Vishwanath Mandir in Dagotière (Mauritius)
Mauritius is one of the most culturally rich islands in the world. The Mauritian population being mainly composed of Hindus, one cannot fail to find amazing temples on this paradise island. In this edition, we present you one of its cultural gems, the Dagotière Vishwanath Mandir. This temple is one of the oldest Hindu temples in Mauritius.
In 2022, this Mandir celebrated its 100 years. The background of this mandir is that at that time, the villagers had to travel from Dagotière to Rose Belle or Triolet in order to pray. This was because the village did not have a mandir where the devotees could gather. In an effort to make the situation more convenient for the villagers, the members of the Ramayan Mandali came up with the idea of building the Dagotière Vishwanath Mandir.
Sri Luchoomansing Balgobin took full responsibility for the construction and basic needs of the temple with the members of the Ramayan Mandali contributed Rs 25/ each towards the construction cost. Sri Balgobin is known to be the first president of the association and the first priest was Sri Deonarain Pandit. The Vishwanath Mandir has had a long series of successive presidents. The eighth president of the mandir is Sri Ramlochunsing Hazareesingh who was largely responsible for the construction of the present temple. It was he who took the initiative to develop the temple by adding a Durga mandir and two wings to the main mandir, as well as the Vishwanath Mandir Hall. The main activities of the temple include the celebration of Hindu festivals – Maha Shivaratri, Durga Puja, yoga and dance classes.
The 100 years celebration – The 100th anniversary of the temple was organized by the members of the mandir committee. A group of dancers presented a Bharatanatyam performance. “It is a glorious moment to witness the 100th anniversary of the founding of the Mandir in 2022,” said Dhiraj Hazareesingh, current president of the Dagotière Vishwanath Mandir Association. To commemorate this celebration, a magazine will be published by the end of the year to pay tribute to the ancestors who contributed greatly to the development of the mandir. The magazine will focus on the future progress of the temple.