85ft Hanuman Statue at the Sri Dattatreya Yoga Centre
It was an over cast day, there was a fair amount of rain in the morning and the sky was completely covered with clouds. We were returning from visiting the Temple in the Sea, when we remembered that there was very famous statue nearby that we should have a look at. With the help of Google maps, we were able to navigate our way to the Sri Dattatreya Yoga Center, in Carapichima, Trinidad. Upon the approach you can see a statue of the God Hanuman and there is a sign with an arrow that points to the 85ft (26m) Hanuman Statue.
The main Entrance was
magnificent but the place was completely locked and we began to have a sense of
disappointment the we could not enter to see the compound. We decided to drive around to the back and
then we saw a huge car park and the Visitors Gate. It was just us and two other cars that were
present in the Car park. The gentleman
at the gate was very friendly and gave us guidelines about the temple ground
and we got to know that for the ladies, they would have to cover their
shoulders if want to gain entry onto the compound.
We got to know that the statue is the tallest Hanuman statue outside of India, the 2nd tallest in the western hemisphere, and I must say, I was very impressed by this knowledge. I can say for me the place is very pink and beautiful. We took a good walk around and I was very delighted to see the architectural design on the buildings.
Then we took a walk around the statue, it is much taller than it looks, like from a distance away. The Hanuman Statue is very impressive and the attention to detail in remarkable. Also there is a waterway surrounding the statue. The entire Sri Dattatreya Yoga Centre compound is wide and spacious and there was a very calming effect that I felt as we made our way around the buildings and shrines. The beautiful scenery provides you with a variety of precious photo opportunities and moments that will last you a lifetime. The whole compound in overlooked and dominated by the Hanuman Statue as it seems to protect the entire area.
Lastly we looked around it the gift shop and
we were lucky, because it started to rain heavily again. As we looked around and exchanged head nods
with other onlookers (I guess trapped by the rain) there were a lot of
interesting statues, posters, utensils, incents and other things that you would
need if you had to conduct a Hindu religious ceremony.
The scent within this shop was very soothing and calming, I wish I would get to carry this scent with me. As the rain subsided we purchased some items and said farewell the strong and beautiful Hanuman Statue. I would say we all had a wonderful day at the site, we still talk about it so it must have been great and I for one will definitely be returning on a nice sunny day when I can get better pictures. It is as they say, the site is, spiritual, peaceful and beautiful.
Rating: 9/10
A Brief History of the 85ft Hanuman Statue in Carapichima
According to Jaya Guru Datta, on the Official Facebook page, the Sri Dattatreya Yoga Centre, Trinidad, was established by His Holiness and Sadguru Sri Ganapathy Sachchidananda Swamiji. He was born at Mekedatu in southern India on May 26, 1942. Sri Swamiji first visited Trinidad and Tobago in 1976. Pujya Sri Swamiji has said "I have told many times that Trinidad is one of my birthplaces. Though I have many countries, Trinidad has a special place in my heart." The first temple at Carapichima was erected on July 18th 1988 (Sri Dattatreya, 2020). In 2001 His Holiness Sri Ganapathy Sachchidananda Swamiji gave instructions to construct this eighty-five foot (85’) form of Hanuman in Trinidad (Sri Dattatreya, 2020).
In 2002 the building on this monument began and the construction of the foundation started with offerings to Mother Earth. When the steel framework was tied and completed, the concrete was poured into the earth continuously for six hours. The steel frame forming the spine, arms and legs were then welded (Sri Dattatreya, 2020). The Sacred mantras (seed sounds) were chanted as the first blocks was laid to form the foot of Hanuman. The body of the Hanuman was formed by fire clay blocks. The sculptors then ingeniously shaped and molded the proportions and magnificent of Lord Hanuman.
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| Source: Ornate elephants (a sign of auspiciousness) by The Sri Dattatreya Yoga Centre website |
Construction of a new temple on the compound was completed in 2003 and on June 9th 2003, the 85ft mufti of Sri Karya Siddhi Anjaneya (Lord Hanuman) was inaugurated. Pujya Sri Swamiji consecrated two additional temples and murtis of Sri Satyanarayana Swami and Sri Rama Parivaar respectively, on July 2016.
The 85ft tall Karya Siddhi Hanuman Murtis, which is housed within the Temple ground has been acknowledge as a “architectural Masterpiece”. The Statue has a pinkish / saffron (Kesari) colour was built according to the Dravidian style of architecture from Southern India (Sankar, 2011)
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| Source Temple entrance by The Sri Dattatreya Yoga Centre website |
Hindu devotes and tourists all around the world are attracted by the size and beauty of this monument as well as the compound for its rich traditional Indian architecture, peaceful ambience and spirituality. Additionally, other Hindu ceremonies and festivals are celebrated here, such as Poojas, worship to Hindu Ashram Deities and weddings.
Lord Hanuman
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| Lord Hanuman on Destination T&T |
Lord Hanuman, the Monkey God, was the son of Vayu, the god of the wind, and Anjana, a celestial nymph (Krithika, 2016). Hanuman is known to be immortal and invincible, the best warrior and most revered disciple of Lord Rama for his efforts and bravery in defeating Ravan and assisting Lord Ram, Seeta and Ram's brother Lakshman (DestinationTnT, 2020). Hindu devotees pray to him for courage, strength, and protection from evil.
Contact Information:
Office Number (to book for weddings): 1-868-673-5328
Or 1-868-218-1182
E-mail: mail@sdyctt.com
Website: http://sridattatreyayogacentrett.com/
Location: Datta Drive, Orange Field Road, Carapichaima Trinidad and Tobago, West Indies
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