Temples washed away

THE torrential rains and flash floods that cut a swathe of destruction in KwaZulu-Natal, has also left the over six-decade-old Umhlatuzana Hindu Temple in Chatsworth in ruins.

The premises, which has four temples and a hall, is located on the banks of the Umhlatuzana River. Two of the temples were washed away after the river burst its banks.

Rodney Moodley, the chairperson of the Umhlatuzana Hindu Temple Society, said: “It is sad and heartbreaking. So much hard work went into restoring the temple after the last flood in 2019. At that time, there was mainly water damage.

“This time, it is worse. Two of our temples, the Amman (mother) temple and the Navagraha temple, were washed away.

“The Shiva and Vishnu temples are still there, but we need to check on the structure.”

He said the hall’s roof had collapsed. “Despite the devastation, we understand that it is an act of God. It may be a blessing in disguise, possibly a new beginning for us to rebuild the whole temple again,” he said.