Sri Siva Subramaniya Temple

At the end of Nadi's main street stands one of the largest Hindu temples in the southern hemisphere, and easily the most colourful building in Fiji: a Dravidian-style complex with towering gopuram gateways carved into tiers of painted deities in sky blue, crimson and gold. Built in the 1990s by craftsmen brought from India, who also painted the ceiling frescoes, it serves the Indo-Fijian community descended from indentured labourers brought to work the sugar plantations from the 1870s - a history that shaped modern Fiji as much as any other. It is a working temple, welcoming visitors who observe its rules.

History

The original temple stood on the site for a long time, and it was there that the Then India Sanmarga Ikya Sangam, the TISI Sangam, was founded in 1926. At the Sangam's golden jubilee in 1976 the foundation was laid for a new and larger national temple; a new lease of the Crown land was obtained in 1983, building began with the Bhoomi Pooja in January 1984, the piling was finished in 1986, and after a pause of some five years a new committee under Narayan Reddy completed the temple in the Dravidian style and by the principles of Vastu, its consecration held on 15 July 1994. It is the largest Hindu temple in the Southern Hemisphere, and for the Sangam's centenary in 2026 artisans from Tamil Nadu came to repaint and restore its carvings (Wikipedia, Sri Siva Subramaniya Temple).

The main sights

• The gopuram towers - tiers of brightly painted carved deities.
• The ceiling frescoes - painted by artisans brought from India.
• The main shrine - dedicated to Murugan, with daily rituals.
• Nadi's market - the produce and spice market a short walk up the street.

When to go

The drier months from May to October are the most pleasant for wandering Nadi. Thaipusam and other festivals fill the temple with ceremony and colour. It sits minutes from the international airport, which makes it the classic first or last stop of a Fiji trip.

Before you go

This is an active place of worship with firm rules: shoes off, shoulders and knees covered, no photography inside the inner areas, no leather items, and no entry to certain sections for non-Hindus. Sarongs are available at the entrance. Nadi town itself is functional rather than beautiful; most visitors treat it as a transit stop and the temple as its one genuine sight.

Nearby

Nadi market, the Sabeto hot springs and mud pools, and the Denarau resort strip.

Key facts