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| Sunday, 15 December 2002 |
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| News Business Features Editorial
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Sri Pada season begins on December 19 : From mystique peak to garbage dump? by S.S.M. Nanayakkara Sri Pada or Adam's peak as it was known to the early West was in the limelight from times before the recorded history of the Island.
Legends surrounding the sacred mount existed prior to the Christian era. It is axiomatic that worship of deities in high places was indulged in by mankind from times of remote antiquity. Indeed, high inaccessible places were held in awe and veneration from the time of man's primordial religion - worship of nature. The cult persisted in the pagan world upto the early Greek and Roman times and even later, thus Mt. Olympus in Greece was dedicated to the Greek pantheon. Even to this day, Chomolungma (Tibetan for goddess Mother of the World), a peak in the Himalayan range and several other peaks en route to Everest and Mt. Everest itself are held sacred by the Tibetans and Nepalese. It is recorded that Norkay Tensing and his Sherpa clansmen who accompanied Edmund Hillary on his successful expedition to Mt. Everest in 1953, offered a sacrifice of food to the Mountain Goddess of Chomolungma invoking her blessings for the success of the expedition. Hillary himself buried a small crucifix given him by the leader, Colonel John Hunt. Tradition is hard to die! Alexander's visit By the time Macedon's illustrious son, Alexander the Great, Greek warrior king and empire builder is believed to have visited Sri pada (circa. 324 B.C.), the peak was already held in veneration. After his subjugation of the Persian empire and the dependencies thereof Alexander led his forces on to India beyond the Indus to the ancient city of Taxila. He was at last countered by Porus the Indian king and his battle-trained cohorts of fighting elephants. These huge beasts were unfamiliar to the Greek cavalry to which they presented a forbidding and formidable obstacle. The terrified horses stampeded and began to scatter out of control in utter panic. On the representation of his generals and fearing mutiny by the army Alexander decided to come to terms with Porus. After his skirmish with Porus the restless and venturesome Alexander decided to detour the south west coast of India and explore further south where he had heard of the fabulous isle of Sri Lanka known to the early Greeks as 'Taprobane'. Here reports of the Sacred Mount of Sri Pada, then dedicated to the Hindu deity Saman and known as Samanthakuti, attracted his attention. The peak with its proud pinnacle commanding an enchanting prospect was too much of an attraction for the pleasure-bent Alexander to resist. Ancient artefacts Ashraff the 15th century poet describes this odyssey of Alexander to Sri Pada in his 'Zaffer Namah Skendari'. After landing in the Island and indulging himself and his retinue in orgies and revelry he explores the wonders of the Island. Here Alexander is known to have sought the assistance of the Philosopher Bolinas, a celebrated Greek occultist and magician, to climb the Sacred peak, then supposed to be zealously guarded by various deities. Among the artefacts devised to ascend the then almost inaccessible peak were massive iron chains affixed to stanchions of the same metal secured to the bare rock face. The chains were secured to the stanchions with rivets of iron and bronze. Remains of these artefacts still evident. Early pilgrims to the peak made use of these chains to hoist themselves upto the summit. The belief that Alexander visited Sri pada existed before Ashraff. Ibn Batuta, the romantic 14th century Arab pilgrim traveller from Tangiers in Morocco who sojourned in the Island visiting the Sacred Mount, refers to a grotto at the foot of the peak with the word "Iskander' inscribed on it. This 'Iskander' and 'Skendari' of Ashraff are identical, both names refer to none other than the celebrated Alexander the Great himself. Notes Batuta in his memoirs: "The ancients have cut steps of a sort on the vertical rock face, to these steps are fixed iron stanchions with suspended chains to enable pilgrims clamber up to the top with ease and minimum risk. The impression of the Almighty's foot is observed upon a black and lofty rock in an open space on the summit. Apart from scanty and much belated Arab sources, history is strangely silent for over seventeen centuries on the visit of Alexander to the Island and his journey to Sri Pada. Neither the Great Dynastic Chronicle Mahawamsa nor any other historical record of significance refers to it. Alexander's exploits were centred mainly in and around Persia and the Persian empire, the legends and folklore of the early Persians were, as a matter of course, handed over to their Arab posterity. Commenting on the ancient artefacts on Sri Pada, the Englishman Robert Percival, who served with the British garrison in Colombo in the early nineteenth century, notes: "The iron chains on the rock face of Adam's Peak have the appearance of being planted there at a very early date, who placed them there or for what purpose they were set up there is difficult for anyone to know. The beliefs and superstitions of the natives present difficulties. Whatever it is, all evidence indicates that the Peak was in the limelight long before the recorded history of the Island.
by Vimukthi Fernando Orange-red bright and deep... blinding - amongst grey horizons, bathing the surroundings in a warm pink glow. A, ball of fire, turned out in a dragon's lyre by its mythical origins, glimpsing the earth from the corner of its eye. The sun god, rising from his slumber... Worshipping the glory that rests on a conic peak, 7,360 feet (2,243 meters) above sea level, bowing down low, and rising slowly to take up its task of nourishing the earth... So goes the legend. Known to contain the imprints of the sacred foot placed there by Buddha, on Blue Sapphire under the great boulder atop its peak, shrouded in mist and mystery, legend and history, trekked by the thousands and hundred thousands each night, every six months of the year... rising to the skies, stands steadfast - the old faithful. The landmark for early sea-farers the Arabs, Moors, Greeks and Persians, who came to this little isle in the Indian ocean in search of gems, jewels, ivory and spice. Sri Pada, Samanala Kanda, Samankuta, Swargarohana or Adam's Peak... whatever you may chose to call it. It is worshipped and revered for nearly 2,600 years by Buddhists, Hindus, Muslims and Christians alike. It "...must be one of the most rarest and the most revered cathedrals of the human race... " wrote John Still, mesmerised by its magnificence in the early 1900s. And 100 years later...we lament about it being the "highest and the holiest garbage dump" December 19 will mark the beginning of another pilgrim season, with ceremonies at the Saman Devala when the Buddha statue will be carried in procession to the top, on Unduwap Poya. And, the gloomy question, looming larger than the mountain itself is the mountainous quantities of garbage cast off by pilgrims visiting by the thousands. And, the garbage menace continues... During the season, every now and then volunteers led by environmentalists, non-governmental organisations and sometimes local authorities carry our cleaning campaigns. But, when the season comes to a close, a heap of garbage remains. In 2000, over 5 tonnes of garbage was collected by volunteers involved in various cleaning projects. In 2001, one campaign alone, organised by EcoV, a group of environment activists, with the assistance of 200 soldiers from the Army's Gajaba Regiment - Kuruwita Unit, brought down 3 tonnes of garbage, mainly polythene and other non-biodegradable material. "Recycling was impossible because of the mix-up of garbage... Uda Maluwa (the upper terrace) and Seetha Gangula were the most polluted areas," say volunteers engaged in these campaigns. And this year (2002), a coordinated garbage clearance programme is organised by the Upper Watershed Management Project with the assistance of the Chief Incumbent of Sri Pada, related local authorities and other interested parties. Why should Sri Pada be protected from garbage and other forms of destruction? The answer is easy. Sri Pada is the heart and soul of Sri Lanka. It is unique not only by its religious value, it is surrounded with a the forest cover which in itself is unique in environmental value as well. A formation of tropical lowland, sub montane and montane rain forest and natural grassland, the forest surrounding Sri Pada is the catchment area, and the source of four major rivers in Sri Lanka, Mahaweli, Kelani, Kalu and Walawe. And the bio-diversity of the range is vast. Sri Pada range is home to a host of fauna and flora, including 24 endemic species of birds (14 listed as endangered in the IUCN, Red Data List) and other threatened animals such as leopards, elephants, some rare amphibians, insects and fish. If Sri Pada mountain range gets destroyed, thereby the destruction of all above. That is why Sri Pada was declared a sanctuary many years ago, on October 10, 1940. An area of 22,380 hectares is protected as the Peak Wilderness Sanctuary, protected with the assistance from 15 Wild Life officers stationed at 2 posts, Sri Palabaddala and Nallatanniya. Meanwhile, the destruction of the Sri Pada and surrounding forest is going on, by way of tree felling, gem mining, cultivation and other illegal activities. The garbage menace is devouring the beauty of the peak as well as the forest. "What effect does it cause, if we leave a little garbage there?" visitors seem to question. And over 2 million each season seem to think, and act alike, turning the mountain and the surrounding forests into a garbage dump. |
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