Roberto Gonzalez
Pagoda de Law Kwan Thion
One of the most unexpected corners of our visit to Port Louis was a Buddhist pagoda. At first, while reading about it I thought of the typical building with 7 overlapping roofs, but it wasn't actually like is. This is known as Kwan Thion Law, it is in the Rue Royale, and is a single room but also charming, no frills or tinsel. Tang Yun Sing, the historian, said his name comes from the combination of the names of three families together and it is one that has been around for over 100 years. The construction and maintenance of this sanctuary is very good. The bi ying (geniuses wall) is installed at the entrance to ward off evil spirits.
In the past, the pagoda was a place of meditation and worship of the Chinese who came to stock up on food in Chinatown. Today, it stands aside, and is well preserved but hidden at the end of an alley that is guarded by a gate that anyone can open and you can only find it if you know the Chinese language or if someone directs you there, as was my case. It was the first pagoda I had visited, and as I said, different than I imagined, so my feelings are contradictory. On one hand I loved it, especially the shrine itself. On the other hand I'm sad that it isn't a multiple building Tejaditos. In any case, you can't have it all, so I look forward to another trip out East.
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