fossil_digger Report This Comment Date: July 28, 2007 03:23AM
Adams Peak is Sri Lanka’s holiest mountain and is claimed by most of the
country’s religions as the site where Adam/Buddha/Shiva/St Thomas came to
earth. Every good Buddhist is expected to make a pilgrimage to its peak at least
once in their life. It is a stiff climb.
Although the central highlands of Sri Lanka rise to over 2500 metres, there are
few distinct peaks. The one exception to this is Adams Peak, which rises like a
mini-Matterhorn out of the surrounding tree-clad slopes. You can drive pretty
close to the summit but it is still a steep climb to the top. The peak has been
a site of pilgrimage for over a thousand years and there is now a well
maintained set of over 4500 steps that take you to the top.
The climb is traditionally done in the dark to allow the pilgrim to witness the
sunrise from the peak and to return again before the heat of the day. The path
is well-lit by ugly strip lights which ascend in the darkness blending
confusingly with the stars, so at times it looks like the path goes on for ever
up into the heavens.