Drone footage of Adam’s Peak shot by Aerial View — Video 1
Start to 0:20 — The opening shots are taken from atop the summit, showing the sunrise and a view of the Maussakelle reservoir.
0:20-0:26 — The Peak appears from a distance.
0:27-0:40 — Shots of needle and thread being carried up the mountain at Indikatupana, a place where Buddhists remember a piece of Sri Lankan folklore about the Buddha tearing his robe and stopping to sew it when visiting the Peak.
0:41-0:46 — The Peace Pagoda at the Japanese temple on the Hatton trail of the Peak.
0:47-1:08 — Switch to aerial drone footage, showing the Sri Pada temple on the summit.
1:09-1:11 — A pilgrim opens the petals of a lotus bud to lay on the Buddha’s footprint.
1:12-1:14 — A monk ties Buddhist flags to the summit railing. This monk, named Ven. Ñanasumana, is the only monk who lives at the Sri Pada temple on the summit year round, even in the rainy offseason when it is closed to pilgrims.
1:15-1:18 — A pilgrim melts oil to be poured into devotional lamps.
1:19-1:40 — More aerial footage.
1:41-1:45 — These coins tied in cloth represent vows made to God Saman at his summit shrine. Pilgrims tie these coins to their wrists for safe passage during their climb, and then leave them for the god in thanks upon reaching the summit.
1:46-1:54 — These musicians live at the summit temple during the pilgrimage season, so they are available to play several times a day as a musical offering to the footprint and God Saman. They also lead the official processions of offerings that happen every morning and evening.
1:55-2:00 — A pilgrim worships the footprint.
2:00-2:05 — Pilgrims ring this bell as many times as they have climbed the Peak.
2:09-End — The final aerial shot provides a glimpse of the fog banks that often suddenly envelop the summit.
Drone footage of Adam’s Peak shot by Aerial View — Video 2
This video begins with a drone taking off from about 2/3 of the way up the Hatton trail.
The subsequent shots follow this trail upward, showing the scale of the staircases that pilgrims must climb.
@0:56 the shot shifts to an aerial view of the summit, and the soundtrack shifts into the most common Buddhist chant in the Pali language:
Buddham Saranam Gacchami I take refuge in the Buddha
Dhammam Saranam Gacchami I take refuge in the Dharma
Sangham Saranam Gacchami I take refuge in the Sangha
@1:29 the aerial shots record a closer view of the Sri Pada temple during its evening offering ceremony.
“Me Sinhala Apege Ratay” — Saravita, 1965 — Video 3
“This is our Sinhala Country”
Music by W. D. Amaradeva / Lyrics by Mahagama Sekera
This clip contains some of the earliest filmed footage of the Peak and its pilgrims.
It is a song in the movie Saravita, about a humble betel-chew salesman named Saraiya. At this point in the film, rowdies from his village caused Saraiya’s son to be taken away by social workers while he was away at work. Saraiya goes to find his son in the classroom of a local orphanage, as the teacher leads her students in this song.
The song is an ode to the natural splendors of Sri Lanka, set against a framework of nationalistic sentiments. The idea of “our country” (apege raṭay) being Sinhala refers not only to the language being spoken, but also the concept of Sinhala as an ethnic identity, especially reflected in the lyrics about children sacrificing blood for the motherland.
Adam’s Peak, called Samanoḷa Giri here, occupies the third verse of this song. The mountain is thereby depicted as an integral piece of Sinhala Buddhist identity.
Video outline:
The establishing shots from the start of the scene to 0:24 are Buddhist images, associating an ideal Sinhala country with this religious heritage. These include shots of the Jaya Sri Maha Bodhi tree and Buddhist ruins in Anuradhapura, as well as ruins of Polonnaruwa.
From 0:24-1:00 the teacher leads the children through the chorus of the song.
At 1:01, as the teacher begins the first verse, the camera pans to a picture on the wall, transitioning into shots of the Sri Lankan landscape that match the lyrics.
At 1:31 the second verse of the song begins. The teacher sings the first two lines, and the children the second two.
From 1:48-1:56, we see Saraiya wander up to the school.
At 1:56, the verse about Adam’s Peak begins, and we see a shot of the summit.
From 2:00-2:14 we see pilgrims ascending the Peak, and 2:14-2:22 shows various prayers being uttered and worshipful postures adopted.
2:22-2:25 shows pilgrims watching the sunrise at dawn, followed by a brief shot of the morning shadow cast by the Peak. The final chorus is then sung back in the classroom.
Below is a transliteration of the Sinhala lyrics, along with an English translation:
Chorus:
mē siṅhala apage raṭayi //— apa ipadena märena raṭayi
apa hada paṇa gähena raṭayi — muḷu lova ē raṭaṭa yaṭayi
This is our Sinhala country //— The country where we are born and die
The country that shakes our hearts and lives — The whole world is beneath that country
Verse 1:
ahasa simbina giri kaňduru //
polava temana väv sayurū
muhuda avaṭa bäňdi pavurū
meraṭa asiri siri eyurū
Kissing the sky are mountains and hills //
Wetting this land are lakes and the sea
The ocean around bound as the rampart
This country’s wondrous beauty like that
Verse 2:
mavu bima venuven poraṇē //
divi dun viru daruvanē
lē valinuyi mē deraṇē
miṇi käṭa mutu äṭa mävunē
On behalf of the motherland in the past
Child heroes gave their lives
The streaks of blood in this earth
Created the jewels and ivory
Verse 3:
samanoḷa giri vaḷalu bimē//
budu siripā pipena imē
sama karuṇā guṇa mahimē
apa upatin lada urumē
On the land that is the bracelet of Samanola Mountain //
At the end where the Buddha’s sacred footprint blooms
In the greatness of equitable compassionate virtue
In the heritage received by our birth
Chorus repeats:
mē siṅhala apage raṭayi — apa ipadena märena raṭayi
apa hada paṇa gähena raṭayi — muḷu lova ē raṭaṭa yaṭayi
This is our Sinhala country — The country where we are born and die
The country that shakes our hearts and lives — The whole world is beneath that country
