Desire to roam -inherent in man

Anyone who visits the sacred cities of Anuradhapura and Kataragama will wonder why people in their thousands congregate in such places. During the Poson festival, Anuradhapura becomes a sea of heads. During the Esala festival, Kataragama attracts thousands of people from many parts of the country. Some devotees come walking all the way from Jaffna. Meanwhile, a large number of foreigners can be seen walking bare-footed along the dusty roads of the sacred city.

Why do we travel? What prompts us to leave our comfortable zones and stay in cheap hotels partaking simple meals? According to geographers, there are 'push' influences such as war and disease to leave our traditional homes. Then there are 'pull' influences such as hope of recovery from an illness or success in business and examinations, I think Anuradhapura and Kataragama attract people for the second reason.

People who go to Anuradhapura take flowers and joss-sticks to offer at religious places. However, those who visit Kataragama take many other offerings such as fruits, garlands of flowers and incense to be placed at the feet of numerous images of Gods ranging from Skandha, Vishnu, Mahasen, Saman and Upulvan. After waiting in a long queue they hand over the tray of fruits to the Kapurala. Very often a few currency notes are placed in the tray to attract the attention of the Kapurala. All these activities take place in a very calm and serene atmosphere.

Whether you travel around the world or occasionally make a trip to a distant place in the island, the desire to put yourself in another situation and, perhaps, to be caught in the dramatic tension between two places, appears to be inherent in your genes.

We learn about wandering tribes in history. Archaeologists tell us that our distant ancestors came from Africa before dispersing to other countries. This is perhaps one reason that prompts us to visit distant places, depending of course on our resources.

Although some of us travel occasionally there are some tribes that remain nomadic by nature. For instance, the Rodiyas do not stay in one place for a long time. The Kyrgyz and Kazakh tribes of Central Asia migrate regularly depending on the seasons. Although the respective governments are trying to keep them in one place permanently, they still follow the ancient instinct for travel. Many other tribes in America, Africa and Asia are always on the move searching for food and shelter. Even in agricultural societies where people are rooted to their surroundings, there is a subconscious desire for travel.

Some people are reluctant to leave their homes and suffer the inconvenience in distant places. However, most people, particularly children, love to travel and enjoy the experience. They do not mind walking bare-footed or sleeping under trees. But some adults who belong to the affluent class look for air-conditioned rooms in places such as Anuradhapura and Kataragama.

Do travellers consider it something romantic to be on the move? Or is it something basic to human nature? The Finnish ethnologist, Dr. Edward Westermarck in his path breaking book "The Wandering Spirit" says that human migrations are not due to a wandering instinct or restlessness. According to him, we feel like leaving our comfortable zones because there is a natural inclination for movement, subject of course to certain stimuli.

According to many religions, devotees consider travel and suffering would help them to solve some of their mundane problems.

Classical literature gives us some clues as to why people are willing to undergo physical pains to attain spiritual improvement. For instance, Homer's Odysseus goes on a ten-year voyage of suffering and redemption after the Trojan War. After visiting many fantastic places, including the Other world, he finally returns to Ithaca as an enlightened man.

My own experience as a traveller to distant places in Sri Lanka, India and Malaysia leads me to think that Westermarck's theories are correct. As he points out there is a huge difference between the migration of birds and the movement of people. One common factor is that birds and human beings want to survive.

Modern transport facilities and improved roads help people to travel speedily and safely. For instance, when I visited Kataragama a few years ago, I had to climb Vedahitikanda with great difficulty. However, when I visited Kataragama last week, there were double cabs waiting to take me to the summit of the hill. Although the trip was quick and comfortable, it did not give me the sense of suffering inherent in such journeys. Even in my old age I would love to climb Vedahitikanda bare-footed!