Several hundred yellow butterflies converge on south-western Sri Lanka, as if drawn to the heights of the “Hill Country”. Flying over pilgrims climbing the mountain, they reach the summit to die there, or, according to Buddhist belief, to be reincarnated.
What better place to be reborn than Adam's Peak, a sacred site revered across faiths? This mountain, over 2,200 metres high, draws believers from all of Sri Lanka's major religions. For Buddhists, this is where the Buddha left his footprint during his third and final visit to the island. For Hindus, who call it “Shivan Adi Patham” (“the creative dance of Lord Shiva”), the footprint was left by Shiva as he danced to create the world. Arab navigators, who spotted the peak from the sea and used it to find their bearings, believed this was where Adam, the prophet of Islam, first set foot on Earth after being cast out of paradise. Christians, meanwhile, believe it is the footprint of Saint Thomas, who brought the Christian faith to Asia 50 years into our era. Either way, the local name, “Sri Pada” (“sacred footprint”), settles the matter for everyone.
There are three routes up the peak, but most visitors join the pilgrims on the shortest path — which still runs 7 kilometres long. They often climb at night to witness the sunrise (“ira-sevaya”) upon arrival, which lights up the mountain at first light.
