Season
It looms into view, looking for all the world like the
Paramount
Pictures logo. That is at the new town of Maskeliya, Sri Lanka (the old
town was flooded to make way for the tank). A perfect shape of a
pyramid, but then again without the hallow of the white stars of
Paramount logo. But then, in the absence of stars, mountain does even
better with one of a kind phenomenon. That is at the summit: a light &
shadow play few moments following the crack of dawn during the period
January to April when the incredible sunrise produces the famous
spectacle known as the "Shadow of the Peak", which leaves all ventured
on to the summit spellbound.
As the first rays of dawn light up sacred mountain (2243m) you're
treated to an extremely fine view: the hill country rises to the east;
in the west the land slopes away to the sea; Colombo at sea level, 65km
away, is easily visible on a clear day. Interesting as the ascent is, &
beautiful as the dawn is, Adam's peak saves its mesmerising paramount
show time for a few minutes after dawn. As the sun rises, the shadow of
the Peak seems to be projected in from the air without lying upon the
forest below as one's eyes expect: a perfect shadow of the peak onto the
misty clouds in the direction of far coast. Still more as the sun rises
higher, this eerie triangular shadow on the misty clouds races back
towards the peak, eventually disappearing into on to its base. This is
an awesome optical phenomenon in a magnificent summit of a sacred
mountain of boundless beauty.
And that optical illusion is for the real, to the boot, unlike the
Paramount logo.
Herman Hesse had a transcendental experience on Adam's
Peak. He later tried to witness a possible duplication of the light &
shadow show in India, but it eluded him. Not even
Incredible India of
yester years
Midnight Rainbow (Bengal) & of
Maduri Dixit could fix it,
could produce such a superlative spectacle as in Lanka. He then returned
to Ceylon, climbed the Adam's Peak once again & it happened once again.
Can I see it again? By all means.
English author John Stills described
the peak as "one of the vastest & most reverenced cathedrals of the
human race". "When Adam was expelled an angel took him by the arm & set
him down here," wrote the
Papal Legate Marignolli over 500 years ago
when he descended from the most famous of Lanka's mountains. This is
paradise. Com'n let's dance at the base. And climb.
Then again, this is not simply a nature & adventure mountain climb to
begin narrating with the matter as superficial as the logo of Paramount
pictures. We have been light hearted. Please forgive me, god Maha Sumana
Saman! Let's get serious now. No where else in the world is a pilgrimage
site which is held sacred by the devotees of four religions, as Adam's
Peak in Sri Lanka. Sanctity of the mountain has been held aloft by
adherents of each of four religions of Sri Lanka, namely,
Buddhists,
Hindus, Christians and Islamists.
The mountain has been climbed for at least 1000 years.
King Vijayabahu
(1055-1100 AD) built shelters along its route, work continued by
Parakaramabahu the 2nd (1125-1169 AD) who cleared jungle & built a road
& bridges to the mountain.
Marco Polo commented on the chains provided
for pilgrims in the 13th century, while Muslim traveller
Ibn Battutah
visited in the 14th century & described the two approach routes still
used, labeling them the
Adam & Eve tracks.
Sri Lanka's world famous Holy Mountain is the ultimate center of the
attraction, epitome of pilgrimage where devotees from all parts of the
little island engage in the annual pilgrimage. Their voices echo and
re-echo from their innermost hearts in the cold clammy atmosphere with
resounding chanting "Karunawai" (meaning compassion, a Buddhist ideal)
as they ascend or descend.
When considering the mountain's history it lends a certain feeling of a
supernatural aura brooding, a hidden divine power. On the 8th year after
Enlightenment, Buddha visited Kelaniya at the request of the Naga King
Maniakkika. On this occasion it is said that Buddha was accompanied by
500 monks. After His sojourn at
Kelaniya Buddha visited three other
places, namely,
Digavaapi, Kataragama and this beautiful mountain in the
Central highlands, 7360 feet high. Here the Buddha left the trace of His
left foot at the summit on a gemstone, on the request of
God Maha Sumana
Saman, the guardian of the Peak.
Some Christians say the "footprint" in the rock atop the rust-red, peak
is where Adam first set foot (hence is called Adam's peak) on earth
after being exiled from
Eden. Other Christians say it is the Footprint
of
St. Thomas, who brought Christianity to Southern India in the 1st
century AD, while to Hindus it is the Footprint of
Lord Siva (hence
called Sivan Adipadham or Sivanolipatha Malai), while some of Sri
Lanka's Muslims call it the Footprint of
Al-Rohun (Soul).
While beliefs of some depend on mere faith, the claims of the Buddhists
alone refer to recorded history and partly legend. Buddhists, who have
covered the original "print" with a larger than life concrete copy, say
it was made by the Buddha on his third visit to Sri Lanka.
Whichever legend you care to believe, the fact remains that the mountain
has been a pilgrimage site paid homage by kings & commoners alike for
over 1000 years.
King Parakramabahu &
King Nissankamalla provided
ambalama (resting places) up the mountain to shelter the weary pilgrims.
The "season" for pilgrims is during the calm bright months from January
to April.
Geographically Adam's Peak is important as the
main watershed of Sri
Lanka, four of the principal rivers of the Island, including the
River Mahaweli, the longest & the largest, having their source from this
mountain, and falling to the sea on the eastern, western and south
eastern coasts. The districts to the south and the east of Adam's Peak
yield precious stones-
emeralds, rubies, sapphires, etc, for which the
Island has been famous, and which have earned for its ancient name of "
Ratnadvipa".
Butterfly migration
In the crisp air and sunshine, legions of brave yellow and white and
jewel coloured butterflies are in their final flight to the summit as if
these lovely ephemeral creatures, a sublime creation of nature were in
the company with the pilgrims. At the end of their ascent, they die
there in waves, providing another phenomenon, hence is called Samanala
Kanda meaning Butterfly Mountain. Merciless black death takes over all
of those lovely butterflies as all of us would be taken over. Only the
death is definite. All else is indefinite & impermanent. Be kind to all.
Don't murder. May all murderers swiftly recover from their maladies! It
kills me to see you killing my race: human.
History
Buddhist devotees who climb the Peak regard God Maha Sumana Saman as
their benevolent protector. Buddhism was introduced to Sri Lanka during
the reign of King Devanam Piya Tissa (307-266 B.C). He was the grandson
of King Pandukabhaya (437-366 B.C), the pre-Buddhist founder of
Anuradhapura, capital of Lanka, which
lasted for 1500 years up to the middle of the 9th century AD.
It is believed that the first person to discover the Sacred Footprint
was King Valagambahu (104-76 BC) while he was in exile in the mountain
wilderness, better known to our people as "Sri Pada Adaviya" (Domain of
Sacred Footprint), to escape the marauding Cholians. He had been led to
the summit of the mountain by a deity in the guise of a stag. Thereafter
not only ordinary pilgrims but Royalty with their court retinue paid
homage to the Foot Print of the Buddha from ancient times. The Sinhalese
kings alone, in their devotion and persistence made the Peak accessible
to the crowds of devotees who annually trekked the mountain.
The first historical mention about Sri Pada comes during the reign of
Vijayabahu. Professor Senarath Paranavitana states: "It is in the reign
of Vijayabahu" (1065-1119 AD) we have the earliest historical evidence in
chronicles and inscriptions by the cult of the Footprint on Adam's Peak.
It is recorded of this monarch that he, having seen the difficulties
undergone by the pilgrims on their way to worship the Buddha's footprint
on Samanthakuta dedicated the village named 'Gilimale' to provide for
their needs. Stone inscriptions of Vijayabahu have been found at
Gilimale and Ambagamuwa confirming the statement of the chronicle.
The thousands of pilgrims who make their annual pilgrimage to Sri Pada
today perhaps do not realize the difficulties their ancestors had to
undergo in order to pay their need of homage at the Sacred Foot Print.
Whatever route they undertook to ascend the Peak their difficulties must
have been almost insurmountable. Marco Polo (1254-1324 AD) who visited
the Peak in the 14th century remarked that in places flights of steps
were out in the rocks but none upwards and towards the summit.
The mountain has been climbed for at least 1000 years. King Vijayabahu
(1065-1119 AD) built shelters along its route, work continued by
Parakaramabahu the 2nd (1250-1284 AD) who cleared jungle & built a road
& bridges to the mountain.
King Nissankamalla (1198 AD-1206 AD). is stated to have visited the
Samanthakuta with his four-fold army and worshipped the Footprint with
great devotion. He had re-granted the Village Ambagamuwa and it has been
recorded in an inscription found in a cave known as Bhagavalena. He had
constructed a concrete slab to protect the Footprint.
A Pali poem "Samantha Kuta Vannama" by a monk named Vedeha in the 13th
century confirms the increasing interest shown by the Sinhala-Buddhists
to the cult of this Footprint. In our recorded history, a good number of
ancient kings have visited the mountain from time to time. Parakramabahu
the 2nd (1250-1284 AD) visited the Footprint and paid homage. His
minister, Devaprathiraja constructed roads leading to the mountain and
installed iron chains on iron posts to make the ascent easy and
conducted great festivities in celebrating to worship of the Footprint.
Parakramabahu's son, Vijayabahu, and other kings like Vikramabahu,
Vimaladharmasuriya (1592-1603), his son King Narendrasinhe (1705-1737)
were among Sinhala Kings who had visited the Footprint to pay homage.
King Vimaladharmasuriya constructed a silver umbrella over the
Footprint. King Sitawake Rajasinhe (1581-1593), the ferocious warrior
king, who strode in to battle against Portuguese at the age of eleven &
throughout his reign inflicted heavy defeats on Portuguese at
Mulleriyawa (Mulleriyawa marshy land had turned into a red flood with
the blood of the slaughtered Portuguese) & held the Portuguese Fort in
Colombo under siege (besieged Portuguese were reduced to survive on
slaughtering dogs & chasing cats & rats for meat), had also visited the
Footprint. Sri Vijaya Rajasinghe (1738-1745 AD) had also visited the
mountain. King Kirthi Sri Rajasinhe (1746-1778) during whose reign,
Buddhist renaissance took place had visited the Footprint and restored
to the temple properties frozen by King Sitawake Rajasinhe, who was
told, by the Buddhist monks, that patricide was an almost eternal sin &
couldn't be redeemed during his lifetime. Kirthi Sri Rajasinhe also
donated the village, Kuttapitiya and the copper plate charter in support
of this donation is still in existence.
Among the artifacts devised to ascend then almost inaccessible peak were
massive iron chains affixed to stanchions of the same metal secured to
the bare rock face. The chains were secured to the stanchions with
rivets of iron and bronze. Commenting on the ancient artifacts on Sri
Pada, the Englishman Robert Percival, who served with the British
garrison in Colombo in the early nineteenth century, notes: "The iron
chains on the rock face of Adam's Peak have the appearance of being
planted there at a very early date, who placed them there or for what
purpose they were set up there is difficult for anyone to know". The beliefs and
superstitions of the natives present difficulties. Whatever
it is, all evidence indicates that the Peak was in the limelight long
before the recorded history of the Island. Remains of these artifacts
are still evident. Early pilgrims to the peak made use of these chains
to hoist themselves up to the summit.
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The Mountain of Sarandib
"We saw it from the
sea when we were nine day's journey away, & when we climbed
it we saw the clouds below us, shutting out our view of
base. On it there are many evergreen trees & flowers of
various colours, including a red rose as big as the palm of
a hand. There are two tracks on the mountain leading to the
Foot, one called the Baba track & the other the Mama track,
meaning Adam & Eve. The Mama track is easy & is the route by
which the pilgrims return, but anyone who goes by that way
is not considered to have made the pilgrimage at all. The
Baba track is difficult & stiff climbing. Former generations
cut a sort of stairway on the mountain, & are fixed iron
stanchions on it, to which they attached chains for climbers
to hold on by. There are ten such chains, & the tenth is the
"Chain of the Profession of Faith", so called because when
one reaches it & looks down to the foot of the hill, he is
seized by apprehensions & recites the profession of faith
for fear of falling. From the tenth chain to the cave of al-Khidr
is seven miles; this cave lies in a spacious place, where
there is a spring which is also called by his name; it is
full of fish, but no one catches them. Close to this there
are two tanks cut in the rock on either side of the path. At
the cave of al-Khidr the pilgrims leave their belongings &
ascend for two miles to the summit of the mountain where the
Foot is. The blessed Footprint, the Foot of our father Adam
is on a lofty black rock in a wide plateau. The blessed Foot
sank into the rock far enough to leave its impression
hollowed out. It is eleven spans long. In the rock where the
Foot is. there are nine holes cut out, in which the infidel
pilgrims place offerings of gold, rubies & pearls..."
Ibn Battutah
The Mountain of Sarandib is Adam's Peak, to which Adam is
supposed to have descended when expelled fro Paradise.
Ibn Battutah visited Adam's footprint on its summit. |
|
God Maha Sumana Saman
God Maha Sumana
Saman is one of the four deities, who undertook to protect
the island and Buddhism in Lanka, according to Mahavamsa,
the great chronicle in Sri Lanka. Sakra, Natha &
Upulvan are the other three deities.
During the Buddha's first visit to Mahiyangana he preached
his doctrine to celestial beings. One of the
prominent figures at the assembly was Prince Sumana of the
Samantha Kuta. Prince Saman attained the first fruit of the
path of 'Nirvana' (Sotapatti Phala) and requested the master
for an object for worship. The Buddha gave Him a lock of
hair from his head and it was enshrined in the
Mahiyangana stupa,
the first Dagoba constructed in the Island during the
lifetime of Buddha at the initiative of Prince Saman.
When the Buddha visited the island for the third & last time
of Kelaniya, at the request of Prince Saman, the Buddha left
the trace of His footprint on the mountain, according to
Mahavamsa. Following his death Prince Saman became God
Maha Sumana Saman. The god has never been identified as
a Hindu God. There are two important and significant shrines
constructed at Ratnapura
and Mahiyangana dedicated to Maha Sumana Saman. |
|
Visit of Alexander the Great
Ashraff, the 15th century poet describes the odyssey of Alexander the
great to Sri Pada in his 'Zaffer Namah Skendari'. After
landing in the Island and indulging himself and his retinue
in orgies and revelry he explores the wonders of the Island.
Here Alexander is known to have sought the assistance of the
Philosopher Bolinas, a celebrated Greek occultist and
magician, to climb the Sacred peak, then supposed to be
zealously guarded by various deities. The belief that
Alexander visited Sri Pada existed before Ashraff. Ibn
Batuta, the romantic 14th century Arab pilgrim
traveller from Tangiers in Morocco who
sojourned in the Island visiting the Sacred Mount, refers to
a grotto at the foot of the peak with the word "Iskander"
inscribed on it. This 'Iskander' and 'Skendari' of Ashraff
are identical; both names refer to none other than the
celebrated Alexander the Great himself. Notes Batuta in his
memoirs: "The ancients have cut steps of a sort on the
vertical rock face, to these steps are fixed iron stanchions
with suspended chains to enable pilgrims clamber up to the
top with ease and minimum risk."
Apart from scanty and much belated Arab sources, history is
strangely silent for over seventeen centuries on the visit
of Alexander to the Island and his journey to Sri Pada.
Neither the Great Dynastic Chronicle Mahawamsa nor any other
historical record of significance refers to it. Records of
Alexander's exploits were centered mainly in and around
Persia and the Persian Empire, the legends and folklore of
the early Persians were, as a matter of course, handed over
to their Arab posterity. |
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