An island-wide celebration: Maa Durga in all Her glory, towering 108 feet tall above the holy grounds.
Our reporter in Mauritius travels to the sacred lake Ganga Talao for a festive inauguration of the world’s largest statue of Maa Durga
BY SAVITA TIWARI, MAURITIUS
Ashwin Navratri is always a special celebratory time on the small island of Mauritius, but this year it was something much more. A river of pride flooded the hearts and minds of our island’s more than six hundred thousand Hindus, and it was also an important moment for Hindus worldwide. September 30 marked the completion of the world’s tallest Durga statue, towering at a height of 108 feet at Ganga Talao, our most sacred lake in the hilly south of Mauritius. For two days, Maa Durga was the honored guest at this new annual island event, Durgotsav, during which the grand statue was consecrated.
Organized on a national level, it took place on September 30 and October 1. The ceremony started on Navami, the 9th day of Navaratri, and completed on the auspicious day of Vijayadashmi. I started my journey to the inaugural festival early in the morning on its first day. This was the same Ganga Talao I have visited hundreds of times, and it was the same route I’ve always taken. But somehow the feeling was completely different from what I had ever felt while traveling up to this 1,800 foot hilltop.
When I made my way around the last curve of the road and turned towards the lake, the sight was divine. I suddenly understood why the energy was so different. For the first time, standing alongside the 108-foot-tall Mangal Mahadev (Siva) was the completed and equally majestic Maa Durga. There they both were to welcome devotees to their abode, the lake we Mauritians revere as Mount Kailash.
DURGOTSAV Ganga Talao lake and surrounding shrines and temples during Durgotsav 2017, celebrating the Mother Goddess and the completion of Her new statue.
Until now, Mahasivaratri has been the only time of year that Mauritians don’t feel burdened by traffic, as scores of pilgrims make their way to the lake. Now we have Navaratri as another occasion where people can put aside their daily problems and simply celebrate. Everyone was enjoying the distant sight of Siva and Shakti together as we approached. From nearly half a mile I was able to smell the fragrances of incense sticks and burning homas and hear the divine sounds of Sanskrit mantras and people singing bhajans to the Goddess.
Pilgrims had to park further away than usual, as tents, pilgrims and Maa Durga Herself were occupying the usual spaces. As I was leaving the parking lot, a man approached me with a broad smile and a hearty “Jai Mata Di!” He was passing out red ribbons embossed with those words to tie around our foreheads. Everyone accepted the ribbons with gratitude, and replying “Jai Mata Di,” they helped one another tie them on. The man then continued on to greet other arriving guests.
It was all a very new feeling. In Mauritius no one had ever greeted each other with those words of praise to the Mother Goddess. Today it was coming so naturally to everyone, like we had all been saying it for years. People were enthused to greet each other with joy. Today my thoughts focused on a question: “What is the meaning of the world’s tallest Maa Durga statue?” Upon arriving at Her feet, that meaning became instantly clear.
During Mahasivaratri, Ganga Talao is dominated with the color white, honoring Siva. But today, as I walked up the main road towards Maa Durga. I saw nothing but red everywhere. All the women were wearing red sarees and everyone had red ribbons around their foreheads. The flowers in every offering tray were red; and, somehow, I too had unconsciously worn red today. Red is the color of Durga, Goddess of love, energy and all manifest existence. As I reached the feet of Durga, all I could feel was blessedness. She welcomed me with a motherly smile and an assurance of protection, Her many powers represented by the weapons in her eight hands. I felt so much love in that moment. I could have stared up at this beautiful statue for hours, but after a long time of looking straight up, a gradual neck pain reminded me to continue on. I offered my prayers and made my way to a group of pandits who had arrived from India for the ceremony. I inquired about the meaning of the rites.
One punditji explained: “As the statue is made up of inert material, it must be infused with life energy that is of divine origin. The term for ‘life force ’in Sanskrit is prana, and by the prana pratishtha (installation) ceremony, the murti is infused with the subtle form of the Deity, becoming a channel for the Deity in the physical world. Thus the ceremony marks the recognition of this statue to represent a particle of the Divine whole to be held in one’s inner mind while worshiping this outer form.”
I wanted to inquire further into this mystical explanation, but the pandits needed to be on the platform to start the puja. I thanked them and headed off into the crowd to talk with pilgrims. I came upon a young girl praying, her eyes closed, deep in reverent thought. When she opened her eyes and came back into this world, I approached to ask what she felt was the meaning of having the world’s tallest Maa Durga statue here in Mauritius.
Her name was Radhika, a 15-year-old schoolgirl. She responded, “It is something that makes me feel really proud. As a small island, we don’t have so many big monuments and such things to take pride in. But here in this moment we are inaugurating something you will find nowhere else in the world. We are in the news everywhere. While there are many countries with lots of Hindus, it is Mauritius that has accomplished this. We are such a small island, but as the smallest Hindu-majority country, we can do such great things.” Throughout our conversation I became a bit overwhelmed with the knowledge she possessed about her religion. I asked her how she knew so much, and she told me that she had thoroughly studied Hinduism online because she wanted to be sure about everything relating to her dharma.
Radhika told me of her Facebook group of young people who had made a page about Hinduism in Mauritius. Every day they post new information about Hinduism and their beliefs and practices so that young people can better know what their religion really means. My mind turned again to Durga. I felt She was inspiring young Hindus to understand themselves and their heritage.
I soon happened upon a young videographer named Ian Jadoo who was busy tinkering with his electronic gadgets. He told me, “My drone has flown over Mangal Mahadev so many times, but capturing both divine masculine and feminine in one shot is a real challenge.” I waited for him to get his shot, piloting his drone just above the two statues. After half an hour of juggling between his drone controller and his computer screen, he got the perfect take. His face gleamed with satisfaction as powerful as the sun’s glare off his computer screen. Everyone around us was taking selfies with Maa Durga. They also tried to capture both Maa Durga and Mangal Mahadev in a single frame, but it is very difficult to do.
READ THE FULL ARTICLE AT: https://www.hinduismtoday.com/magazine/mauritius-welcoming-the-mother-goddess/