian deity Sumana Saman are carried in grand procession from Galpottawala Vihara in Pelmadulla (Ratnapura) up the mountain to the summit shrine, and the 5,500 stairway lights are illuminated. |
| Months of Duruthu to Bak (January to April) | Dry season in the southwestern highlands | Peak nocturnal climbs and the dawn Ira Sevaya | Hundreds of thousands of Buddhist, Hindu, Muslim, and Christian pilgrims begin climbing around midnight to reach the summit before 6:00 a.m., witness the sunrise and triangular mountain shadow, and ring the summit bell. |
| Medin and Bak Full Moons (March and April) | Buddhist calendar and Sinhala and Tamil New Year | New Year family pilgrimages | The busiest weeks of the season when multi-generational families climb together, wind white cotton thread at the Idikatupana needle post, and pour coconut oil into the eternal Dolosmahe Pahana lamp. |
| Vesak Full Moon (May) | Sri Lankan Buddhist calendar | Vesak Poya and Closing of the Mountain | Marks the Buddha's birth, enlightenment, and parinirvana. Immediately following the May full moon, as the southwest monsoon rains arrive, the statue of Deity Saman is carried back down to Pelmadulla for the six-month rains retreat. |
| Daily during the season (dawn, midday, and dusk) | Summit sanctuary liturgy | Bathing of the Sacred Footprint and offerings (Buddha and Deva Puja) | Resident monks and Saman Devale officiants wash the footprint shrine with fragrant herbal water and offer lotus blossoms and cooked food accompanied by Hevisi drumming atop the cloud-wrapped peak. |
For Vietnamese pilgrims visiting Sri Lanka, climbing the 5,500 stone steps of Sri Pada through the night is an unforgettable test of endurance and mindfulness. Hearing elderly barefoot Sinhalese pilgrims in the freezing mountain air smile and call out Sadhu, Sadhu, Karunawai to yield the handrail and encourage foreign travelers reveals the living warmth and compassion of the island's pilgrimage tradition.
VILocation And How To Get There
- Address
- Khu bảo tồn hoang dã Peak Wilderness, giáp ranh huyện Ratnapura (tỉnh Sabaragamuwa) và huyện Nuwara Eliya (tỉnh Trung Bộ), Sri Lanka
- Getting there
- The most popular and accessible trailhead is the village of Nallathanniya (Dalhousie), located about 32 kilometers southwest of Hatton town. From Colombo or Kandy, visitors can take the scenic highland railway to Hatton station and then board a local bus or three-wheeled tuk-tuk for a one-hour drive through the tea estates of the Maskeliya valley to the foot of the steps at Nallathanniya.
- Coordinates
- 6.8094, 80.4997
Climbing the 5,500 steps from Nallathanniya to the summit of Sri Pada and descending takes an average of 6 to 9 hours depending on pace, and pre-dawn temperatures at the 2,243-meter crest frequently drop to between 5 and 10 degrees Celsius with strong winds. Visitors should wear warm windproof layers, gloves, a wool cap, and cushioned walking shoes for the stone steps. Upon stepping through the upper gate onto the Uda Maluwa summit platform, all shoes, socks, and hats must be removed and modest attire worn. Along the trail, visitors should carry out all plastic waste to protect the wilderness reserve, speak respectfully on the mountain, and ring the bronze summit bell only the exact number of times they have completed the climb.
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?Quick Questions
Why is Sri Pada (Adam's Peak) venerated by four different world religions?
Crowning the 2,243-meter granite summit is a natural 1.8-meter rock hollow shaped like a human footprint. Buddhists revere it as the left footprint impressed by Gautama Buddha during his third visit to Sri Lanka (as recorded in the Mahavamsa chronicle). Hindus honor it as the footprint of Lord Shiva left during his cosmic dance (calling the peak Sivanolipatha Malai). Muslims and Christians since medieval times have identified it as the spot where Adam first stood on Earth after leaving the Garden of Eden (or as the footprint of Saint Thomas the Apostle).
When does the annual Sri Pada pilgrimage season take place?
The official six-month pilgrimage season (Uduvihara) begins each year on the full moon Poya day of Unduvap (December) and concludes on the full moon day of Vesak (May). These months correspond to the dry season on the southwestern highland slopes, when skies are clearest at dawn and the entire 5,500-step stairway is illuminated throughout the night. From June to November, heavy southwest monsoon rains and gales sweep the mountain and the trail lights are turned off.
How many trails lead to the summit of Sri Pada and which route is most commonly used?
Six historic trails ascend Sri Pada: Hatton via Nallathanniya, Ratnapura via Palabaddala, Kuruwita via Erathna, Murraywatte, Mookuwatte, and Malimboda. Most pilgrims and visitors choose the Nallathanniya (Dalhousie) route on the Hatton side because it is the shortest climb (roughly 7 kilometers with about 5,500 steps) and has the best-developed rest stops and electric lighting, whereas the longer 11-kilometer Ratnapura via Palabaddala route is the ancient royal path.
Who is the deity Sumana Saman worshipped beside the footprint on the summit?
Maha Sumana Saman is one of the four guardian deities of Sri Lanka and the tutelary lord of the central mountain wilderness of Sabaragamuwa. According to Buddhist chronicles, upon hearing the Buddha preach during his first visit to the island at Mahiyangana, Sumana Saman attained the first stage of enlightenment (Sotapanna), and later invited the Buddha to leave his footprint atop Samantakuta during his third visit.
What is the meaning of ringing the summit bell and threading needles at Idikatupana?
On the Uda Maluwa summit platform hangs a bronze bell (Gantara) which each pilgrim traditionally rings a number of times equal to the total number of times they have climbed Sri Pada in their lifetime (a first-time climber rings it once). Partway up the mountain at a spot called Idikatupana, pilgrims stick needles and unwind white cotton thread on a post to commemorate the legend that the Buddha paused there to mend a tear in his robe during his ascent.