03 January 2011

Ira Sevaya


I climbed Adam's Peak on the New Year Day and was on top of the mountain on the 2nd morning.

Even tough I had climbed the mountain several times; I had never seen the phenomenon known as 'Ira Sevaya' - Service of the Sun. This time I was very lucky to see this dramatic display of the rising sun.

Ira Sevaya is the rise and fall of the sun just before the sun rise. People believe that the sun is worshipping the mountain. Actually this is a natural occurrence that could be seen from other places too. Due to the unique location of the mountain and the altitude of the mountain top, there is a better possibility of seeing this natural effect from Adam’s Peak than other places. This natural effect is explained very well in this article here.

It was a rainy day on the 1st and it was very misty through out the climb. We were at the top by 5am and the entire mountain was covered with thick clouds. So we had very little expectations of seeing the sunrise. But suddenly around 5.30, just before the sunrise, the clouds and the thick mist cleared out and we were very fortunate to see this fantastic display of sun rise.

46 comments:

Hoot-a-Toot said...

Wow! What a way to start a new year.
Wish you a great 2011!!!

Kirigalpoththa said...

Hoot-a-Toot,
Thanks a lot and wish you a bright new year 2011!

Design Elements said...

great! Happy new 2011!

Kirigalpoththa said...

Design Elements,
Thanks and wish you the same! :D

rainfield61 said...

I admire and am inspired by both you and Senior Hiker. The capture is beautiful.

Elen Susan said...

That looks a beautiful photo. Have a happy New Year!

Pedro D. H. said...

It's a great view. I hope one day I climb such a height mountain, I'm not very confortable with heights...

Kirigalpoththa said...

Rainfield,
Thanks a lot. Senior hiker too has posted similar photo today. Hope you saw it. :D

Elen,
Thanks and wish you the same :)

Pedro,
Thanks mate. This is bit of a challenging climb, but it is very safe.

Thanks all for your comments!

Amaris in Wonderland said...

What a wonderful way to ring in the New Year! It must have been an amazing experience.

Kudos on the great capture, K! The lighting of the sky from the rising sun at dawn has always seemed so magical to me. It is assuredly far more impressive from the top of a mountain! Thank you for sharing this amazing view.

Happy 2011, friend. :)

DIGITAL WORLD PAGES ARCHIVE said...

Hello!
I liked this blog very much!
Wonderful blog!
Happy New Year!

Janith said...

Couldn't have said it better than Hoot. Happy New Year, K! :D The picture is brilliant! Just Wow! :D

Dejemonos sorprender said...

Hi, beautiful picture.. seems to be a great moment.. i really liked..
Greetings..

silent moments said...

a brilliant day break !
Ideal picture for the new year

George said...

This is an absolutely gorgeous picture. Seeing this is definitely worth the hike to the top of the mountain. It must have been thrilling to see it in person.

Betsy Banks Adams said...

WOW----how fabulous!!!!! There's nothing better than a beautiful sunrise ---and from where you were, it had to have been tremendous... WOW!!!!!

Thanks for sharing.... I LOVED it.
Betsy

betchai said...

it's so beautiful, and serene. Happy New Year to you too.

Tammie Lee said...

oh, so beautiful!

eileeninmd said...

I am so happy you got to see this beautiful sunrise. Gorgeous photo! I wish you and yours a very Happy, Healthy New Year.

Linnea said...

I'm glad the skies cleared for you to witness this...very interesting display and a gorgeous photo too. I feel like I'm right there! Thanks! and happy new year to you!!

Amila Salgado said...

You've had a great start for the year! I too was in the Peak Wilderness Sanctuary during those days, though I opted not to climb the Adam's Peak.

Happy New Year!

Carol said...

This is stunning! Your climb, the mist then clearing for the rays of sun to paint the sky and clouds ... amazingly beautiful. Very interesting to read about the views from hilltops. I imagine being there was extraordinary. Thank you for sharing! An auspicious beginning to the New Year! May the remaining year offer you such greatness.

Kirigalpoththa said...

Amaris,
Yes, all the mountains towards east of Sri Pada are dwarves compared to the sheer height of it. So it gives a perfect view of this fascinating natural display.

Amin,
Thanks a lot for dropping by and for your comments

Chavie,
Thanks very much and look forward to a fascinating year of blogging!

Dejemonos,
Glad you like it. Thanks mate!

Silent Moments,
Yes, I started last year the same way :D

George,
Yes, it was an awesome experience. Especially when that mist got cleared in a flash we felt like some divine force did it :) Awesome..

Betsy,
The only thing we had to worry was the mist. When that got cleared you are sure to see one of the most fascinating spectacles on earth.

Thanks all for your comments and wish you a wonderful new year ahead!

Kirigalpoththa said...

Betchai,
Wish you the same and thanks a lot for your comments :)

Tammie,
Glad you like it :D

Eileen,
Thanks a lot. Yes it was refreshing start for the New Year!

Linnea,
Yes, it was a magical experience. You would have loved it if you were there. I’m sure! :)

Gallicissa,
O! You were in the vicinity. I should have known that otherwise should have done a detour to say hi to you :)
Thanks for the wishes mate!

Carol,
It was a stunning experience. We kind of lost hope at the top, but everything changed in a few minutes and clouds cleared like a massive curtain opening in a theater. Then the show started!
Yes, couldn’t have been in a more auspicious time :)


Thanks all for your comments and wish you a wonderful new year ahead!

Design Elements said...

thanky for your comment! can't wait to see anoter pics on your blog :-)

Anjana Gunawardena said...

Beautiful shot K,

Did you manage to get the shadow of the Samanala Kanda too?

Frieda said...

What a wonderful way to begin the new year. The picture is impressive. How fortunate that the clouds disappeared in the right moment!

Sankara Subramanian C said...

WOW! Must have been a fabulous experience!

Happy 2011 to you and your family!

Kirigalpoththa said...

Design Elements,
Just give me a few days :) I'll come with my next post soon.

Anjana,
No, I could not. May be that was there for few seconds, but I missed it. I was busy capturing thr sunrise and by the time I went back to see the shadow it was not there.

Frieda,
Yes, it was pure luck. I had to climb here 4 times to see it.

Amin,
Thanks a lot :)

Sankara,
Thanks mate!
Wish you and your family a fab new year 2011.

Anonymous said...

Nice shot. The sun looks great against he colors of the sky.

Tes said...

Happy New Year K! Another year of blogging for us!

Kirigalpoththa said...

Flutietootie,
Thanks very much for your comments. :)

Tes,
Yep, another year with full of hopes. Wish you a great new year ahead :D

Amila Kanchana said...

I've only been there once and witnessing this was impossible that day,the mist was so thick that we were practically among the clouds!

Magia da Inês said...

Olá, amigo!
Passei para conhecer seu espaço. Amei essa foto de amanhecer, mesmo incrível!
Seu blog é um show com todas essas lindas fotos da natureza... amei.
Bom domingo!
Bj♥s
Brasil ♥

Kirigalpoththa said...

Amila,
Yes, it is not easy to see Ira Sevaya with the usual cloud cover.

Magia da Inês,
Oi bem vindos!
Graças!!

Cat,
Thanks very much. :)

Anonymous said...

What a nice color of orange.

Kirigalpoththa said...

Thanks flutietootie! :D

Magia da Inês said...

Olá, amigo!
Passei para desejar uma semana cheia de paz, muita saúde e inspiração para novas fotografias.
Beijinhos.
Brasil ♥
♥♥ °º
° ·.

Design Elements said...

looking forward to see other images of you :-)

sumedha Obeysekera said...

Great work in deed..

Kirigalpoththa said...

Agnes da Magia,

Obrigado:)

Seu amigo do Sri Lanka,
K

Design Elements,
Was bit busy last few days. Will show the rest of the photos soon :)

Sumedha,
Thanks a lot mate!

NicoleB, Kuwait said...

It looks gorgeous. What a breathtaking experience that must have been, wow. Glad you were lucky and the clouds and mist cleared up!

Kirigalpoththa said...

Nicole,
Yep, it was a great day and a lovely experience to start the year afreash.
Thanks very much for your comments :)

B i r g i t t a said...

This is a beautiful sunrise and a mighty one :)

Kirigalpoththa said...

Birgitta,
Thanks a lot :)

Gadgetgirl said...

am in love with this, Mr Sunshine

Kirigalpoththa said...

Hi Geegee,
Me too. I am ready to go there even now for another 'sun show' up there.
Thanks for your comment :)