Cultural
| WORLD HERITAGE | ||
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Aapravasi Ghat – A UNESCO World heritage site, built on an area of 1,640-m2 site in the capital city of Port Louis. Le Morne Cultural Landscape - UNESCO WORLD HERITAGE SITE |
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A nature painted landscape, a projected mountain, and its endemic and rare vegetation surrounding the blue lagoons is truly a splendid picture. However unfortunately, Le Morn, while quietly standing on the South-western Peninsula, carries a contrast tale of misery and human dominance. Reminding us of the agony and resistance of enslaved human race and self-proclaimed supremacy of so-called masters… History has it that the fleeing and freedom-seeking slaves used this mountain as a last resort of escape to the continuous inflicted agony by their masters. They formed small settlements in the overhang caves and on the summit of Le Morne. |
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Nevertheless, subsequent to the abolishment of slavery, a police expedition traveled to the rock on 1 February 1835 to inform the maroons about their freedom; sadly, however, the maroons misunderstood the expedition and jumped down the mountain not giving up… Thus leaving the Morn sacred and as an insignia of maroon legacy forever. Museums National Museums: |
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This is a classified building under the list of National Historical Monuments, it displays images and several species of preserved terrestrial and aquatic species of both extinct and endangered animals, including the legendary extinct Dodo skeleton and the biggest lizard in the world “The Giant Mauritian Lizard” | |
| The National History Museum, Mahebourg The National History Museum also known as Naval Museum is housed in a colonial French mansion from the 18th century. The exhibits depict the different phases of Mauritian history. Separate rooms have been dedicated to the Dutch, French and the British periods. One get to observe some acquired objects from the past wreckages along the Mauritian coast, such as the bell of St. Géran that sank back in 1744, objects from the Magiciennes, a British frigate that sank during the French-British naval battle in 1810. Besides, the several extra bits and pieces of the past such as old maps and armaments, etc. The museum is open daily between 9a.m to 5p.m, except Tuesdays and Fridays and admission is free. |
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| The Mauritius Postal Museum | ||
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Opened in March 1995, the postal Museum is situated on the ground floor of the Post Office Headquarters Building in Port Louis; it exhibits and promotes the postal and philatelic heritage with objective of inspiring interest in philately. amongst the exhibits, one can find display of philatelic archives and paraphernalia dating back to the mid 19th century, also one get to observe key collections of the worldwide Member countries of Universal Postal Union The keen philatelist can purchase sets of stamps on sale including the most popular Blue Penny stamp on a stamp issue, which happens to be on high demand according to postal department. |
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| The Blue Penny Museum | ||
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A stamp museum at the Caudan Waterfront in Port Louis, the capital of Mauritius. It opened in November 2001. The museum collection includes the two of rarest collection of 1847 Blue Penny and Red Penny stamps. The stamps were bought for €600,000 by a consortium of Mauritian enterprises and brought back to Mauritius after almost two centuries. For conservation purposes, the originals are illuminated only temporarily. Most of the time only copies are to be seen. The museum, also houses the original statue of Paul et Virginie the legendary lover, produced at the beginning of the 19th century by Adrien d' Epinay. |
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Tour De Martello |
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Maison D’Eureka, is an ancient, colonial style mansion, built in 1830, and well known as “the house with the 109 doors”. Nesting in the foothills of Moka district, surrounded by the waterfalls of Moka River and Moka ranges, it is a typical mansion maintained in its original style and décor to reflect the past charm and lifestyles. Visit to this mansion takes one back to the past century colonization era. Strange feeling of reminiscence is induced by the ancient style, décor and various intricate details in wood such as Ebony, mahogany, and “Pallisandre” along other bits and pieces. |
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The Chateau Du Reduit Not too far from Moka, in Reduit, there is another paradigm of ancient colonial Creole architecture, The Chateau Du Réduit, the State House. It was built in 1874 on an area of 200 acres. It is the official residence of the president of Republic, but used by the military, while in the past, it was used as the official residence for the governors of the island. Unfortunately, the Chateau is open to public only on two occasions in a year .i.e. in March and October. Nevertheless, the military guard’s parade on a regular interval is an interesting sight. Mahatma Gandhi Institute Folk Museum The Gandhi Institute's Folk Museum of Indian Immigration houses around 2000 volumes of Indian archives dating from 1842 to 1910 as well as a small collection of artifacts such as jewels worn by early Indian immigrants, traditional musical instruments, books and assorted household knick-knacks. This was founded to preserve and promote Mauritian Indian culture. |
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| The Tea Route It is a tour into the heart of tea plantation and tea factory visit, which leads to two different colonial mansions of 19th century, St Aubin and the Domaine Des Aubineaux, depicting the traditional colonial lifestyle reflecting the tradition of the past. Alongside, the property has vanilla plantation and some endemic species of flora. For the food lover, they propose home-style restaurant where on can enjoy special signature dishes based on tea and other local delicacies. Domaine les pailles A vast estate situated in a valley, with vivid colors and replicated cultural set up, Domaine Les Pailles is a must visit place, besides its enchanting beauty, it gives an authentic live experience and peek into the past culture and way of life. At the same time, it allows a glimpse into the present through its casino and modern restaurants. It reflects different dimensions of Mauritian cultures and its roots through the tour and cuisine menu they offer:
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| Temples With 52% of its population following Hinduism, Mauritius naturally has many colorful temples around the Island where worshipping and offering to the idols happens on regular basis; while interestingly to the contrast setting, in many of the villages one can come across small grotto types of brightly adorned worship places. Ganga Talao (Grand Bassin temple) Grand Bassin or Ganga Talao is sacred lake situated on 1800ft above sea level in a crater, surrounded by startling panorama. It has many deities besides the 108ft tall “Mangal Mahadev” statue, the highest statue in the whole island and the “Hanuman” statue on the hill. In 1897, A “PUJARI”/Hindu priest Shri jhummon Gin Gosagne, who lived in the Northern village of Terre Rouge, had a vision of a sacred lake surrounded by dense forests. A group of sages set out to find that sacred lake. They discovered the lake and called it Pan Talao after fairies; according to popular belief of those days, fairies use to come down to the lake for their ritual bath each evening. In 1972, sacred water from Ganges in India was brought, and was poured in the lake, since then the lake is known as “Ganga Talao”. In the year 1998, the lake was declared sacred. Ganga Talao is an extremely important holy place and has a significant importance in Mauritian culture. Mass of pilgrims’ walks down to Ganga Talao on Mahashivratri and it is one among the very important event in Mauritius Maheswarnath Temple Is the biggest Hindu temple in the Island, situated in the village of Triolet. It was built in 1819 in honor of the deities Shiva, Vishnu, Muruga, Brahma, and Ganesha. Fascinatingly, Triolet also happens to be the longest village of Mauritius. The village of Triolet has a traditional Sunday early-morning market. Tamil Kovils The Murukan cult had its root planted in Mauritius ever since the first batch of Tamil immigrants came as artisans and traders under French rule. Their close attachment to their religion prompted them to build kōvils. Thus, kōvils were erected as per the norms laid down in the agamas. An Indian nationalist Rājaretnum Mudaliar who served the cause of Tamil education in Mauritius was so infatuated with the Murukan Cult that he asked permission to organize a kāvadi procession in Port Louis in 1874. A fine example of Kovil in the Island:
Mosques |
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With good deal of Muslim presence in the Island, mosques can be found in almost every city, town, and villages. One can hear the call for prayers daily 5 times in a day. The Capital and its surrounding area itself has many mosques, but the most popularly visited and talked about mosque is the second oldest mosque “The Jumah Mosque” in Port Louis. as it is focus of Islamic cultural and religious life in Mauritius and also known for its interesting architecture and features | |
| The first Mosque The first ever mosque was built some time during 1805, during the French rule; it was built on area of 120 toises (about 5,000 square feet). It was destroyed by a violent hurricane in 1818. However, it was rebuilt soon after. The mosque was originally called, Camp des Lascars Mosque, while today officially known as the Al-Aqsha Mosque. The mosque is no longer the small lime-washed structure it was during the days of French rule. It has undergone considerable changes over the years to meet the needs of a growing congregation. The Jumah Mosque Following the growing numbers of Muslims, in 1852, a congregation of Muslim traders purchased two plots of land on behalf of the Muslim community. The prominent feature of this mosque is its open courtyard where stands an old Badamia (Indian almond or Terminalia Cattapa) Tree, which is older than the Mosque itself and was wisely incorporated in the overall design. In 1872 American Consul, Nicholas Pike interestingly described this place: “As you stand under it (the Badamia Tree) on a clear night, myriads of stars glittering overhead, it is not difficult to fancy yourself transported to some Oriental land, where Allah alone is worshipped.” Visitors are welcome in the peaceful inner courtyard except on Fridays and in the month of Ramadan. Churches Since the arrival of the French in 18th century, the Roman Catholics have remained the most important Christian religious group on the island, nevertheless other Christian denominations have also boomed. Anglicanism came in with British colonization in 1810 while Presbyterians came in 1851. Moreover, there is presence of added Christianity origins such as Baptists, Seventh Day. Catholics, Adventists, Methodists, Jehovah’s Witnesses... As anywhere in the world Mauritian Christians too regularly attend, their Sunday Mass and many symbolic and colorful churches and Chapels adorn the island. |
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| St.Louis Cathedral | ||
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This Gothic style church is known for its large mosaic installation, burial crypt, and the addition of an outdoor sculpture to promote racial harmony. The sculpture is truly symbolic to the co-existence of Mauritian society and Adelaide Schlafly gifted it in memory of her late husband, Daniel Schlafly, a Catholic man who was dedicated to the cause of racial justice and peace. | |
| Église Notre Dame du Bon Secours This church standing in quietude of Trou d'Eau Douce village is another fine example of Mauritian Christian Churches. |
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| Notre Dame Church Of Cap Malhereux | ||
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This picturesque red color Church standing in front of the Cap Malhereux coast is truly a magic sight; this Church has become a popular Emblem for Mauritius tourism brochures. | |
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Pere Laval shrine |
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With the presence of small Mauritian Chinese community, sighting of Pagodas in the Island is obvious; one such Beautiful Pagoda stands opposite the racecourse, an illustration of traditional Chinese architecture. This can be also seen from the top of Adelaide Fort. | |
| Port Louis City | ||
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To witness the true culture and lifestyle of Mauritius, it is imperative to spend as much as a day or at least half a day in the heart of Port Louis. It is the Capital City and Harbor situated on the North-west of the island. It is also heart of Mauritian economy as well as abode for many interesting and historical places to explore besides the abovementioned heritage and religious sites, find below list of other palces:
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| Art Galleries Mauritius has and had many talented artists, whose extensive display of fine arts can be seen in various art galleries spread all across the island. It has had the pride of owning some of the famous names such as:
Here are list of few art galleries for art lovers:
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| The colouful Chamarel village and it’s Table D’hotes This tiny village is a typical tradional Mauritan village with tremendous attractions and activities offering break from the beaches and hustles, beside home to many Rastafarians, this village hosts many Table D’hote, offering typical traditional Mauritian Cuisine in a home atmosphere. plz refer the landscape section for details on Chamarel colored earth and waterfalls. Souillac village Souillac is an important village for the southern region. This interesting twin village of Souillac in France was an important Sea Port, during both French and the British rules. Initially this used to be a fishing village, but with the developments of many sugar factories and the area, it also became home to hundreds of sugar plantation workers. The village is now divided in to different region as below: Le Batellage Batelage is the ancient port of Souillac. The embankment has been reconditioned and now used as landing stage for the local fishermen’s catch lading pirogues. The original sugar stock storing building adjacent to the port has been renovated and used as Village Council Hall. While the other part of the building hosts a Restaurant called “le Batelage” La Nef La Nef is a museum and former home of Mauritian poet Robert Edward Hart. |
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| Kalimata Mandir (Temple) Surinam: This is a Hindu Temple belonging to the Luchowa Family of Surinam. Their ancestor from Islampur in Patna, Bihar, commissioned its building. It is open daily to the public of any religious denominations and people all over Mauritius travel to Surinam to pray there. Telfair Garden The Telfair Garden is a beautiful garden near the seaside. It is a popular pick nick spot for the residents of the village. It borrows its name from Charles Telfair, a naturalist and land proprietor who developed the sugar estate of Bel Ombre. The old banyan and almond trees adorn the park. A walking path links the Telfair Garden with the locally renowned "Lavoir". Gris Gris and Roche Qui Pleure also is found in this village. Grand Port and Maheboughh Fishing village of Mahébourg is situated in glorious Vieux Grand Port. This ancient and former capital of Mauritius is the oldest settlements of the island and witness to the past civilizations and some of the historical battles; the town of Mahebourgh reminds us of the most important event in the French and Mauritian History, the first victory of the French over the British and the only great naval victory of Napoleon. This very French victory is inscribed on the Arc de Triomphe in Paris. |
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Excavation work is on its way to reveal an important part of Mauritian history, while visiting this area, the ruins of first Dutch Rampart can be seen at the excavation site.
Moka Reduit |
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