SRI PADASTHANAYA

There is reason to believe that this spot has been the site of a devale from very ancient times, but it was formally built by King Parakramabahu II in the 13th century. The Sri Pada is a pilgrimage site which has been held sacred by the devotees of four religions namely Buddhists, Hindus, Christians and Islamists. Historians agree that this site, even prior to the introduction of Buddhism to the Island, had been a sacred site where the primitive people worshipped the Sun god. The mountain is located in the southern reaches of the Central Highlands in the Ratnapura District and Nuwara Eliya district of the Sabaragamuwa Province. Sri Pada in 1890 during the British rule in Sri Lanka. 5,500 stairs Join the 20,000 pilgrims who climb 5,500 stairs to the summit of Sri Pada, or “Adam's Peak”, the most sacred mountain in Sri Lanka.

Sri Pada is derived from Sanskrit, used by the Sinhalese people in a religious context.  The legends of Adam are connected to the idea that Sri Lanka was the original Eden and in the Muslim tradition that Adam was 30 ft tall. Hindu tradition refers to the footprint as that of the Hindu deity Shiva and thus names the mountain Shiva padam in Tamil. It is also fabled that the mountain is the legendary mount Trikuta the capital of Ravana during the Ramayana times from where he ruled Lanka. Another Sinhala name for the mountain is Samanalakanda, which refers either to the deity Saman who is said to live upon and protect the mountain.

Many devotees come to worship sripada. Devotees come here from the beginning of December to the end of May.. There are so many peoples came here. It is our duty to protect sripada which is a world heritage.