Mauritius is a place of wonder with beauty filling every aspect of its being. Although we were only docked for a day, I was able to see the Island with a distinct point of view. As a student learning World Religions and South Asian Music, I am incorporating my newly acquired knowledge to real life experiences. I stepped foot off the ship ready to explore Hindu temples with my South Asian Music professor, Laxmi Tewari. This is what I saw and experienced.
All my senses were activated-the smell of incents and sweet flowers, the feeling of warm concrete on my bare feet, the sound of chanting, music, and bells ringing hit me through vibrations. My eyes could not grasp the vibrant colors of the natural and man-made beauty. Everything is so beautiful, appeasing and appealing to the eyes. Intricate designs, carefully sculpted temples, everything is sacred. The arrangement of food, architecture of temples, colors of clothing, plants and flowers, decorated Gods and Deities created a melody of experience.
The first temple we visited was one of the most beautiful places of worship I have ever witnessed. A place that I spotted before we even left the main road; intricate and dramatic architecture was visible its vibrant colors. As we pulled down the long driveway, I observed a sanctuary of lush grounds, it reminded me of paradise. The main temple had a large walkway of red tiles with gold lining, a grand entrance. We took off our shoes at the end of the walkway and entered a canopy of worship with beautifully crafted sculptures. An open area surrounded the main temple in which people were walking around. My professor told me to talk to people and pushed me to ask these two women to show me around. They were in long dresses with fancy scarves and gold jewelry. I followed them as they walked around the entire temple. She explained to me that it is appropriate to walk around the entire temple before entering. The reason for her visit to the temple was for a ceremony in honor of her uncle who past away exactly a year ago. We got to witness part of the ceremony, which involved some singing and chanting that I could not understand.
Some of us wandered outside, and a man motioned us to follow him and we did. He took us to the other side of the temple where there was a crazy compilation of sculptures and designs, part of the architecture of the building. He spoke of the cosmic energy, and questioned if we have ever seen electricity. He said that although you may not see it, you can see the effects of it and feel it. If two people feel an electric shock they can talk about it with an understanding that others can not grasp. It was a casual lecture from a toothless man with dingy clothes, he had so much knowledge to share with us and we were hungry for it. One of most intriguing and thrilling lectures I have ever received. This is the type of learning that sticks and derives a whole new curiosity for the bare wonderment of life. The toothless man was soon interrupted by my professor who abruptly said, “lectures over, we must go now”. We scurried out with three more temples to visit, we had much more learning to partake in.
The second temple we visited continued the theme of natural beauty and vibrant colors, a dream church in my mind. We entered a service of live music and chanting, the floor was filled with people in bright dress showing a collage of color. We took off our shoes and made our way around the temple and found an interesting spout that poured out yellow water. Flowers rested around this magnificent sight of unfamiliarity, it was very interesting. The smell of incents filled my nostrils as I inhaled a deep breath and observed the deities. I followed Hindus as they prayed to each deity at the end of their walk. On our way out we witnessed a group of men cutting firewood and preparing a rectangular pit. One man informed us that this would soon be a large fire pit and he along with others would walk across it…barefoot! He has been fasting for days in preparation for the large festival.
At the next temple we found more people preparing for the festival, it was only three days away. We witnessed a prayer for the 9 planets; it included meticulously arranged plants, beans, food, and candles. I was able to sit with one woman praying to Shiva, she explained to me that she is in devotion for 11 days to Shiva. She shared her mat with me and showed her process of prayer. She was so welcoming and it was very special to be close and intimate in prayer with her.
The last temple was further away and we hit some traffic on the way. The streets were filled with people walking to the lake at the mountain where hundreds of thousands were congregating. Groups of people were carrying float replicas of Gods that took up half the roadside. The temple we visited was a major resting spot for individuals partaking in their 150 kilometer journey. They were able to sleep, eat, and drink at the temple. We walked through people sleeping on mats in all areas outside the temple. They invited us to stay for food and tea but we had to leave. They told us that over 2,000 people eat there throughout the year. I would have liked to partake in this but our professor warned us that our stomachs would not fare well.
One thing that sticks out in my mind from this day is the variation in activities and people at each temple. Each one was an extremely different scene, a lack of hegemony, which varies from my perception of religious places of worship, especially on Sundays. Overall, this was a wonderful day that transformed my introduction knowledge of Hinduism into a new light. I would not say I’ve acquired understanding because I am still quite confused and will probably always be. I do understand and realize the importance of Hinduism in culture. It is not just a religion but a way of life that recognizes the sacred in so many different ways.
We left the temples around noon and had the next 4 hours to live it up in Mauritius. The group that went to the temple ventured to the beach and had quite the day. We swam for hours, soaked up the sun, went tubing in the ocean, and enjoyed beers by the beach. It was pretty incredible.
