Sri Pada - 25 lakhs to worship during this season

Sri Pada is a place with religious importance not only to the Buddhists, but also to the Hindus, Muslims and Christians alike. The print , according to Mahavamsa was left by Lord Buddha during the third and final of his legendary visits to Sri Lanka. Other faiths like Islam, Hinduism and Christianity also lay claim to it and Mulims believe the footprint to be that of Adam (hence the name Adam's Peak), Christians - that of St. Thomas the disciple of Jesus and Hindus - that of the God Siva.

Sri Pada rises alone majestically with a conical shape and offers an unobstructed view over land and sea. For centuries, navigators used Sri Pada to get a bearing. It is said that the mountain was the landmark of the ancient sea-faring Arabs, who came to Sri Lanka, to trade in gems, spices and ivory.

Reaching the summit generally takes about five to six hours. Most start climbing at night, which gives them a remarkable experience, with the lights of the path leading up and into the stars overhead. Their plan is to reach the summit before dawn to witness the sunrise and to perform religious rites thereafter.

The sun appears from the eastern side of the summit with a leap over the horizon rather than with a gradual rise, which is perceived to be its homage to the Buddha's footprint. Then, a shadow of the mountain will appear from the western side of the summit in a perfect triangular shape over the landscape. The shadow will appear to stand upright, if there is light mist at the time.

The sun rises up within moments, making the shadow to move rapidly towards the base of the mountain, making it disappear finally. This intriguing phenomenon is said to occur only in one other place in the world, somewhere in Arizona.

The Sri Pada season normally breaks in with the full moon of December and goes on till April, during which month it hits the peak of the visits. The mountain is often hidden in clouds during the rest of the year. Torrential rains, extreme wind and thick mist makes visiting the summit almost impossible during this period.

It is estimated that nearly 300,000 pilgrims visit the summit each year. The season this year seams to be the best in terms of visits due to the peaceful environment prevailing in the country. According to Basnayaka Nilame of Maha Saman Dewalaya, Sunil Shantha Weerasekara, the visits have already exceeded 10 lacks. About 10,000 foreigners have visited the site too. He is optimistic that the number would exceed 25 lacks this season.

According to the Basnayaka Nilame keeping the environment clean is the greatest challenge during the season. Lack of facilities is also a concern. He however, says that there are many private organizations which give a helping hand during the season to generate awareness among pilgrims and also to improve facilities for pilgrims, which is a point to be praised.

Unilever-Sri Lanka with its premier germ kill brand Lifebuoy, through its Herbal variant carries out a CSR program, Supirisidui Wandanawa, in Sri Pada each year since 2008 for the benefit of pilgrims who visit the holy site.

This season too, Lifebuoy-Herbal, under the theme of "sithath, kayath pirisidu wemu, supirisidui wandanawa", is helping the pilgrims by putting up garbage bins, mobile shower and sanitation areas and renovating bus stands in the holy site.