Mr and Mrs Lodhia at the Maha Kali prayer at the Vunika Temple outside Labasa. Photo: SUpplied.
FIJI, July 2, 2017 (Fiji Sun): A three-day Hindu ritual and prayer in Vunika Labasa has brought together around 300 people to offer their thanksgiving to their divine mother Maha Kali. Pundit Shiva Sami says this is an annual event for many South Indians in Labasa where they gather at the Vunika Temple and pray for more blessings.
Mr. Sami said the temple has been around for around 127 years and legend has it that the temple was established by a brahmin in the early Girmit (indentured labor) years at the foot of the hill where it is now located. He said devotees get together for more peace, good harvest, and prosperity and eliminate diseases. “We also seek for guidance, wealth and protection. The divine mother is known in many different forms but for this annual prayer we know her as Maha Kali,” he said.