|
|
Route of the traditional two-month pada yatra from Jaffna to Kataragama. Click on map to view at full size.
|
The traditional two month long Pada Yatra or foot pilgrimage from Jaffna to Kataragama annually in May-June-July is neither a peace march nor a political rally, but a traditional procession of village devotees who represent the rural voice of Sri Lanka.
The Pada Yatra tradition is an essential part of Lanka's multi-cultural ethos. The Yatra begins with pilgrims moving from one sacred site to another, with their numbers growing as the Yatra progresses. Over 30,000 pilgrims walked in 2004.
![]() View the trailer to video documentary Haro Hara: Pilgrimage to Kataragama, filmed on location in Sri Lanka from June through August 2003. The film follows a growing band of Tamil Hindu pilgrims through towns, villages, fields and jungles as they travel to Kataragama. |
|