Sacred Hindu Religious Sites in Central Trinidad.

This walking and biking trail explores a few of the religious historical sites of Central Trinidad. I elected to start marking this trail at Sushilla Drive in Chase Village at 10.48252°N and -61.40712°W. There are quite a few local street vendors along this stretch of very busy roadway selling mostly Indian delicacies like doubles, aloo (potato) pies, saheena, and other things. This makes for a quick and easy meal on the go, Trinidadian style.
From here proceed heading 82° over the Sir Solomon Hochoy Highway toward the Carlsen Field Mother Temple and the Shivanand Mandir of the Divine Life Society of Trinidad and Tobago. Take the junction located at 10.48281°N and -61.40233°W off the Carlsen Field Road. This leads directly to the temple located at 10.48030°N and -61.40454°W.
Leave the Carlsen Field Mother Temple along the way you came heading 271° past the “Triangle” in Chase Village. Continue along the Southern Main Road heading 212° until the intersection with Orange Field Road. This junction is located at 10.47681°N and -61.41122°W. Then continue along Orange Field Road heading 269° until 10.47449°N and -61.43204°W. This largely unmarked junction is the entrance to the 85ft tall Hanuman Murti and the Sri Dattatreya Yoga Center. The Murti and the Yoga Center is located at 10.47636°N and -61.43187°W. This murti is the largest of its kind in the Western Hemisphere and second largest globally. The other large Hanuman Murti is 135 feet tall. The Veera Abhaya Anjaneya Hanuman Swami is located in the Paritala near Vijayawada in Andhra Pradesh, India. The Hanuman Murti and the Sri Dattatreya Yoga Center was built according to the Dravidian style of architecture of Southern India. It took Subramanya Sthapathy and his team of 20 workers from India 20 months to complete this remarkable structure. On Monday June 9th, 2003 the 85 foot tall idol of Hanuman, the small Hanuman Shrine below the main murti, the newly built idol of Dattatreya and Anagha Devi, Raja Rajeshwari, Ganapati and Shiva Linga was consecrated by Sri Swamiji of India. Two gray concrete elephants provide water for devotees to wash their feet before entering the main mandir at the northern side. This place leaves one in awe at its intricate beauty and should be visited by everyone regardless of their religious affinities.
Upon leaving the Murti turn right at the junction located at 10.47449°N and -61.43204°W heading 271° along Orange Field Road. This relatively long stretch of road can be very unforgiving in high noon so it’s best to do this part of the trek early in the morning to avoid excessive exposure to direct sunlight. Fortunately there are lots of small groceries and shops along this road that affords one the ability to get a cold drink at minimal cost.
There is a junction located at 10.48130°N and -61.47110°W. You’d continue straight along Orange Field Road to get to the Siewdass Sadhu Shiv Mandir (Temple in the Sea) and the Waterloo Cremation Site. The road ends at these sites. The Siewdass Sadhu Shiv Mandir is located at 10.48147°N and -61.47423°W. This temple lies approximately one quarter mile off the Western coast of Trinidad in the Gulf of Paria. It has a very interesting history that bears testament to the resilience of human spirit and determination. Siewdass Sadhu was a poor indentured laborer from India who defied not only the elements but the authorities in colonial Trinidad in order to create a place of worship. Sadhu was born in 1901 in the holy city of Benares on the River Ganges and came to Trinidad to work on the sugar cane plantations. Sadhu returned to India annually to worship at the shrines there because of a promise that he had made to Bhajiwan. As the years went by he found it difficult to make the trip on a meager wage of $20 a month. I suspect that with this fact in mind he set out to build a place of worship in Trinidad. The Gulf of Paria must have reminded him of the sacred Ganges. He chose a piece of swamp land close to shore and began construction, his only tool being his hands and a bicycle. It was in the 1930’s when Sadhu had finally created a place of pilgrimage for Hindus in Trinidad, which had few public temples at the time. But then the management of the sugar company, who owned all the land in that area, noticed that a building had been constructed on their property. Though the swampy ground had no commercial value, they demanded that Sadhu demolish the temple. That was asking him to commit a sin. No matter what threats they used, all he would say was, “I cannot break down that.” They took the matter to the court in Port of Spain. Sadhu was fined $500, more than two years’ wages, and was sentenced to 14 days in prison for trespassing. He had to pay the fine in installments and went to jail. The sugar company was granted a court order to demolish the temple. But since they could not persuade any local person to undertake this task, a British overseer named “Gunn” drove the bulldozer that finally destroyed the temple.
According to some accounts, Sadhu warned Gunn, “Just as you break that temple with that bulldozer, so you too will be broken.” Others say he just pleaded quietly with the overseer. Whatever the truth, within a month, Gunn was dead. As he was bulldozing a tree some distance away, it fell on him and broke his back. In addition, stated Ramnarine Binda, a former local government councillor for the area and a sugar company official, the Englishman who had given the order for the demolition died suddenly of disease soon after. As soon as Sadhu was released from prison, say village reports, he was back at the site of his former temple, dejected but not broken. He set about purchasing a truck. He began to collect broken bricks from a nearby brick factory. He dumped them on the shore, day after day, load after load, in a straight line out to sea. Flattening them down by hand, he inched his way into the ocean with the truck. After several weeks, he had created an extended walkway into the water. One day the tide came up while Sadhu was still working. The truck was trapped and couldn’t be moved till next morning. It was so badly damaged it couldn’t be repaired. That event didn’t stop Sadhu, he kept on working using two buckets suspended from the handlebar of his bicycle. This he did everyday for over a year. He got old oil drums from Lever Brothers Trinidad Limited, filled them with concrete and tied them together with steel to make the foundation of his temple. Sadhu finished his temple and the result was a place of renowned beauty. Sadhu died in 1970 of an apparent heart attack and his temple fell into disrepair at the mercy of the elements. In 1994 restoration work began on this iconic temple and 18 months later, on December 10th, 1995, the Siewdass Sadhu Shiv Mandir was consecrated.
The Waterloo Cremation Site is located at 10.48102°N and -61.47400°W. This is a place of tranquility on the banks of the Gulf of Paria. It offers good views of the Temple in the Sea. There are regular cremations held here daily so it’s also a place of sorrow and grief for people cremating loved ones. Upon leaving the Waterloo Cremation Site you can return to the starting point of this trek using the Orange Field Road or continue the adventure heading toward Couva.
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