Ganga Talao

Ganga Talao
Ganga Talab; Grand Bassin
Ganga Talao lake in Mauritius
Location	Mauritius
Coordinates	20°25′05″S 57°29′31″E / 20.41806°S 57.49194°E / -20.41806; 57.49194Coordinates: 20°25′05″S 57°29′31″E / 20.41806°S 57.49194°E / -20.41806; 57.49194
Basin countries	Mauritius
Surface elevation	550 m (1,800 ft)
Islands	Mauritius
Settlements	Savanne

Ganga Talao (commonly 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 Lord Hanuman, Goddess Ganga, and Lord Ganesh along the Grand Bassin. During Shivaratri, many pilgrims in Mauritius walk bare feet from their homes to the lake.

Being the most sacred Hindu place of worship in Mauritius, people of all religions, locals and foreigners alike visit the site with utmost respect and decency. Thus enjoying spiritual bliss of this holy land.

Ganga Talao literally means the 'Lake of Ganga'; an allusion to the Grand Bassin's symbolic connection with the Indian river Ganga (Ganges)

In 1897 Shri Jhummon Giri Gosagne Napal, a ‘pujari’ (priest) of Triolet together with a 'pujari' priest from Goodlands Sri Mohanparsad saw in a dream the water of the lake of Grand Bassin springing from the ‘Jahnvi’, thus forming part of Ganga. The news of the dream spread rapidly and created quite a stir in the Hindu community. The following year, pilgrims trekked to Grand Bassin to collect its water to offer to Lord Shiva on the occasion of Maha Shivaratri. The lake was then known as the ‘Pari Talao’. In 1998 it was declared a "sacred lake". In 1972, some holy water from the Ganges River was mixed establishing a symbolic link with the sacred Indian River and the lake was renamed Ganga Talao.

During the Maha Shivaratri most of the devotees leave their homes and start a journey to Grand Bassin on foot. It has been a tradition that volunteer people offer foods and drinks to the pilgrims (the devotees). No one knows the depth of Ganga Talao lake.

Mangal Mahadev is 33 m (108 ft)-tall statue of the Hindu god, Shiva, standing with his trident at the entrance of Ganga Talao. Inaugurated in 2007, it is the tallest statue in Mauritius and a faithful copy of the Shiva statue in Sursagar Lake in Vadodara,Gujarat in India.