Indian businesses and services in Port Louis, Mauritius

The Indian story of Mauritius begins on the Port Louis waterfront. At the Aapravasi Ghat, now a UNESCO World Heritage Site, the immigration depot received the indentured labourers brought from India after the abolition of slavery to work in the sugar fields. Their descendants, Indo-Mauritians of Bhojpuri, Tamil, Telugu and Marathi heritage, together with Indo-Mauritian Muslims, make up a large part of the island's population, and a minority still speak Bhojpuri at home alongside Mauritian Creole.

Port Louis is a working capital rather than a residential one, so its Indian life is mostly about trade. The Central Market is the place for spices, pickles, fresh produce and street snacks such as dholl puri. Most Hindu families live in the towns and villages of the plains and the north and south, and the Metro Express, which since 2022 has run from Port Louis through Rose Hill to Curepipe, connects the capital with the central towns.

Hindu festivals are national events here. Thaipoosam Cavadee, Maha Shivaratri, Ougadi, Ganesh Chaturthi and Divali are public holidays. Before Maha Shivaratri, pilgrims dressed in white walk, often for days and carrying decorated kanwars, to the crater lake of Grand Bassin, known as Ganga Talao. On Divali, homes across the island are lit with clay lamps. Being set by the lunar calendar, these holidays land on different Gregorian dates each year, so check the official list before planning a visit.