The Foot Print

On the top of the Peak broad steps lead up to a walled enclosure containing the rock over which is a tower-like structure. The portion marked off as having the imprint of the Buddha's foot is about five feet seven inches long and two feet seven inches broad. The hole in the rock in Thailand, which is believed to have the imprint of the Buddha's right foot, is about five feet long and two feet broad. Buddhists attribute this universal size to the fact (such is the belief) that the Buddha was about thirty-five feet tall. The real footprint on Adam's Peak is believed to be set in jewels beneath the visible rock. *

Muslims believe the footprint to be that of Adam (hence the name Adam's Peak); Christians, that of St. Thomas, the disciple Jesus; and Hindus , that of the god Siva . The Tamil name of the rock ( Civan-oli-pata ) means "the mountain path of Siva's light". Alongside the rock is a shrine containing images (one of which is made of silver) of the god Saman and a Brahmin priest officiates at this shrine. In front of the shrine is a small table on which pilgrims place camphor and lighted candles.

· The soles of the Buddha's feet are said to be flat with all the toes of equal length. On each sole there are one hundred and eight auspicious marks (mangala­ lakkhana), with the wheel (chakra ) the principal mark at the centre while around it are grouped figures of animals, inhabitants of various worlds and other kinds of symbols. The idea is that all things are subject to the Buddha who is lord or all, and under whose feet are all things.

Sri lanka holds the modest honour of initiating the discovery of Footprint of Buddha in Siam in the year 1628 A.D. The fascinating legend connected to it demonstrates the mutual bond between Buddhist communities existed in both countries for centuries. Before the advent of Gandhara art and sculpture, Buddhists in the ancient world had faith in worshipping the footprint as a form of respect to the great teacher.

It is known that replicas of footprints impressed on clay, sculptured on stone or carved in wood, were venerated in temples in ancient Buddhist world. At one stage the total number of such footprints exceeded thirteen thousand in places of worship extending from Afghanistan to Japan.

The influence of Greek/ Gandhara sculpture which was introduced at a later period transformed this form of worship gradually by changing over to venerating Buddha statues. The decline in idolizing the footprint as a result led to search for more specific locations, where Buddha has visited and had blessed those places by setting the sacred footprint.

Total of four such holy sites situated in India, Sri Lanka Indo Greek Ionia and Suwarnabhumi (part of Thailand today) were known in the ancient Buddhist world

They are:

• Narmada river sand bank - India (not discovered yet)
• Sumanakuta - (discovered in Sri Lanka in 3rd century B.C.)
• Indo Greek Ionian city located either in Kashmir or in Bactria (not discovered yet) (Yonaka pura)
• Saccha Baddha Giri (discovered in Siam in the year 1628 A.D)

The above draw up shows that the oldest known site was in Sri Lanka attracting pilgrims from all over the Buddhist world. It is recorded that altogether thirteen Sri Lankan kings, first one in 29 B.C and the last one in 1789 A.D. had climbed the holy mountain while thousands of other local and foreign devotees annually made pilgrimage to the sacred summit.

The fascinating story of how Sri Lankan monks helped indirectly to discover the Pra Buddhapada in Siam begins in connection with a visit to Sri Lanka by two Siamese monks on pilgrimage to Sri Pada. Very few devotees dared to venture into almost a “never return” expedition from their motherland to a strange land at a distance of nearly two thousand miles.

It would have been an extremely difficult journey in those days (in the year 1627 A.D.), as they had to encounter the rough terrains and unforeseen mishaps at home county first and then at a foreign land.

The ships owned by V.O.C were the major available mode of transport to venture in to the risky voyage across the Indian ocean to reach Batticaloa or Trincomalee, the two ports in Eastern sea coast of Sri Lanka under the Kandyan kingdom.