Parameshwari Ananda Nilayam Ashram - Beau Climat - Nouvelle France

Location :

A PASSAGE IN THE PAST

On the road to La Flora, a coloured sign indicates the path to Parameshwari Ananda Nilayam Ashram, Beau Climat, Nouvelle France which is managed by the association Shri Venkateshwara Bhaktula Sangham created in 27th May 1987.

Whoever takes the trouble to walk the path through the sugarcane fields will discover an unsuspected place. An ashram where there is a Goddess Rajarajeshwari Devi who is unique in Mauritius and she is as great as Goddess Amma Toukay. Also on the other side is the five-headed Goddess Gayatri Devi who is also unique in Mauritius. Nava Graha Devtas are also present. We can also find a Gow Shala where cow protection is encouraged.

Also a prayer space at the edge of a river. At first sight, what is striking is the tranquility that reigns in this place. In this area populated by tall trees and bamboo, flows a river. The sound of the wind cracking the bamboo and the song of the river passing through the rocks are the only sounds that the ear picks up here. Several representations of divinities are present.

All the deities by the Riverside are unique and very powerful. On the left is Shri Narasimha Swami and Lakshmi Devi, who is the fourth incarnation of Maha Vishnu. Then, there is the Goddess Santoshi Mata who is the daughter of God Ganesha. At the bottom there is also Karttikeya or Muruga. Then, at the top of the temple there is the Ganapati temple. Going from left to right, there is the largest Nandi.

However, the main attraction of the place is the biggest Shivaling of Mauritius found there. Several meters high, the devotees come in hundreds of thousands to pour holy water during the celebration of Maha Shivaratri. "This place is very popular with pilgrims who go on the way back from Grand-Bassin. They can be 200,000 to 300,000 to come during the celebration of Maha Shivaratri. Then, there is the Goddess Ganga Devi who is in the river and the far right is Goddess Parvati Devi.

There have been many miracles that have happened here and many faithful devotees have lived their own experiences.

"This place is full of vibrations and during the celebration of Maha Shivaratri, while pouring water on the Shivaling at 18:00, we can hardly hold the kalasha because our hand cannot stand this vibration", explained a priest.

"This place is open to everyone, regardless of their religious affiliation. You can come there to pray, meditate or simply to find yourself in a quiet place", says Swami Sri Satyakamananda Saraswati. He is the founder of the Parameshwari Ananda Nilayam Ashram which was founded on November 11, 1989.

He remembers that at that time the ashram was just a little straw hut. "In the early 1980s, a group of young students came to see me and told me that they wanted to know more about the philosophy of Hinduism. I did classes every Saturday with them in a college at Belle-Rose for several years, "says the swami.

Finally, they decided to find a place that will be theirs. The land being very expensive for them in town, it is in the countryside that the group did their research.

"When I saw this river next door, I thought that I had found the ideal place to fulfill my dream of creating an ashram", replied the Swami.

The Swami's dream of having a corner where people could meditate, document and discover their spirituality has come true. And this has been going on for 32 years.