Pieter Both (mountain)
| Pieter Both | ||
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 The mountain Pieter Both seen from the north. |
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| height | 820 m | |
| location | Pamplemousses District , Mauritius | |
| Coordinates | 20 ° 11 ′ 32 ″ S , 57 ° 33 ′ 19 ″ E | |
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| rock | Volcanites | |
| Age of the rock | 10 - 5 million years | |
The mountain Pieter Both after the first Governor-General Pieter Both of the Dutch East Indies named, has a height of 820 meters, making it the second highest mountain of Mauritius after eight meters higher Piton de la Petite Riviere Noire . On the west side of the mountain is the island's capital, Port Louis , on the east side Crève Coeur .
It is one of the scenic attractions in Mauritius. It looks like the mountain is balancing a ball-shaped stone on its top. The mountain can be seen well from many places in the north of Mauritius, especially beautiful from the botanical garden Sir Seewoosagur Ramgoolam Botanical Garden, also named shortly after the nearby town of Pamplemousses .
The mountain is considered a national symbol. This is u. a. found in an official logo of the island, but also on postage stamps.
Legends and myths
Various legends and myths have grown up around the striking rock formation.
It is popularly said that as long as the round stone lingers up there on the top of the mountain, Mauritius is fine.
Until independence in 1968, it was said that the British government would not grant Mauritius independence until the stone fell.
According to other sources, a milkman named Santaka from Crève Coeur saw fairies dancing on the mountain one day after falling asleep under a rock for shelter from a rain shower. He promised them to keep the secret to themselves. From now on he hurried to deliver the milk as quickly as possible so that he could watch the fairies dance for a long time. His friends noticed his change in behavior and approached him about it. When he broke his promise and reported about the fairies, they turned him to stone and set him on top of the mountain.
It is also said that the striking stone is the head of a shepherd boy who, contrary to the instructions of the fairies living on the mountain, had gone to the forbidden side of the mountain to catch a runaway sheep and petrified by the fairies as a punishment has been.
Web links
- The ascent of the Pieter Both (Peter Botte Mountain), Mauritius. (Oil painting) National Library of Australia , accessed January 28, 2010 (first ascent on September 7, 1833).
Individual evidence
- ↑ a b mauritianphilatelicblog.blogspot.com: Mauritius c'est un plaisir , 10 November 2010
- ↑ myths.e2bn.org: Pieter Both , accessed on February 23, 2016