Located in the village of Waterloo in the Gulf of Paria, exists a floating Hindu Temple which was reconstructed in 1994 to commemorate 150th anniversary of the first Indian indentured workers. This temple is a place of worship to some, others a historical landmark. I had the pleasure of visiting the temple and was in awe of its construction, history and the many flowers, birds and fish. There is a serene breeze which beckons quiet introspection.
1. That
this temple was initially built by one man named Sewdass Sadhu on a piece of
unused swamp land close to the shore.
2. Sewdass
planted ‘gaandar koopar’ a flower that is quite fragrant from a distance.
3. He
also planted a garden that is the habitat for several various species of
butterflies
4. Devotees
gather for Kartik, a three day festival commemorating the sea with song dance
and food.
5. The
management of the sugar company that owned the piece of swamp land ordered it be
demolished in 1930.
6. Sadhu
refused to demolish the temple and so was taken to court and fined $500.00 and
sentenced to fourteen (14) days in prison for trespassing.
7. The
Sugar company was granted a court order to demolish the temple but could not
get any locals to do the job
8. Sadhu
warned the man that agreed to demolish the temple that his life will be broken
just as he broke the temple. The man died within a month, injuries sustained
while demolishing the temple
9. After
his 14 day imprisonment he returned to the site to rebuild his temple
10. He
collected broken bricks from a nearby factory and dumped them on the shore load
after load in a straight line out to sea to make a walk way to build the mandir
on the sea
11. He
was ridiculed and laughed at by villagers who said it would wash away
12. He
didn’t just build a mandir but a prayer complex which consisted of three (3)
mandirs, a kitchen, a dining room, restroom and another room. Looped around was
a veranda
13. When
the project was completed the villagers attended various Hindu festivals.
14. In
1970, he died from a heart attack
15. The
temple became dilapidated over years
16. In
1994 the government decided to reconstruct the temple in time to commemorate
the 150th Anniversary of the first arrival of Indian indentured
workers in Trinidad
17. In
1995, it was consecrated and named the Sewdass Sadhu Shiv Mandir
18. There
is a statue of him that stands upon the shore.
Visited here with old friend on one of my trips back home. It was a weekday just before sunset. Lovely place to do some quiet introspection.
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