The Tandava also known as The Cosmic Dance of Shiva
Mahashivaratri or the ‘Great Night of Lord Shiva’ is celebrated predominantly by the Hindu population in Mauritius, with great pomp, enthusiasm and devotion. Thousands of devotees all around the country visit the ‘Ganga Talao’, a volcanic lake called ‘Grand Bassin’ in the high plateau. The pilgrims go there to offer their prayers and bring back (sacred water from the lake) along with them.
Below are a few pictures of the Ganga Talao aka Grand Bassin
(The Shiva Temple on the edge of Ganga Talao )
( The lake as seen from the Hanuman Temple on the crater peak )
Extract from wikipedia:Ganga Talao (Hindi: गङ तलओ; also known as Grand Bassin) is a crater lake situated in a secluded mountain area in the district of Savanne, deep in the heart of Mauritius. It is about 1800 feet above sea level. The first group of pilgrims who went to Ganga Talao were from the village of Triolet and it was led by Pandit Giri Gossayne from Terre Rouge in 1898.
It is considered the most sacred Hindu place in Mauritius
There is a temple dedicated to Lord Shiva and other Gods including Hanuman, Lakshmi, and others along the Grand Bassin. During Shivaratri, many pilgrims in Mauritius walk bare feet from their homes to the lake.
( Pilgrims on the way to the lake, with The 108ft statue of the Mahadev)
Preparations for the festival start a month ago as the pilgrims will be making beautifully decorated “Kanwars” or “Trishul” which they will carry on their way to and back from Ganga Talao. Normally, an idol is placed in the middle of the Kanwar and the idol is then immersed in the sea after the devotee completes his pilgrimage. The pilgrims chant holy hymns along their way in devotion for Lord Shiva. Volunteers often offer food, fruits and juice to the pilgrims on their way and even set up stalls for them to rest when they feel exhausted.
After returning from the pilgrimage, the devotees offer the water to the shiva ling in the nearest temple of their village and attend the Char pahar ki puja without which their prayer would be incomplete. Patriotism is manifested during this festival with people from all the communities encouraging pilgrims to keep up the pace, helping devotees to carry kanwars, offering food and drinks as well as making way for the pilgrims on the road. The government is also investing massively in these religious activities by donating funds to socio-religious associations so that the festival goes on smoothly, blending with the occurrence of task force being set up for cleaning the villages and the sacred places.
The Kanwar,
The police force will be at its peak during the pilgrimage ensuring the safety of the pilgrims. All local councils will be greatly involved by providing scavenging services, medical facilities, placing banners mostly everywhere and organizing cultural programs. This depicts the rainbow nation of Mauritius with the government bestowing full freedom to practice one’s own religion and each and every other religions having mutual respect for each other. Nothing is more beautiful than witnessing the vibrancy of all the colours together and this makes the beauty of our little paradise.
My Little Challenge
After five years being away from Mauritius, I now have the opportunity to re-live this amazing event and get the feel of being reconnected . The way I feel about the Maha Shivratri is a bit hard to describe ,but if I had to say it in one word ,it would be Ethereal. One gets the feeling of being part of something big, part of this ever continuous Cosmic Dance.
Like thousands of Mauritians, I too will attempt this pilgrimage on foot. Though am only doing the return trip. A mere 53 km. The fact that I am going through the whole event after a 5 year hiatus , it is much more fun and exciting. Am all hyped up and itching to go. * (Another blog and heaps of pics to expected )
The Cosmic Dance of Shiva
( Times of India - article by K P Shashidharan is author of 'Whispering Mind'.)
The cosmic dance of Shiva symbolises the interplay of dynamic and static divine energy flow, containing the five principles of eternal energy — creation, preservation, destruction, illusion and emancipation.
Shiva dances in 'Rudra Tandava' or the dance of destruction in an aureole of fire, creating wild thunder storms all around the universe, even shattering the Sun, the Moon and stellar bodies with his matted hair, marks of ash on the forehead, trident, drum, lifting his left leg and balancing over a demon of ignorance, with snakes crawling over his arms, legs, and braided hair that depict egotism. His upper right hand holds an hourglass drum or 'dumroo' standing for the male-female vital principle, while the lower gestures us to "Be fearless". A skull on his head depicts conquest over death. Goddess Ganga, epitomising the holy river, sits on his hairdo. His third eye represents omniscience, insight, and enlightenment.
Locks of matted hair/thick like luxuriant Amazon rain forest/spread all over/stirring never ending cyclones, tsunamis! Ceaseless torrents/cascading cataracts/flood water of the Ganga/caused holocaust, apocalypse/unprecedented obliteration in the Milky Way! Blazing inferno originated/from his third eye raged like wild fire/blazed all over his forehead/engulfing everything in the aureole of fire!
The 'Lasya' or the gentle form of his dance, known as 'Aananda Tandavam' or dance of bliss is associated with the creation of the world, after its total destruction. Shiva's two different cosmic dances take place in one's 'Chidambaram' or in the sky of the mind, portrayed as the centre of consciousness situated at the altar of one's heart.
Shiva is the symbol of 'Brahmn', the universal consciousness. The cosmic serpent called 'Kundalini', draped by the Lord of all dance, is mythically present in every living form. Arousal of the 'kundalini' is a metaphor for the awakening of the seven energy centres or 'chakras' situated in the spine.
The sacred text, the Bhagavad Gita, interprets that the three basic gunas - satvic, tamasic and rajasic - that combine with each other to create life forms in the universe. The divine entity is divided into nine; but only eight of them are perceived by human intellect - earth, water, fire, air, ether, mind, intellect and pride. The ninth part of the divine entity is eternally shrouded in the mystery of creation.
Fritjof Capra, in his book 'The Tao of Physics' paid due tribute to the Hindu view of matter and established its linkage with modern physics with empirical research in 1972. He observed the linkage between the ancient Vedic mythology, religious symbolism, art and modern physics: "Every subatomic particle not only does an energy dance, but is also an energy dance; a pulsating process of creation and destruction...without end...For the modern Physicists, then, Shiva's dance is the dance of subatomic matter."
The European Centre for Research in Particle Physics in Geneva-CERN had unveiled in 2004 the two metre-tall statue of Nataraja, the form of Shiva depictd in dance pose. The dancing Indian deity, representing the cosmic cycles of creation and destruction also depicts the dynamics of subatomic particles, the basis of creation of the universe that is being researched by physicists around the world.
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