Cailaisson Tamil Temple

The day before we went Northwest, meteo predicted full sun and hot on the west coast...

How wrong they were! We went by bus to Port Louis - the capital - walked it up to the Shri Sockalingum Meenatchee Ammen temple- perhaps better known as the Cailaisson Tamil Temple, just outside Port Louis on the way North. While visiting the temple, it started pouring down!

Historians believe that Hindus were initially present in Mauritius as far back as the beginning of French colonization - 18th century - or even that of the Dutch - 17th century. However, it was not before 1850 that the first Hindu temple - the Shri Krishnamoorthy Draubadai Ammen - was built in Mauricia, Terre Rouge, the result of the pious initiative of brothers Vingtassa and Arounassalon Sinnatambou.

Around 1854, other Tamil traders conceived the building of a great temple in the north of the capital. It is actually the Shri Sockalingum Meenatchee Ammen temple, one of the rare ones to be constructed in accordance with religious Dravidian architectural principles governing the building of places of worship. These precepts state that the temple should ideally be in the shape of the human body with privileged areas reflecting the position of the heart and brain. It comprises several shrines dedicated to Hindu divinities venerated in Tamil Nadu - India.

(copied from the information board at the temple).

 

 

The seven elements; earth, water, fire, air, space, metal and wood.

 

 

Tamil temples are always beautifully decorated.

 

 

Ganesh or Ganesha - the elephant God (?)

 

 

Those young billy goats were hiding from the rain too.

 

 

This handsome guy - peacock -  ran inside when it started raining and didn't want to show his magnificent pride - the tail feathers.

 

 

 From the Cailaisson Temple we went to SSR Bothanical Garden, which will be the next post.