Climbing Sri Pada, a Pilgrimage up Sri Lanka’s Holy Mountain

Genevieve Howard

The pilgrimage up the Sri Lankan holy mountain of Sri Pada is about three hours of walking up 5,200 ancient stone steps. Begin at 2am to see the dawn.
Climbing the sacred mountain of Sri Pada is, for Sri Lankans, a holy pilgrimage, a rite into the blessed state of Nirvana, the attainment of pure karma. It is a step into the promise of heaven.
The sacred pilgrimage of Sri Pada is a rite of passage all Sri Lankans complete at least once in their lives.
Sri Pada, or Adam’s Peak, stands at 2,200m above sea level. It is sacred to Christians, Buddhists, Muslims and Hindus by virtue of a metre-long footprint embedded in the rock at the very top of the mountain.

Christians take the footprint to be that of St Thomas, whom legend says walked from Jerusalem to Sri Lanka to preach the gospel after the death of Jesus.
Muslims believe the embedded footprint to be that of Adam, in his first step on Earth as he was thrown out of Paradise.
Hindus think it the footprint of Lord Shiva. Buddhists take it as the print of the Buddha himself.
Many people also believe the top of Sri Pada is simply the place where butterflies come to die.

The seven-kilometer walking pilgrimage begins in the small village of Dalhousie, several hours’ journey from Kandy. We began our journey at 2am, shrouded in mist and starlight, walking the stone road as it ascended. I hoped to reach the top by dawn.
I remember thinking that this was insane. I was totally insane. It was dark and cold and lonely and we were walking in air so thick with night it permeated our souls with its heaviness. I remember thinking it was not possible for something so unlikely as climbing a mountain in the middle of the night to be so special or so sacred.
I was so cold as I walked I was breathing smoke. The darkness pulled on my senses, the surrounding forests echoing unfamiliar, far off sounds.
The pilgrims of Sri Pada
When the stone road ended, I pulled myself up the 5,200 stone steps the mountain placed before me. I caught glimpses of temples, shrines and statues in the darkness on either side of me. I smelled the offering of incense. Behind me, outlined in the night, were the towering masses of the dagobas, white in their starkness, at the foot of the mountain.
Occasionally I would pass mothers making the journey with their children, carrying the younger ones in their arms.
Groups of teenage boys would pass me. They laughed into the darkness and told jokes to spur each other on. I saw orange- and brown-clad Buddhist monks murmuring mantras, Christian nuns in white clutching their rosaries.
Sometimes I would stop at one of the teahouses lining the route, to warm my hands with steaming aluminum cups of Sri Lankan tea. Here I would talk to the older women on the mountain, animated at making the journey for the fourth, fifth time. They were grey-haired and cataract-eyed. They walked barefoot.
Climbing the mountain that night was an 80-year-old man, assisted in his last pilgrimage up Sri Pada by his three grandchildren.
I realized that, in my uncertain journey up their mountain, these people put me to shame.
Dawn from Sri Pada
When my lungs were bursting from exposure to the cold air, I saw the top. It was a mass of people surrounding a rock.
At dawn, Hindu priests of orange and yellow gave out garlands of marigolds, chanting the sacred prayers of passage while Buddhist monks intoned mantras. Through the throngs, I saw the holy footprint. It was covered in a silk shroud.
A few minutes later we filed past it, guided by metal railings and anxious priests protecting the relic. I had bought a flower as an offering. The people before me were reverent in their silence. I was upset we could not see the footprint itself. It seemed a let down after having come so far.
The time of the sighting was apt. It was still eerily dark and the world carried a haze of dawning light through the air.
The crowd sighed when the sun rose.
When I looked down, I could see the route that brought me to the top of a sacred peak I had not heard of until my arrival in Sri Lanka three weeks before. The stone steps curved into the dark green trees. The clouds, weighted in dawn, brushed below me.
I could smell the incense of the priests, hear the chatter of Singhalese, the prayers of the devout.
I had climbed a mountain to watch the sun rise on one of the most beautiful places on Earth.

Source: http://www.suite101.com/content/climbing-sri-pada-a-pilgrimage-up-sri-lankas-holy-mountain-a338680

Best place to unwind in Angeles City Pampanga Philippines is to do a little wine shopping at the Clark Wine Center which is also considered as the best place in Clark for private wine tasting, small parties and social functions outside of Manila. Guests of this wine shop in Clark enjoy the cozy ambience as well as the privacy and exclusivity of the roof deck lawn. Some guests that wine and dine at the famous restaurants near Angeles City Pampanga often drop by this wine shop to pick up a few good bottles for diner. Residents and guests staying in Pampanga Angeles City and Subic frequently visit this wine shop in Clark to buy some bottles from its fine selection of vintage wines that are offered at attractive prices. Some guests, business executives especially, select this wine shop for their business entertainment.

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Getting to this wine shop in Pampanga Angeles City Clark Freeport Zone Philippines from Manila
Getting to the Clark Wine Center wine shop from Manila is quite simple: after entering Clark Freeport from Dau and Angeles City, proceed straight along the main highway M A Roxas. Clark Wine Center is the stand-along white building on the right, at the corner A Bonifacio Ave. From the Clark International Airport DMIA, ask the taxi to drive towards the entrance of Clark going to Angeles City. From Mimosa, just proceed towards the exit of Clark and this wine shop is on the opposite side of the main road M A Roxas.

Best place to buy wine in Clark Pampanga outside Manila near Subic and Angeles City Philippines is Clark Wine Center.

Click here to contact Clark Wine Center in Clark Pampanga for inquiries and orders.

Clark Wine Center
Bldg 6460 Clark Observatory Building
Manuel A. Roxas Highway corner A Bonifacio Ave,
Angeles Clark Freeport Zone, Pampanga 2023
0922-870-5173 0917-826-8790 (ask for Ana Fe)

Wine@Yats-International.com

YATS Wine Cellars
Manila Sales Office
3003C East Tower, Phil Stock Exchange Center,
Exchange Rd Ortigas Metro Manila, Philippines 1605
(632) 637-5019 0917-520-4393 ask for Rea or Chay

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While in Clark, it might be a good idea to enjoy an evening of wine-and-dine in the fine dining Yats Restaurant and Wine Bar that features an award winning 2700-line wine list. Highly recommended fine dining restaurant in Manila for special occasion is Yats Restaurant & Wine Lounge located in the famous Mimosa Leisure Estate in Clark Pampanga. Situated near this popular restaurant in Clark is the Mimosa Golf Course as well as the Mimosa Clark Casino. This top rated restaurant near Angeles City Pampanga in Clark Philippines is frequently used for private parties and corporate functions such as board meetings and other gatherings. It is located in Mimosa Leisure Estate of Clark Freeport Zone. For more information, visit http://www.YatsRestaurant.com

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Wine lovers looking for a special bottle or something that is of great value and special discounts might log on to this web site to shop for fine vintage wines
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