DELIGHT in the beauty that surrounds you and thank God for blessing your surroundings for the future generation.
These are the words of Tara Wati, 74, who lives with her family near the Waiqele hot spring in Labasa.
“I was born in 1943 and I have been staying here since then,” she said.
Ms Wati said when she was a child, there were no registered schools in their area, so she and other children would go and study inside a thatched bure near the Waiqele Shiv Mandir.
“We would study in the bure and notice our elders coming over to the temple to do their prayers,” she said.
“One day, one of my great-grandfathers, who passed away long time ago, informed few others from the temple that the nearby hot spring had some sort of mana in it.”
Ms Wati said devotees prayed at the temple, then made their way up to the hot spring to pray.
“We found that it really is blessed and it is a blessing to us straight from God,” she said.
“Whenever we feel sick or if there’s any skin disease, we go and pray and bathe at the hot spring.”
Ms Wati said they were told by their elders never to abuse the hot spring and use it only when needed.
“People come from all over Vanua Levu to visit the hot spring for blessings as the spring is also known for providing good things to those who pray there,” she said.
“We have had a lot of family members cured off their sickness and some found good jobs after praying there.”
Ms Wati said after prayers at the temple, devotees go to the hot spring to get blessings from Lord Shiva.
“There are 108 steps from the temple to the hot spring and every devotee must recite the Shiva prayers,” she said.
“Lord Shiva is known to be responsible for the change that we see in the world and he can also potentially destroy sinful karma and remove poverty and adversity.
“I grew up seeing how devoted our elders were during praying and fasting, even to the extent where all female devotees would sleep and pray at the temple for one or two weeks in search of peace and guidance.
“Cassava, eggs, chicken can be cooked at the spring within minutes and that tells us how blessed our land is and we must thank God every day for that blessing.”
Ms Wati said they had to mix cold water with the hot spring water for bathing.
“In our belief when we eat meat, we cannot use the hot spring as it is described as sinful and dirty.”
She said Hindus from all over the world visit the hot spring every year and offer their prayers.
“The whole river is strictly out of bound for people to throw rubbish as we believe that if we dump rubbish in it, we will lose its mana.”
