The Temple builder was a man of rare courage and an indomitable spirit who overcame obstacles and pioneered a course that has now thrown him prominently on the pages of history. Sewdass Sadhu, an East Indian indentured labourer, built a Temple in the sea at Waterloo where he could worship, defying the establishment at the time to achieve his dream.  

Sewdass Sadhu was born in India in 1903 and was brought to Trinidad in 1907. The title "Sadhu" is not Sewdass' surname but the title assumed by a devotee who has attained an established spiritual level. Sewdass had dropped his official surname and it remains known only to his immediate family. 

As a man and working on the sugar plantations as all the East Indian Indentured labourers did, he had a strong desire to build for himself a place where he could worship. As he was employed at Waterloo Estate he began building his Temple on the lands owned by the sugar company. It was a small wooden structure located where the carpark is today, obliquely opposite the entrance gate. He immediately ran into difficulties, as permission was not given to construct the building. Instructions were given by the sugar company to break down the structure.  

Rumours have it that a tractor driven by one Hoseinee, also called "Gun" was used to demolish the building. Sewdass Sadhu in the meantime was jailed for one month for this illegal act. As fate would have it Hoseinee, who broke down the Temple, was killed two weeks later when a tree, which he was uprooting with the same tractor, fell on him. Villagers said that the gods had brought down their wrath on Hoseinee to punish him for his wicked deed. 

Sewdass Sadhu came out of Prison strengthened with greater determination. He made a trip to India and on his return voyage, he had the vision of building a Temple 500 yards out into the sea. According to his wife, he said "let them come and arrest me and put me in prison again”.  

Little by little, as the tide went out, Sewdass Sadhu began his struggle. He invested in the purchase of a truck. This he used to transport the backfill for the foundation,  carrying stone by stone, boulder by boulder, into the 100 yards distance into the Waterloo sea. He carried buckets of sand and cement to mix mortar that he used to fill large barrels that were placed on the site for the foundation. He also went to a brick company who gave him discarded materials free of charge in support of his project.  

It took him a long time, many years at that, to defy the authorities and create an environment where he could practice his religious beliefs. He worked on it mainly alone as he was very particular about what needed to be done. Sewdass never saw a "completed temple" as it was something that required on-going work.  

The original Temple by the sea was destroyed by the elements many years ago, long after Sadhu died in 1970. It was 1 of 5 structures on the site. Since then many organizations attempted to rebuild the Mandir, but all efforts failed due to lack of finance, skills, labour, material and other resources.  It wasn't until 1994, that Patrick Manning the then Prime Minister, and Basdeo Panday the then Opposition Leader, laid the corner stone for a statue to be erected in Sewdass's honour on the land near the site of the old Temple. This statue now stands at the entrance to the site facing east. It was brought in from abroad. The image is 96% reflective of what Sewdass looked like according to close relatives.  

With the renewed interest in 1995 a group of Businessmen headed by the Rampersad brothers (Ranjin and Randolph) of Dow Village, California spearheaded a committee, and with the help of the business community especially and the U.R.P. (United Relief Programme) of the last Government, the new elevated Temple was built at a cost of $2 million. It was consecrated on Dec. 10th 1995. The roof of the original temple was placed  atop a small worship structure located along the walkway to the main temple. 

Sewdass Sadhu's last request was for a burial as opposed to being cremated. His final remains are marked by a tombstone next to the Waterloo cremation site. At that point one gets a clear vision of the what is now known as the Temple in the Sea. 

The Temple now stands as a monument to one man's courage, determination and vision.