Ganga Talao - Grand Bassin, Mauritius

5David D 5:00 PM Sep 28, 2017

Amazing Holy Place
Thursday 28th September we visited here as part of our Colourful South Tour, booked through the Thomson Rep in our hotel, RIU Le Morne. 

This is considered to be the most sacred Hindu site in Mauritius, Ganga Talao, commonly known as Grand Bassin. A crater lake that is around 1,800 feet above sea level.

One of the first sights we saw as we approached, along the vast roadway, was the massive 33 metre (108 feet) statue of Shiva and the recently completed statue of Durga also 108 feet high. These mighty statues dominate the skyline. Durga with her many arms is surrounded by a mighty golden lion, while Shiva rises up towards the sky with a trident like implement and snake.

When we were there preparations were being made for the inauguration of the Durga statue on Saturday 30th September when thousands and thousands of people are expected to attend.

Just seeing the statues would have been worth the journey but then we walked across the road and down the steps to see the beautiful lake, Ganga Talao with its numerous Gods around it. 

There is also the Temple of Sagar Shiv Manadir by the lake, this has been reviewed separately. 

All aspects of this Holy Site combined to make this a must do place to visit in Mauritius. Also on the way there we did drive through some beautiful places with incredible scenery.

5S K A Proud Hotelieer 5:00 PM Sep 14, 2018

Pride of humanity - God- Meet - Human
The Big Lord Shiva Statue is a sign of true spirituality and describes that size does not matter - every poor is a rich and every rich is a poor because money, arrogance and position can’t define the purpose of our life - what defines the purpose of life is service to humanity and Grand Bassin is a place to service to humanity despite of your religion, ethnic, color and nationality. This place simply connects god and his creatures so called humans through spirituality, love and kindness. If you are fan of meditation then it’s a must visit place for you in Mauritius. You have most of the gods here from Hinduism. Nine planet temple is so special and spiritual and tells us the definition and power of each planet. The incredible Ganga Talao is filled with small and big beautiful fishes.... all I can say at the end OM NAMAH SHIVAY...... Glory to Lord Shiva.... it’s a heaven where you get the opportunity to meet your god and try to find the difference between heart and soul.

4CPH - Denmark 5:00 PM Nov 13, 2021

Interesting religious site.
Impressive, while I laughed at the very nice double lane
roads leading up to a religious sight, not into the capital – I love it.

The toilet facilities are poor / appalling. I cannot imagine the toilet facilities
handling the many visitors during religious festivities.

The Ganga Talao crater lake is at the heart of one of the island's most important Hindu festivals, Maha Shivaratri. Every year thousands of Hindus make the rugged journey to Grand Bassin for a touch of divinity.

They could do with an update, especially on the back of Covid! The
hand wash facilities are poor, and there is nothing in way of satanize for the
toilet seats.

5StotheN 5:00 PM Oct 30, 2021

A surprising part of Mauritian culture
When my guide told me of this place, I hadnt expected it to exceed my expectations but it did much beyond that. The cool calm at the hill top, the regular chanting resonating through the surrounding natural vista, the smell of the incense sticks in the air all contributed to a very satisfying visit. I watched as the devotees offered their prayers and took part in their ambulation on-site. I could easily spend a couple of hours here and wouldnt be the worse for it. Come a bit early and you will have the place almost to yourself. So peaceful! And kudos to the Mauritian religious harmony.

4Jenskaenska 5:00 PM Jan 29, 2020

Worth visit
Beautiful place, nice to get to know hinduism and see How People practise it. Dress respectfully. There is a really good street food restaurant in the side of the road to grand bassin. Really delicious and cheap snacks.

4navina 5:00 PM May 11, 2019

Visit with friends
You can see the giant statues of Shiva and goddess Durga. A place to pray and to see giant eels coming near to be fed.a lake of plenty fishes and peaceful place with the sound of the bell ringing all day long

5Deb m 5:00 PM Sep 5, 2012

Nice peaceful location
Place of pilgrimage for the locals.. Beautiful lake and very peacefull. The drive to the talao is also spectacular to say the least. Plan you day around visitng this place and make sure you drive through the black river gorge on the way back. overall a great place

5Vivek_Khatri 5:00 PM Dec 17, 2014

13th Jyotirlinga
wow.. thats what i would say an amazing place, a place to relax and meditate where your soul is nourished. A must visit. It houses the 13th jyotirlinga and has an amazing story of a brahmin in mauritius who had a dream to search for a lake and establish a Lord shivji temple and how he travelled across the width of mauritius to find this place and establish the temple.

3Lara C 5:00 PM Sep 22, 2012

Visit to the Hindu Temple
It was interesting to witness a different culture with different traditions. We saw the 108 foot statue of God Shiva, took part in a Hindu ritual, saw all the statues of the different Gods. We also enjoyed seeing the monkeys going round the area.