Hinduism in Trinidad: Temple on the Water and Karya Siddhi Hanuman

The Friday afternoon before I left for a weekend visit to Grenada, the class went on a field trip to two of the most famous Hindu temples in Trinidad: Temple by the Sea (a free floating temple on the ocean), and Karya Siddhi Hanuman (a temple dedicated to the Hindu deity Hanuman the Monkey God).

Hinduism is the leading single religion of the Indo-Caribbean communities of the West Indies. Hindus are particularly well represented in Trinidad and Tobago, where they constituted 25 percent of the total population, as of 1995. Smaller groups of Indo-Caribbeans live elsewhere in the Caribbean, especially Jamaica, Barbados, Martinique and Guadeloupe.

A decade after slavery was abolished in 1834, the British government gave permission for the colonians to import indentured labour from India to work on the plantations. Throughout the remainder of the century, Trinidad's population growth came primarily from East Indian laborers.

First, we visited the Temple by the Sea. Upon arrival, the first thing that I noticed was the calmness to that place. It was very evident, even if I had had my eyes closed that this is a place of palpable spiritual significance. The path to the temple is a stone causeway lined with small shrines and offerings to various deities. The water had an unexpected stillness while dark clouds brewed on the horizon. Traditional Hindu prayer flags stood in the water with poles planted deep into the silty marine floor. The tide climbed up the bamboo poles -the flags look like stoic stationary soldiers of the sea. A Hindu funeral pyre contrasts the watery element of the temple at the base of the stone causeway, linking the physical and spiritual worlds through plumes of dark smoke.

About 20 minutes from the Temple by the Sea is another of Trinidad's great religious structures- The Karya Siddhi Hanuman. The massive intricacy of this Temple alone is breath taking. Most interestingly, the entire sprawling temple is light rose in colour, and is was hand carved by more than 200 stoneworkers. Karya Siddhi is a temple that is dedicatd to Hanuman, the moneky God. Hanuman is the mighty ape that aided Lord Rama in his expedition against evil forces, and is one of the most popular idols in the Hindu pantheon. Believed to be an avatar of Lord Shiva, Hanuman is worshipped as a symbol of physical strength, perseverance and devotion.

Hanuman's tale in the epic Ramayana — wherein he is assigned the responsibility to locate Rama's wife Sita abducted by Ravana, the demon king of Lanka — is known for its astounding ability to inspire and equip a reader with all the ingredients needed to face ordeals and conquer obstructions in the way of the world.

One of the largest Hanuman statues in the world is found at the Karya Temple. It stands more than 85 feet tall. When it was inaugerated in 2003 a water blessing had to be administered by helicopter.

After visiting both temples, the group had a vegetarian lunch of pumpkin rotis and bhagie (butter spinnach), and then we were off to Grenada for a weekend of R & R.