Maheswarnath Mandir- Mauritius

Address

Maheswarnath Mandir- Shivala Rd, Triolet, Pamplemousses District, Mauritius

Diety

Shiva Amman: Parvati

Introduction

Maheswarnath Mandir (locally known as “grand shivala Triolet”) is a Shiva temple located in the town of Triolet, Mauritius Country in East Africa.. The presiding deity of the temple is Lord Shiva (one of his epithets is Maheshwarnath, meaning the great Lord). The temple was founded in 1888 by Pandit Shri Sajeebunlall Ramsoondur, who came from Calcutta. The temple is famous for its association with the first pilgrimage to Ganga Talao, the sacred lake found in the center of Mauritius. The temple is the biggest and one of the old temples on the island.

Puranic Significance

The temple is more than 130 years old. The founder of the temple, Pandit Sanjibunlall Ramsoondur, was originally from the state of Bihar in India. He came to Mauritius on 4th April 1866, while travelling from Calcutta. According to a legend, during the temple’s construction, a huge pot of gold and silver coins were found buried on the very spot where the temple was being made. It is believed by many that this gold must have belonged to Indian Ocean pirates from the previous century, which used to attack East Indian company ships for their gold and other precious goods. The money found was then used for the construction of the temple. The temples reflect the Bengal architecture. For instance, the main temple is a variation of the “ratna” style of West Bengal. It is a variation of the pancha-ratna or a five-towered temple built on a platform. The temple is decorated with images of various Hindu deities and floral designs. Since its construction, the temple is always painted white while the sculptures and the floral designs are colorful, in contrast to the white background. The main temple houses lord Shiva in the form of the shiv ling.

Special Features

In the year 1898, Pandit Sanjibunlall along with nine other people trekked all the way to Grand Bassin from Triolet to collect water from the holy lake and offered it to Lord Shiva on Maha Shivratri. The lake came to be known as Pari Talao post popularisation of that story, and it became comparable to the Holy Ganges in India. Since then, people from different parts of Mauritius started following this tradition of going on a pilgrimage to Ganga Talao to collect the holy water. Painted in white, the shrine features colourful sculptures and floral designs which are in stark contrast to the white background. The architecture of the temple itself is inspired from the Bengal style with the building shaped like a five flowered temple which is devoted to the Lord Shiva. Inside the main Temple, you will also find a Shivalinga, idols of Goddess Parvati (wife of Lord Shiva), Ganesh and Kartikeya (sons of Lord Shiva) and the sacred cow, Nandi (transportation of Lord Shiva) at the entrance. There are also several other small temples within the complex dedicated for gods like Natraja, Goddess Laxmi, Lord Hanuman and Lord Narayan.