Temples and Tourism in Trinidad and Tobago

Divali festival souvenir magazine 2005

Indo-Caribbean Cultural Council (ICC) wishes to announce the publication of its latest souvenir magazine - Divali 2005, Trinidad and Tobago. The theme of this edition of its annual magazine is “Temples and Tourism in Trinidad and Tobago.”

The concept of spiritual tourism has become the new buzzword in the travel-and-tours circuit all over the world. This brand of tourism has remained untapped so far in the southern Caribbean, but has been exploited in the U.K. by groups like North Yorkshire Tourism Initiative. Spiritual tourism has the greatest potential for attracting foreign visitors outside of the busy Carnival season. One tourist destination can be the temple in Waterloo which has a gigantic Hanuman murti [statue] towering 85 feet (25 metres) high. In the same area is the monumental Temple-in-the-Sea, known world-wide for its exceptional history, design and location. The target market for this brand of tourism would be Hindus and Indians in the United States. They comprise a total of over two million people, and are reported to be the fastest-growing and wealthiest ethnic community in that country.

November 2005

11 x 8 ½ inches

96 pages with advertisements and articles

ISSN 1683-4143

Glossy pages and cover

Temples and Tourism in Trinidad and Tobago [Editorial]
Greetings from the Minister of Community Development, Culture and Gender Affairs By the Honourable Joan Yuille-Williams
Greetings from his the High Commissioner of India By His Excellency Jagjit Singh Sapra
The excellence of sacred art in an altar: The Hare Krishna Temple in Longdenville
A temple with a garden and balcony: The Sukh Shanti Bhakti Mandali in St. Augustine
A temple complex in the capital city: The Port of Spain Hindu Mandir
A monument of art and architecture beyond belief: The Dattatreya Yoga Centre in Carapichaima
A temple with celestial domes of light: The El Socorro Hindu Mandir
A royal temple of art and sculpture: The Triveni Mandir in Williamsville
A temple where pillars are symbolic: The Vishnu Mandir in Barataria
A temple with a statue that breathes life: The El Dorado Shiv Mandir
A temple hall of spiritual and secular heroes: The Divine Life Temple in Carlsen Field
A Sikh golden temple with a symbol of unity: The new Sikh Gurdwara in Tunapuna
The world-famous offshore temple in the sea: The Siewdass Sadhu Shiv Mandir in Waterloo
A temple exterior of enchanting beauty: The Edinburgh Hindu temple
A temple with the wishing stone: The Shiva Mandir in Penal
Incredible India: The Sikh golden temple in Amritsar

Kumar Mahabir

is a full-time anthropologist at the University of Guyana (UG) and Fellow of The Eccles Centre for American Studies, British Library (2022-23). He is a former Assistant Professor at the University of Trinidad and Tobago (UTT). He obtained his Ph.D. in Anthropology from the University of Florida (UF). As a doctoral student, he won a Florida Caribbean Institute Award, an A. Curtis Wilgus Grant, and an Organization of American States (OAS) Fellowship.
Mahabir received a National Award (Hummingbird Silver Medal) for his contribution to education in his country in 2011. He was among 50 recipients who received a Distinguished Alumni Award from the UWI Alumni Association.
Mahabir is the author of 12 books to date.