This year’s Sri Pada pilgrimage season officially concluded at midnight on Saturday (30), the Chief Custodian of the Sri Pada Rajamaha Viharaya, Venerable Bengamuwe Dhammadinna Thero, said in an announcement carried by Ada Derana.
A series of religious observances was held at the Sri Pada Uda Maluwa to coincide with Vesak Poya Day. After the rituals concluded, the Sacred Relic Casket, the Statue of God Saman and the divine insignia were carried in ceremonial procession along four routes down the mountain to the Pelmadulla Galpoththawela Sri Pada Rajamaha Viharaya.
The procession along the Ratnapura route departed from the Sri Pada Uda Maluwa and reached Galpoththawela in the early hours of Sunday. The sacred relics will remain at the temple until the next pilgrimage season begins.
The Sri Pada (Adam’s Peak) pilgrimage runs annually from Unduwap Poya in December through Vesak Poya in May, drawing hundreds of thousands of Buddhist, Hindu, Muslim and Christian pilgrims who climb to venerate the footprint at the summit. This year’s season closes against an active enforcement backdrop, with police having arrested 322 suspects on drug charges during the pilgrimage, and a Cabinet-level task force studying a cable-car project to manage future visitor flows.
Source: Ada Derana.
