''Mangal Mahadev'' is a 33 m (108 ft) tall sculpture of the Hindu god
Shiva
Shiva (; sa, शिव, lit=The Auspicious One, Śiva ), also known as Mahadeva (; ɐɦaːd̪eːʋɐ, or Hara, is one of the principal deities of Hinduism. He is the Supreme Being in Shaivism, one of the major traditions within Hin ...
standing with his
Trishula
The ''trishula'' () is a trident, a divine symbol, commonly used as one of the principal symbols in Hinduism.
In Nepal and Thailand, the term also often refers to a short-handled weapon which may be mounted on a ''daṇḍa'' "staff". Unlik ...
(trident) at the entrance of
Ganga Talao
Ganga Talao (commonly known as Grand Bassin) is a crater lake situated in a secluded mountain area in the district of Savanne, deep in the heart of Mauritius. It is about above sea level. The first group of pilgrims who went to Ganga Talao were ...
(Grand Bassin), a crater lake situated in the district of
Savanne district
Savanne () or Savannah is a Districts of Mauritius, district of Mauritius, situated in the south of the island. The district has an area of 244.8 km2 and the population estimate was at 68,585 as at 31 December 2015. The southern part of the islan ...
,
Mauritius
Mauritius ( ; french: Maurice, link=no ; mfe, label=Mauritian Creole, Moris ), officially the Republic of Mauritius, is an island nation in the Indian Ocean about off the southeast coast of the African continent, east of Madagascar. It incl ...
.
It is a replica of the Shiva statue in Sursagar lake in
Vadodara
Vadodara (), also known as Baroda, is the second largest city in the Indian state of Gujarat. It serves as the administrative headquarters of the Vadodara district and is situated on the banks of the Vishwamitri River, from the state capita ...
, Gujarat in India and is the tallest statue in Mauritius.
Inauguration
Mangal Mahadev Monument was inaugurated in 2007 and the "Sthapan" was done during the Maha Shivratri period of 2008. It is considered the most sacred
Hindu place in Mauritius.
Bird's eye view
Retrieved on 5 May 2007 There are temples dedicated to other Gods including Durga
Durga ( sa, दुर्गा, ) is a major Hindu goddess, worshipped as a principal aspect of the mother goddess Mahadevi. She is associated with protection, strength, motherhood, destruction, and wars.
Durga's legend centres around comb ...
, Hanuman
Hanuman (; sa, हनुमान, ), also called Anjaneya (), is a Hindu god and a divine '' vanara'' companion of the god Rama. Hanuman is one of the central characters of the Hindu epic ''Ramayana''. He is an ardent devotee of Rama and ...
, Lakshmi
Lakshmi (; , sometimes spelled Laxmi, ), also known as Shri (, ), is one of the principal goddesses in Hinduism. She is the goddess of wealth, fortune, power, beauty, fertility and prosperity, and associated with ''Maya'' ("Illusion"). Alo ...
and Ganesh
Ganesha ( sa, गणेश, ), also known as Ganapati, Vinayaka, and Pillaiyar, is one of the best-known and most worshipped deities in the Hindu pantheon and is the Supreme God in Ganapatya sect. His image is found throughout India. Hindu ...
around the Shiva Temple and Mangal Mahadev statue on the banks of the Grand Bassin. During Shivaratri
Maha Shivaratri (IAST: Mahāśivarātri) is a Hindu festival celebrated annually in honour of the god Shiva. The name also refers to the night when Shiva performs the heavenly dance called Tandava.
In every month of the luni-solar Hindu ...
, many pilgrims in Mauritius walk bare feet from their homes to the lake and pray at the feet of the sculpture.
See also
* Hinduism in Mauritius
Hinduism came to Mauritius when Indians were brought as indentured labour to colonial French and later in much larger numbers to British plantations in Mauritius and neighboring islands of the Indian Ocean. The migrants came primarily from wha ...
References
External links
* {{Commons category-inline, Ganga Talao Shiva Monument
Hinduism in Mauritius
Colossal statues
Shiva in art
2007 sculptures
2007 establishments in Mauritius