Ganga Talao (commonly known as Grand Bassin) is a crater lake situated in a secluded mountain area in the district of Savanne, deep in the heart of Mauritius.

The first group of pilgrims to Ganga Talao were from the village of Triolet and led by Pandit Giri Gossayne from Terre Rouge in 1898.

In 1866, when Pandit Sanjibonlal came back to Mauritius after his first indentured contract was over, he came as a merchant via Réunion Island and brought with him the souvenir of Grand Bassin and cloth from India to be sold to the resident labourers.

With the money gained, he bought the mansion of Mr Langlois at Triolet and materialised his dream of making Grand Bassin a pilgrimage place.

Some artisans who were engaged in building Sockalingam Meenatchee Ammen Kovil in Port Louis helped in giving the temple the present shape.

A first delegation headed by himself and some other rich retired labourers including Jhummun Gosagne Napal accompanied him in 1895, following the route he had already made in previous years when only his close friends have been there.

So, it is Sanajibonlall also popularly known as Mousse Langlois ke Baba who put dreams of Ganga in the subconscious mind of Jhummun Gossagne and helped to make the festival look as it is celebrated today.

In 1897 Shri Jhummon Giri Gosagne Napal, a ‘pujari’ (priest) - of the Giri suborder of Dasnami Gosain (Goswami) Brahmins, a mainly Shaivite sect - of Triolet together with a 'pujari' priest from Goodlands Sri Mohanpersad saw in a dream the water of the lake of Grand Bassin springing from the ‘Jahnvi’, thus forming part of Ganga.

The following year, pilgrims trekked to Grand Bassin to collect its water to offer to Lord Shiva on the occasion of Maha Shivaratri.