Adam's Peak Pilgrimage
Jackamy
Paul & Derry Harper
Sun 16 Jan 2011 17:24
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Sunday 16th January
The lofty peak, in a beautiful area of the
southern hill country, has sparked the imagination for centuries and been a
focus for pilgrimage for over 1000 years. King Parakramabahu and King Nissanka
Malla provided resting places to shelter weary pilgrims up the mountain. It is
variously known as Adam's Peak (the place where Adam first set foot on earth
after being cast out of heaven), Sri Pada (Scared Footprint, left by the Buddha
as he headed towards paradise), or Samanalakande (Butterfly Mountain, where
butterflies go to die).
The pilgrimage season begins on poya day in
December and runs until Vesak Festival in May, with January and February being
the most busy. During the pilgrimage season pilgrims and a few tourists make the
climb up the countless steps to the top. We left our hotel at 2 am to start the
7 km climb, kitted out with glow sticks, originally a present for the
kids and Amy from their grandparents but we all ended up with them on. They
caused so much attention on the way up as I'm sure many people
wouldn't have a clue what they were and by the time we reached the top we
had hardly any left after giving them away. From the car park the slope is
gradual for the first half hour, passing under an entrance arch and then by a
Japan-Sri Lanka Friendship Dagoba.
 That's where we're
headed!
 Warming up with a
fire........the entrance arch
 Statues of ganesh and a buddha
lay at the bottom
It were walking at a
leisurely pace and began to remove our layers as we heated up with the
exercise. But then the pathway got steeper until it became a continuous flight
of steps, around 5200 of them. Many Sri Lankans seemed to be coming down and
laughing at our exhaustion and others were just sitting on the steps blocking
the way and making the climb more difficult. Again though, the atmosphere was
fantastic, and although we had to take regular rest breaks and our breathing was
rather heavy, the warmth we felt from the people around us was wonderful. When I
say warmth I don't mean the physical warmth, although it did get colder the
further we climbed and the shared body heat was welcomed, I mean
the happiness that was oozing out of them. Elderly women and men were being
helped up and down, one step at a time with a 5 minute rest after a handful of
steps and children were being carried due to the exhaustion. Some people had
bare feet and others were dressed in their sunday best with their shiny black
shoes. The further we climbed the steeper it became and as we were
nearing the peak the more encouragement we received.
 Lighting up the
night
  Sharing the love
 Happy boys with their glow
sticks
 Huddling together and under
blankets for warmth
When we arrived at the top there
were crowds of people huddled together as well as groups sat under
blankets on the freezing cold floor. The wind up there made it incredibly
cold and every bit of skin was covered up to stop the chill. The tradition is to
ring the bell for how many times you have completed the pilgrimage. Of course we
only rang it once, but others were ringing over 10 times. Some didn't even
bother as they have done it so many times, for example, we met a guide who had
completed it 652 times, he'd have been there all day! Earlier in the day, myself
and Amy had bought buddhist flag friendship bracelets for the 8 of us who
climbed, it was an emotional moment as they were handed out.
 
 Suddenly there were masses of
people gathering at the top and the fight was on for a position to watch the sun
rise over the mountains. We couldn't really see much at first but it didn't
really matter as the whole experience was so exhilarating and exciting we
were all on a high no matter what we could see. The colours that lit up the sky
as the sun came up were beautiful and they changed every few seconds until the
sun was up and clear for everyone to see. It was one of those moments when you
sit in silence for a minute, look around and take it all in, realising how lucky
we are. We also had to be thankful that it was a crystal clear night with the
weather they had had recently. It really wouldn't have been the same experience
had it have been raining or had there have been a lot of cloud coverage.
  
 
 
 I know there are a lot of sunrise
pictures but I just couldn't choose between them all, each one tells a different
story. Once we were chilled through to the bone and the sun was rising higher
and higher into the sky we began the journey down, the part which most people
say is the hardest. For the first half the endless steps were causing our knees
and legs to shake. Every step I took I feared that my legs would give way and
I'd tumble down the almost vertical steps. But once down the actual peak it
became a leisurely stroll, particularly as we made friends and talked all the
way, taking our mind off the pain and the shakes.
 
 As we go down the workmen go
up
 
  What an achievement! We expected
to be exhausted when we finished and climbing straight into bed, instead we were
buzzing and full of energy. After a huge breakfast, something we felt we all
deserved, we were back on the coach making our way to Nuwara Eliya.
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