Temple de l'Union
Bras-Panon, Réunion
- Deities
- Hindu deity not named in available sources (Tamil kovil)
- Traditions
- other
- Worship status
- active
- Coordinates
- -20.9994, 55.6719
- Darshan hours
- Varies by season; consult the local Tamil Hindu community for the current schedule before visiting.
- Best time to visit
- Not documented in available sources.
- How to reach
- In the commune of Bras-Panon, on Réunion's northeast coast.
Location
Open in Google MapsBuilt within the grounds of the former Union sugar estate in the late 19th century by the estate’s owner, per the French Ministry of Culture’s Mérimée heritage-database notice, the Temple de l’Union stands in the commune of Bras-Panon on Réunion’s northeast coast - a Tamil (“malbar”) Hindu temple within the same wave of 19th- and 20th-century temple-building by the descendants of indentured Indian labourers documented across the island. It was registered as a French historic monument on 17 September 2010 (reference PA97400107; cadastral reference AE 358). It is the only currently documented Hindu temple entry for Bras-Panon in this directory.
The Mérimée notice describes decorative guardian-figure statuettes (“monestarlons”) set into concrete plinths in front of and behind the main building, a two-slope corrugated-metal roof, and masonry construction. Neither French Wikipedia’s stub article nor the Mérimée notice names a presiding deity; that detail remains unconfirmed.
Sources
- historical record: Cross-checked against French Wikipedia's dedicated 'Temple de l'Union' article, which registers it as a French historic monument since 17 September 2010 (reference PA97400107) and gives its coordinates and Bras-Panon location. The article is a stub with no construction date, founder, or presiding deity named.
- historical record: Re-verified on a later pass against the French Ministry of Culture's Mérimée heritage-database notice PA97400107 (pop.culture.gouv.fr), which states the temple was built within the grounds of the former Union sugar estate ('l'ancien domaine sucrier de l'Union') in the late 19th century by the estate's owner, and records its cadastral reference (AE 358) and decorative details: guardian-figure statuettes ('monestarlons') set in concrete plinths in front of and behind the main building, a two-slope corrugated-metal roof, and masonry construction.
For review
- French Wikipedia's article confirms only the temple's name, its Bras-Panon location, and its 2010 historic-monument registration; no presiding deity was found this pass, though the Mérimée heritage-database notice (PA97400107) now supplies an approximate late-19th-century construction date. This is the only currently documented Hindu temple entry for Bras-Panon in this directory, filling a genuine geographic gap among Réunion's communes.