Trekker Meets a Giant Monkey God

With the approach of another Preparation Day, Trekker began pestering us to do more exploring around Trinidad, but – we reminded him - whatever we did had to be something which didn’t require Grandma Linda to climb stairs or walk very far! We decided this would be the perfect day to take Elder Ralph and Sister Paulette Childs and our Traveling Tiger to see the colorful pink and red 85-foot statue of the Hindu monkey god – believed to be the tallest statue of Hanuman Murti outside of India.

And since we were in the neighborhood, we also visited the nearby Temple in the Sea. Set against the backdrop of the Caribbean blue sky, this Hindu temple was actually built twice –the first time in 1947 by a zealous Indian laborer named Seedas Sadhu, but because it was built on sugar land, the government ordered it razed after five years.

Not to be deterred, Sadhu began work on a new Temple in the Sea, dedicating the next 25 years of his life to the project. This time, he would build it in the sea which freed him from having to get permission from the government or anyone else. With just a bicycle and a leather bag, Sadhu transported stones to the shore to build a small island but the octagonal, one-story temple would remain incomplete until 1994 when the Trinidad and Tobago government began planning to commemorate the 150th anniversary of the coming of Indians to the country. Part of their planning involved finishing Sadhu’s temple which is used today for various religious ceremonies, including weddings, burials (cremations), and ceremonies which involve gifting things to the gods.

Trekker did not think it appropriate to pose for pictures at these religious shrines(although he graciously agreed to a shot among the tomatoes at a Trinidad fruit stand) . Overall, he behaved himself very well even if he did not understand the significance of monkeys as religious symbols. Good boy, Trekker for being respectful of other beliefs and cultures!