Temple Kalikambal
Saint-Denis, Réunion
- Deities
- Kalikambal (Kali)
- Traditions
- shakta
- Worship status
- active
- Coordinates
- -20.8802, 55.4581
- Darshan hours
- Varies by temple and season; consult the temple's own trust/management for the current daily schedule before visiting.
- Best time to visit
- Year-round; likely busiest during major Tamil Hindu festivals such as Dipavali, though this temple's own festival calendar could not be independently confirmed.
- How to reach
- On Rue du Maréchal-Leclerc in downtown Saint-Denis, Réunion's capital; reachable by road within the city or via Roland Garros Airport.
Location
Open in Google MapsThe Temple Kalikambal stands on Rue du Maréchal-Leclerc in downtown Saint-Denis, Réunion’s capital, one of the island’s Tamil Hindu temples serving a community descended largely from nineteenth-century indentured laborers brought to Réunion’s plantations after the abolition of slavery in 1848. Its name, Kalikambal, is a South Indian Tamil epithet for the goddess Kali as universal mother - the same name carried by the well-known Kalikambal Temple in Chennai - suggesting a Shakta dedication to the goddess, though this specific temple’s presiding deity is not independently confirmed beyond its name.
Both French Wikipedia and Wikimedia Commons document the temple’s location precisely but describe it only in stub form, with no construction date, founder, or detailed history available in sources accessible for this entry. Its continued presence as a named, photographed place of worship in the heart of Saint-Denis nonetheless confirms it as an active site within Réunion’s wider, long-established Tamil Hindu community.
Sources
- historical record: Cross-checked against French Wikipedia's 'Temple Kalikambal (La Réunion)' article and its corresponding Wikimedia Commons category, both of which confirm a Hindu (Tamil) temple named Temple Kalikambal stands on Rue du Maréchal-Leclerc in downtown Saint-Denis, Réunion, at approximately 20°52'48.72"S, 55°27'29.16"E. Both sources are explicitly marked as stubs ('ébauche'), with no construction/founding date or detailed history given.
For review
- Only the temple's name, general Hindu/Tamil character, street address, and approximate coordinates could be verified this pass, via a French Wikipedia stub and its Wikimedia Commons category; no founding/construction date, further presiding-deity confirmation, or historical narrative was found in sources accessible this pass. The name 'Kalikambal' is a South Indian Tamil epithet for the goddess Kali, used at other well-known temples such as the Kalikambal Temple in Chennai, which supports (but does not from this source alone confirm) a Shakta dedication to Kali at this specific temple.