Kataragama Pada Yatra
The Pada Yatra is Sri Lanka's longest foot pilgrimage. Devotees walk for weeks from the North and East, then cross Kumana and Yala on foot to reach Kataragama.
The Pada Yatra ("journey on foot") is an old pilgrimage that leads to the Esala festival at Kataragama. Each year, groups of devotees, many of them Tamil Hindus from the North and East, set out weeks before the festival and walk the whole way, down the east coast through towns and villages and then across the jungle.
The pilgrims walk barefoot or in simple sandals, carry little, and stop at kovils along the coast for food and rest. Many start near Jaffna, and others join along the way in Trincomalee, Batticaloa and Ampara.
The most famous stretch begins at Okanda, a Murugan shrine at the edge of Kumana National Park in Ampara district. Each year the park gates at Okanda are opened specially for the pilgrims, usually from late June or early July for a few weeks before the festival. From there, they walk for about a week along forest tracks through Kumana and Yala, sleeping in the open and crossing rivers, before reaching Kataragama in time for the festival.
For travellers, this is something to witness rather than join casually. If you are near Arugam Bay at the right time, Okanda is the place to see the pilgrims set off. Anyone planning to walk the jungle section should go with an organised group, as the route passes through elephant and leopard country, and facilities along the way are very basic.
The numbers have grown fast in recent years. More than 30,000 people walked in 2025, and the 2026 season set a new record, with over 41,000 pilgrims passing through the Kumana entrance in about two weeks. The whole journey from Jaffna takes more than a month, and the stretch from Kumana through Yala alone covers over 100 kilometres.
That growth has raised concern among conservationists about the pressure on Kumana and Yala, two of the island's most important wildlife parks. If you walk, stay on the route, carry all your rubbish out and follow the instructions of the wildlife officers and organisers, who manage the gates, campsites and water points along the way.
At a glance
- When: Usually in June
- Duration: Several weeks; the jungle crossing from Okanda takes about a week
- Venue: Okanda Murugan Kovil and Kumana to Kataragama
- Organizer: Pilgrim groups, with the Department of Wildlife Conservation
- Entry: Free