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Maha Shivaratree Pilgrimage in Ganga Talao/Grand Bassin
Maha Shivaratree draws several hundred thousand Hindu pilgrims to Ganga Talao, also known as Grand Bassin, a crater lake in southern Mauritius believed to be spiritually linked to the River Ganges. Falling in February or March on the Hindu calendar, it is the largest Hindu pilgrimage held outside India, with devotees walking from across the island carrying kanwars, decorated devotional structures, to the lakeside temples.
In the hills of the Savanne district in southern Mauritius sits a volcanic crater lake known to Hindus as Ganga Talao, or Grand Bassin to most of the island's other communities.