Adam’s Peak, a symbol of Sri Lanka’s rich cultural heritage and diversity, is a shared sacred Buddhist, Hindu, Christian, and Muslim site, making it a unique beacon of communal harmony, greater understanding, and respect among communities and a source for social cohesion
Sri Lanka has a long history of respect and hospitality towards diverse ethnic and religious groups. Cultural, spiritual, or ethnic differences did not always exclude those with different appearances, beliefs, and practices. Hospitality was a hallmark of the traditional Sri Lankan heritage. Generous attitudes towards the ‘Other’ were largely shaped by the values of the dominant community—the Sinhalese-Buddhist.
Persecution and expulsions of ethnic and religious minorities by two European masters during the colonial period posed significant challenges to the cultural ethos of Ceylon of those days. Coastal Muslims (known then as ‘Mohammedans’ or ‘Moors’) suffered Portuguese religious persecution and Catholics that of the Dutch. The Kandyan kingdom (15th-19th century) came to their rescue by giving Muslims agricultural land and settling them in Batticaloa. Sri Lanka’s eastern region hence has a thriving community of Muslims.
Shared Heritage
This centuries-old presence of Muslims along with Buddhists, Christians, and Hindus in Sri Lanka has led to the development of shared religious practices, spaces, and heritage. Modern Sri Lanka stands out among Theravada Buddhist societies of South and Southeast Asia in having at least two prominent sacred religious spaces accessible to Buddhists as well as non-Buddhists—Adam’s Peak or Śrī Pāda, a 2,304-metre high mountain 18 km from Ratnapura, the capital of Sabaragamuwa province, and Kataragama.
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Buddhists, Hindus, Christians, and Muslims consider Sri Pada as sacred. The Buddhists believe there is a trace of Lord Buddha’s footprint on a gemstone at the summit of the peak. Some Christians say the footprint is that of Adam when he set foot on the earth after exile from Eden. Other Christians believe it is that of St Thomas. Hindus consider the footprint to be of Lord Shiva’s and call it Sivan Adipadham or Sivanolipatha Malai. Some Muslims associate the footprint with Adam, who is revered as the first prophet in the Islamic tradition.
Enduring Importance
Śrī Pāda, better known to the outside world as Adam’s Peak, has over centuries welcomed pilgrims of different religious persuasions and drawn visitors from far and wide. The importance of Adam’s Peak has endured despite occasional tensions, conflicts, and communal riots in post-independence Sri Lanka. More and more pilgrims have been making the arduous overnight pilgrimage to Adam’s Peak and sharing experiences and spiritual insights.
Sulaiman al-Tajir and Moroccan explorer Ibn Baṭṭūṭa (1304–1368) were two important visitors of Islamic orientation from Persia and Morocco to visit and enhance our understanding of Adam’s Peak. They offered perspectives on the beliefs, customs, habits, and practices of people they encountered during their journey to Adam’s Peak when modes of transportation were undeveloped, political affairs rather arbitrary, and tribal.
Śrī Pāda’s attraction for a Muslim like Sulaiman was due to its association with Adam, whom Muslims consider the father of the human race. He recorded what he had heard from people about Adam placing a foot on the top of the Mountain ‘Rahun’ by ascending it while having the other foot in the ocean. The mountain sacred to Hindus and Buddhists then became a place of pilgrimage for Muslims as the abode of Adam. This increased interest in the island and encouraged Arab settlements on its western coast at points suitable for the berthing of ships.
Al-Tajir’s account was the first on Śrī Pāda to reach the West. His original Arabic travel account of the Indian Ocean is preserved at the Bibliothèque Nationale de France (National Library of France) in Paris. In 1718, its first European translation in French—Anciennes Relations des Indes et de la Chine—was published in Paris. In 1733, a little over a decade later, it was translated into English and published in London as Ancient Accounts of India and China by Two Mohammedan Travellers.
Al-Tajir’s original work may have been a useful guidebook and appealed to those keen on ocean travels. It likely paved the way for later travellers such as Ibn Baṭṭūṭa from Morocco and Venetian Marco Polo (1254–1324) as well as mystics such as Abdul Qādir al-Gīlānī (1077–1166 ce) to visit Śrī Pāda. Gīlānī, the founder of the biggest Sufi order Qadiriyya, is venerated at a pre-historic forest cave in Kūragala (Ratnapura District, Sabaragamuva Province) where legends have it that he rested there on his way to Śrī Pāda, making the ancient site a sacred space for Muslims of Sri Lanka and Tamil Nadu (India), especially to Sufi followers of the Qadiriyya order.
First Muslim Visit
Ibn Baṭṭūṭa reported that 10th-century mystic Abdallah Ibn Khafif (d 982), whose tomb is in Shiraz in modern-day Iran, went to Adam’s Peak with about 30 followers. Ibn Khafif’s visit to Śrī Pāda is not recorded in his biographies. If Ibn Baṭṭūṭa is right, Ibn Khafif becomes the first Muslim to have visited Śrī Pāda. He wrote about how Muslims were prevented from making this journey and were maltreated.
Ibn Battuta credited Ibn Khafif for ensuring Muslims were honoured. He wrote about subsequent respect for Muslims, and how locals lodged them in their houses and gave them food. Ibn Baṭṭūṭa wrote when visitors requested, meat was cooked and given to guests but the left-over would not be consumed by the natives and left all of it to dogs and birds.
The Symbolism
Adam’s Peak remains a powerful symbol of Sri Lanka’s rich cultural heritage and tradition of embracing diversity. By welcoming pilgrims from various faiths and backgrounds, Śrī Pāda is a beacon of communal harmony, fostering greater understanding and respect among communities. As a shared sacred space, Adam’s Peak has the potential to promote peace and unity, making it valuable for Sri Lanka’s social cohesion.
The piece is an abridged version of a paper Mahinda Deegalle presented at a conference titled ‘Multiculturalism in Asia – Peace and Harmony’ at CRS International Center for Buddhist-Muslim Understanding, College of Religious Studies, Mahidol University, Salaya, Thailand in August 2016. Mahinda Deegalle is an Emeritus Professor at Bath Spa University.
