Maheswarnath Mandir

The Maheswarnath Mandir at Triolet is the largest Hindu temple complex in Mauritius, founded in 1888 and rebuilt and extended several times since, standing in the middle of one of the island's longest villages. The complex holds shrines to Shiva as the principal deity along with Vishnu, Krishna, Muruga, Hanuman and others, in brightly painted concrete architecture with towers of tiered figures in the south Indian manner. Hindus make up close to half the island's population, descendants of the indentured labourers brought from India, and temples like this are at the centre of community life rather than being monuments. Maha Shivaratri, when pilgrims walk to Grand Bassin, brings large gatherings here.

History

The founder, Pandit Sanjibonlall Ramsoondur, originally from Odisha, came to Mauritius from Calcutta on 4 April 1866 as a peddler and acquired land during the grand morcellement that began in 1878, when sugar estates sold off plots; in 1895 he gave 4.10 hectares to a Hindu society. The temple is linked with the first pilgrimage to Ganga Talao, the sacred lake in the centre of the island (Wikipedia, Maheswarnath Mandir).

What to look for

• The main Shiva shrine - the principal sanctuary of the complex.
• Painted towers - the tiered figures over the gateways and shrines.
• The subsidiary temples - the shrines to other deities in the compound.
• Village setting - the temple in the middle of working Triolet.

When to go

May to December for the weather. Maha Shivaratri in February or March is the great festival, when the temple is at its busiest and processions form. Mornings and evenings are when worship happens.

Things to know

This is a working temple, not a monument, and behaviour and dress should follow that; shoes come off. The architecture is modern painted concrete rather than historic stone. Triolet is a busy village with difficult parking. Inner shrines may be closed to non-Hindus.

Nearby

Pamplemousses garden lies south; Grand Baie is northeast.

Key facts