The Temple in the Sea
It was a nice warm sunny day so we decided to take a drive to Waterloo in central Trinidad to look at the Temple in Sea and the 85ft Hanuman Murti Statute. Our first stop was at the Temple at at Sea, and I must say I was very surprised at how beautiful the place is. The water was calm, you could see Port of Spain and South Trinidad from a totally different perspective. It was truly an amazing place to be, as we walked over the walk way looking at the statues and the beautiful flowers, the Temple itself is an amazing piece of architectural design. Although the building is small, it is stunning and striking to look at. We were not allowed to go inside, but we got to look inside and it was worth the curiosity. The four (4) Hindu Gods all in a row to the front, and the all the open space was magnificent to behold. But to me the best part of my trip was the view from the back of the building where have the perfect view of the Gulf of Paria. I have never seen the sea from this point of view, where you get the feeling you are walking out onto the water as the Temple is really in the Sea, Another amazing thing about this place are all the small statues that were placed on the rocks behind the Temple, some may have been broken by the tide. All in all it was a great time had be all, and while we were making out exit, we wanted to look at the statue of the man who build this wonder. Sewdas Sadhu want the name of the man on the statue, which had been commemorated for. So I got curious an wanted to know more about this one man able to create such a Wonder. As we drove off to see the 85ft statue, I told myself I must know the whole story behind the legend of the man who single handed built the Temple in the Sea.
Mr. Sewdas Sadhu was born in 1901 in the holy city of Benares near the Ganges River in India, and when he became a young man he came to Trinidad as an indentured sugar-worker. Mr. Sadhu would save his wages and make the trip back to his homeland and visit the holy shrines to worship. According to Mr. Ibrahim Khan aka “Mr. Sheik”, stated that Mr. Sadhu said, “he had made a promise to Bhajiwan (God) to return” (Maharaj, 1996). As time passed and the years rolled, and the cost of living gradually increasing, it became difficult for Mr. Sadhu to afford to keep up his regular homeland pilgrimage on his meager labourer’s wage of $20.00.
On day because of his love for his God, He decided to construct a holy shrine on his own in Trinidad. Many villagers claim that the calm sea side view of the Gulf of Paria at Waterloo, looked like the Ganges River to him. Mr. Sadhu decided to construct his shrine on MacMillian Park near the swamp land, close to the shoreline at waterloo (Farmer, 2016). After several months the first shrine was completed in 1947, complete with flags, a garden and statues dedicated to Lord Ganesh, Lord Hanuman, Lord Shiva and Mother Durga. Finally, the Hindus in Trinidad had a place to have a pilgrimage and pray. It was a place of legendary beauty and all was well!
It would
be some until the management of Tate and Lyle Limited, who owned all of the
property in the area took notice that here was a shrine that was built on their
land. Although this swamp land had no
residential or commercial value, the sugar company demanded that Mr. Sadhu tear
down the shrine. The sugar company took Mr.
Sadhu to court. He was sentenced to 14 days’
imprisonment for trespassing and was fined $500, just over two years of income
in installments. The court also granted
permission for the sugar company to demolish the structure. Destruction of the shrine did not start immediately
as none of the locals would dare not raise a hand to destroy a holy
shrine.
Mr. Sheik stated that a British overseer by the name of Mr. Gunn drove a bulldozer through the temple and destroyed Mr. Sadhu’s Holy shrine. Ramnarine Binda, a former local councilor, stated that the British sugar company representative who gave the order for the shire to be demolished, suddenly came down with a disease and died not long after the shrine was destroyed. Also, within a month after the demolition, Mr. Gunn was bulldozing a tree not too far from the site of the shine and the tree fell on him, and broke his back. He died shortly after (Maharaj, 1996). In just five years after its construction the first Waterloo Shrine was destroyed (DestinationTT, 2020).
Not to be defeated, Mr. Sadhu had a vision of the Temple being out in the water, out into the sea. He began collecting bricks from a nearby brick factory, transporting them on his bicycle and onto the shore. He eventually saved up enough money to purchase a truck and day after day, month after month, load after load he would pour the bricks onto the shore (Maharaj, 1996). One day he decided to pour concrete in some empty barrels to help with the foundation. Mr. Sadhu placed and flattened placed the broken bricks and stones by hand, until there was pathway to drive the truck on to extend out into the sea.
It is said
by the villagers, that one day the tide became high, and both the truck and Mr.
Sadhu could not leave until the next day.
The damage to the truck was so severe that it was beyond repair, and so
he had to transport the rest of material and complete the construction with
only the use of his bicycle. This must
have been a true labour of love. It took
him 25 years to singlehandedly complete his vision, but when it was finally
completed it was no longer just a shrine but an entire Temple compound, with
three shrines or mandirs, a dining room, other rooms and a restroom, all of it
surrounded by a verandah (Maharaj, 1996). When completed, visitors from all over came in
by the hundreds to see his creation. It
was considered a Holy place of pilgrimage by the Hindu community.
After returning from a pilgrimage to India and spending many happy hours at the Temple complex in the sea, Mr. Sadhu died of a heart attack in 1970. His loss was felt throughout the Waterloo village, and many other religious communities gave thanks and praise to Mr. Sadhu’s, courage, strength and perseverance. As the years went by the sea began to reclaim its own the temple began to slowly sink into the sea. In 1994, Mr. Sheik and other members of the community began the task of Tobago restoring the temple.
The villagers got some assistance from the Government of Trinidad and under a committee lead by its Chairman Mr. Randal Rampersad, through the Unemployment Relief Programme (URP). On December 10, 1995, just after eighteen months of reconstruction and restoration of the Temple in the sea project, the Sewdass Sadhu Shiv Mandir was reopened and consecrated as a holy place of worship and beauty, along with a state of Mr. Sadhu to commemorate his accomplishments (Maharaj, 1996). His life it is a testimony of how the will of one person can truly make a difference in this world. Today the Temple stands as a holy site, a place of marvelous beauty, and worth visiting. Put the Temple in the Sea on your bucket list.
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| Source: Temple in the Sea by Destination Trinidad and Tobago |
Directions:
References
DestinationTT, 2020. Temple in the Sea. [Online]
Available at: https://www.destinationtnt.com/temple-in-the-sea/
[Accessed 20 June 2020].
Farmer, S.,
2016. Siewdass Sadhu Temple in the Sea. [Online]
Available at: http://nationaltrust.tt/location/siewdass-sadhu-temple-in-the-sea/
[Accessed 10 June 2020].
Maharaj, N.,
1996. Trinidad’s Temple in the Sea. [Online]
Available at: https://www.caribbean-beat.com/issue-18/temple-sea-0#axzz6PlHdLeug
[Accessed 10 June 2020].
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