Showing posts with label watkhmer. Show all posts
Showing posts with label watkhmer. Show all posts
Tuesday, June 4, 2013
Sunday, April 21, 2013
Friday, April 19, 2013
Śrī Pada: Shrouded in legend and history
Śrī Pada: Shrouded in legend and history
by Aryadasa Ratnasinghe
"In that yle is a great Mountayne and thei of the Countrey seym, that Adam
and Eve wepten upon that Mount a hundred Zeer whan thai weren driven out of Paradys."
- Sir John Maundeville.
The pilgrim season to the holy mountain Śrī Pada (also known as Samantakuta, Samanhela,
Samangira,
Samanalakanda and Samanalagira), begins annually on the 'Unduvap' fullmoon day
in December and ends
on the 'Vesak' fullmoon day in May. During this open semester,
pilgrims ascend the mountain to pay homage to the sacred footmark, which is considered
holy by the Buddhists, Christians, Hindus and Moslems alike, according to their individual
beliefs. Therefore, Śrī Pada is the only mountain in the world receiving benefactions and
veneration of devotees belonging to different faiths. The summit of the mountain is a small plateau, and according to measurements made by
Lieut. Malcolm (the first European to ascend the mountain in 1816), "it is 74 ft. in
length and 24 ft. in breadth," the total area being 1,776 sq. ft. On the summit there
is a huge boulder, about 8 ft. high., atop which is found the sacred footmark. According
to mythical conception woven into the fabric of native folklore, the real impression of
the Foot lies under the boulder, on a blue sapphire. To prevent it from sacrilegious
profanation, god Sakra had covered it with the boulder.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)