Simultaneously sacred to Buddhists, Hindus, Muslims and Christians – the pre-dawn pilgrimage brings all four traditions up the same illuminated staircase in shared purpose. At the summit, the triangular shadow the mountain casts westward across the plains at dawn is one of Sri Lanka’s most extraordinary natural phenomena. The 2.5 to 4-hour ascent is demanding in the dark but deeply worth it – the company of thousands of pilgrims from different backgrounds, the cold, the lanterns and the shared arrival at the summit as the light comes up are what make this experience genuinely singular.