Location: Adam�s Peak�s shadow, Sri Lanka (6� 48' 41? N, 80� 29' 59? E)
Date: 3 March 1997; 6.15am
Camera: (analogue) Minolta compact with negatives and scanned
Adam�s Peak is the 4th highest peak in Sri Lanka. It is revered as a holy site by Buddhists, Hindus, Muslims and Christians. It has a 1.8m rock formation at the summit that resembles a footprint- the Buddhists regard that to be the footprint of Buddha, the (Hindu) Brahmans as that of Lord Shiva, the Muslims as that of Adam and the Portuguese Christians have conflicting claims that it is the footprint of St Thomas and the eunuch of Candace, the queen of Ethiopia. As such it is a popular and important pilgrim site. There are several routes to the mountain, involving walking up thousands of steps. Pilgrims normally starts very early in the morning so that they can be at the summit at sunrise to see the distinctive shape of the mountain casting a triangular shadow on the surrounding plain which can be seen to move quickly downward as the sun rises. In fact the walk up the summit during the wee hours of the morning itself can be quite a sight with the zigzag path leading up to the summit lit up by the lights of pilgrims.
