Sri padasthana is a Buddhist site of religious and tourist significance located in the Ratnapura district of the Sabaragamuwa province of Sri Lanka.
Sri Padasthana is also known as adam's peak. Sri Padasthana is also a World Heritage Site. Sri Padasthana is located on the top of the mountain of Samanala and the height of the mountain Samanala is 2215 meters. Samanala mountain is the third-highest mountain in Sri Lanka. mountain of Samanala is Bordered by ratnapura district and nuwara eliya district. The total land area of the Sri Padasthana site is about 22380 hectares. also, the area has been designated a sanctuary and is home to a rich biodiversity ecosystem. due to the difficulty in accessing the Sri Pada Sanctuary, the biodiversity has been protected and prevented from being commercialized. the road to Sri padasthana passes through this reserve and for that reason Sri pada is a scenic destination.
The Religious and historical significance of Sri Padasthana
Sri Padasthana is a place of religious and historical significance in Sri Lanka dating back to 2500 years. the Sri padasthana, the place where Gautama Buddha placed the Sri Pada, is a place of reverence for the Sri Lankan Buddhist people.
According to Stories from Buddhist sources, Sri Pada was established at the top of Samanala Kanda at the invitation of Lord Sumana Saman when the Supreme Buddha visited Kelaniya.
God Sumana Saman is considered to be the ruling deity of the Sabaragamuwa Province of Sri Lanka and is revered by Buddhist people.
The patronage and services rendered to the Sri Padasthana by the ancient kings of Sri Lanka are recorded in the written history of Sri Lanka.
Also, Religious and cultural elements unique to Sri Padasthana as well as descended from the past are still associated with Sri Padasthana today.
Roads to Sri Padasthana
Tourists are allowed to visit Sri Padasthan only for six months of the year. It is only from December to May. Vesak Pohya in May marks the end of the Sri Patha season. It will start again in December.
Although the Sri Pada Vandana season ends in May, one can also witness the climbing of the Sri Padasthan hill between May and December. Those are the people who come to enjoy the beauty of Sri Padasthan Reserve. But this Sri Padasthana is an off-season to climb the mountain so the journey is quite risky. Wildlife activity can be high as rainfall increases and human visitation decreases.
There are mainly three routes to climb Sri Padasthan i.e. Sri Pada Mountain. The three roads are the road starting from the Ratnapura Palabaddala area, the road starting from the Hatton Nallathanniya area, and the Sri Pada road starting from the Kuruvita Eratne Eratne area. Among these three routes that tourists use to climb Sri Padasthana, two routes are mainly popular. It is the route starting from the Palabaddala area of Ratnapura and Sri Pada road starting from the Hatton Nallathanniya area.
If you are looking to climb Sri Padasthan via the Hatton Nallathanniya route it is relatively less distance compared to the Ratnapura Palabaddala Sri Pada route. But you will feel the hilly condition from the beginning of the road.
Also, if you are a tourist coming from Colombo city to climb Sri Padasthan mountain, this Sri Pada route starting from Hatton Nallathanniya area is an easy way for you.
Reaching Hatton by train from Colombo is an easy and beautiful journey. That is because the railway line from Colombo to the hilly areas of Sri Lanka is a railway line that has fallen through a very beautiful environment.
After you reach Hatton town, from there you have to go to Nallathanniya, the starting point of Sri Padasthan. For that, you can take public transport buses from the Hatton Bus Stand to Nallathanniya. But the passenger traffic of public transport buses from Hatton to Nallathanniya is quite high.
If you are planning to travel from Hatton to Nallathanniya by taxi instead of using public transport buses, it is the most suitable solution for the convenience of travel. But taxi fares will be quite high.
The road to Sri Padasthana starting from the Palabaddala area of Ratnapura is longer than the Sri Pada road starting from the Hatton Nallathanniya area. Although the distance is long, the road passes through a beautiful natural environment. Also, the road used to climb the Sri Padasthan mountain in the past in Sri Lanka is the Sri Padasthan route that starts from the Palabaddala area of Ratnapura. If you wish to climb the Sri Padasthana mountain along the Sri Padasthana road starting from the Palabaddala area of Ratnapura, you have to cover a distance of 25 km from Ratnapura city and go to the starting point of Sri Padasthana road in Palabaddala area. For that, you can get travel facilities from Ratnapura bus station by public transport buses going from Ratnapura to Palabaddala.
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| Sri pada mountain road |
Although it is forbidden to carry non-perishable material to Sri Pada land, it has not been properly implemented.
It is the duty of all of us to go to Sri Padasthana without harming the land.
Come and experience the natural beauty of Sri Padasthana mountain and see the cultural and religious aspects of Sri Padasthana.
Useful links and Info
Colombo to Hatton Train Schedule
HINT: The following timings and several of trains may vary due to various reasons.
- Start: Colombo Fort Station- 5.55 ( 1st Class, 2nd Class, 3rd Class)
- Start: Colombo Fort Station- 8.30 (1st Class, 2nd Class, 3rd Class)
- Start: Colombo Fort Station- 9.45 (1st Class, 2nd Class, 3rd Class)
- Start: Colombo Fort Station- 12.40 ( 2nd Class, 3rd Class)
- Start: Colombo Fort Station- 19.25 ( 1st Class, 2nd Class, 3rd Class)
- Start: Colombo Fort Station- 20.30 ( 1st Class, 2nd Class, 3rd Class)
Sri Lanka Railway seats Reservations website- Reservation
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