HPI
TRINDIAD, March 1, 2017 (Dr. Prithiviraj Bahadursingh, shivgangayatra@gmail.com) In February 2015, the first Shivganga Maha Yatra was held where Yatris walked from Gangadhara (Marianne river, Blanchisseuse, Trinidad, considered as Mother Ganga in Trinidad) to the Patirama Trace Shiva temple, covering 126 km over five days, carrying Ganga jala, observing maunam (silence) and doing the mental japa of “Om Namah Shivaya.” The Yatra was a truly uplifting and purifying experience; it commenced with puja to Shri Trininadeshwar (a local form of Lord Shiva) at Gangadhara and culminated on the morning of Shivratri with the offering of Abhishekam to Lord Shiva and Shiva puja at the Patirama Shiva mandir.
In March 2016, the second Shivganga Maha Yatra was held where Yatris walked from Gangadhara in Blanchisseuse to Manzanilla beach on the eastern coast of Trinidad. They covered 66 km over three days.
In February 2017, Yatris walked 45 km over two days from Gangadhara in Blanchisseuse to the holy Aripo Datta Ganga, in the northern range of Trinidad. Aripo Datta Ganga is also considered to be Mother Ganga in Trinidad. The Yatra culminated with puja to Lord Shiva in the form of Sri Satchidanandeshwar at the beautiful, peaceful and divine Aripo Datta Ganga.
The Yatra was organized by the Chinmaya Mission of Trinidad and Tobago, under the leadership of H.H Swami Prakashananda. The Yatra is an annual event and in 2018, we would again be walking 126 km from Gangadhara in Blanchisseuse to Patirama Shiva mandir in Penal.