The story of the Shree Emperumal Temple in Mt Edgecombe is very closely linked with the history of the Sugar Industry in Natal. The sugar industry had its origin in 1847 when Henry and Tom Milner brought a supply of cane seed from Mauritius. In 1850, Edmund Morewood – “the father of the sugar industry” – erected the first sugar mill and commenced crushing sugar.

The Byrne Emigration Scheme (1849–1851) was introduced to increase the number of “white settlers” in Natal. A number of whites were given plots of land to farm. One of them who took advantage of this scheme was Captain William Sherwood, who founded Mt Edgecombe and started the first sugar mill in this area.

After ten years of negotiations, Indentured Labourers were imported from India to rescue the sugar industry that was not doing too well. In 1860, the first batch of Indians came to work on the sugar plantations of Natal. This year also saw the arrival of Indians in Mt Edgecombe.

Indians by nature are deeply religious people who believed that “one should not settle where there was no temple.” Fifteen years after their arrival, the early settlers built the first of seven community temples in Mt Edgecombe. In 1875, the Shree Emperumal Temple was established.

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It took the early settlers 15 years to establish the first community temple. Two factors, namely the “indenture system” (which was legalized slavery) and an unsympathetic master, contributed to this delay. The new settlers worked long hours in the fields and earned very low wages (R1 per month) with little or no money to spare. The sugar baron, on the other hand, driven by the profit motive, cared little for the social, spiritual, cultural, and educational needs of his employees.

The first batch of Indians arrived in Mt Edgecombe to a country where religion was a way of life. After a short period of adjustment to the new environment, the settlers built seven temples in Mt Edgecombe and, in so doing, established their “little India” and laid the foundations of Hinduism in Mt Edgecombe that we cherish up to this day.

Hindus usually built their temples in either beautiful surroundings or on some sacred spot. The land on which the Emperumal Temple was built was close to the sugar mill, near the homes of the mill workers, and a place where gum trees were plentiful. The gum trees provided the wood for the erection of the temple, for the Kodi Maram, and for the many temple festivals.

The first temple was a simple wood and daub structure with a thatch roof. Later, railway sleepers were used to erect the walls of the temple, and a tin roof was added. The walls were regularly painted white with lime obtained from the sugar mill.

The first temple to be built was dedicated to Lord Vishnu. There were a few reasons why the local settlers chose Vishnu as the village deity.

Firstly, Hindus see Lord Vishnu as the “Preserver of the Universe” who maintains Balance and Orderliness in the world. The settlers invoked the supreme master of the universe to seek His guidance and protection as they made their homes in a strange and foreign land.

Secondly, Lord Vishnu is also worshipped as the “manifestation of the sun’s energy.” He gives life to and sustains all living things. The existence and survival of Mt Edgecombe depended on the success of sugar cane. Their lives in the area depended on the success of sugar cane. The villagers dedicated the first temple to the Provider and Preserver, seeking His blessings for a successful harvest of sugar cane. This also explains why Vishnu Temples sprang up in all sugar farms along the coast.

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By the turn of the 20th century, the sugar industry flourished. The changed circumstances impacted both the lives of the mill owners and the Indian settlers. With signs of prosperity, the settlers began to see South Africa as their home and chose to take up permanent residence in this country as “free Indians” rather than return to India.

The “Free Indians” were now in a position to sell their labor to the best employer. The sugar barons were now compelled to offer greater incentives to retain the services of their employees. The mill owners now began to show greater interest in the welfare of their workers and began to cater for their social, religious, educational, and cultural needs in addition to their physical needs.

In addition to the many incentives, the mill owners provided additional land, labor, material, advice, and even funds to build bigger and better places of worship. Thus in 1924, the local villagers were able to engage the services of Kistappa Reddy to rebuild the Emperumal Temple.

Kistappa Reddy was assigned to the Campbells, owners of Natal Estates Sugar Mill in Mt Edgecombe in 1898. He built the Shree Ganesha Temple whilst serving his indenture. In 1903, he resigned from the mill and left Mt Edgecombe to make his passion of building temples. In 1924, he was commissioned by the Temple Committee to rebuild the Emperumal Temple using brick and cement, similar to the grand edifices found in India.

During the rebuilding process, the cella housing the main temple deity was not tampered with. The only change was the walls, roof, and the new tower. The original spirit of the temple has been retained all through the rebuilding. To this day, the main temple deity adorns the cella.

The funds for the rebuilding of the temple were provided by the devotees and sugar mill owners. A sum of between 5 and 20 shillings (depending on the worker’s pay and salary scale) was deducted from the salaries of the devotees. In addition to providing cash, the mill owners also provided assistance in the form of building materials, labor, transport, additional land, and advice. Kistappa Reddy completed the re-building of the Emperumal Temple in 1925.