Corps de Garde Mountain, Mauritius ; 13 March, 2024

13 March, 2024

 

CORPS DE GARDE MOUNTAIN, MAURITIUS

 

At Stanley, Rose Hill, Mauritius, the Corps de Garde Mountain rises majestically, with one side facing east (sunrise). The name Rose Hill itself was probably given by an Englishwoman who lived nearby after the English arrived in 1810. In the winter months, the rising sun would cast a rosy colour on the mountain facing east (sunrise). Thus, the name Rose Hill. (The English called it a hill, but Mauritians call it a mountain).

 

Corps de Garde Mountain is fascinating in many ways. It is longish, stretching towards Palma, Quatre Bornes, at one end and towards La Ferme Reservoir at the other end. Towards La Ferme, it slopes down towards Camp Levieux. At the lower end of the slope one can cross over towards La Ferme Reservoir. In the past (the early 1960s) villagers crossed the mountain at that spot and went to collect fodder and firewood on the western side of the mountain. They carried the load of fodder and firewood on their heads back to Camp Levieux. Sometimes they would work in vegetable plantations at the place called La Chaumière, on the west side of the mountain. They would bring back fodder for the goats and cows that they reared.

 

The mountain is of a height of about 720 metres.   

https://www.google.com/search?client=firefox-b-d&q=height+of+corps+de+garde+mountain+mauritius

 

“How hard is the Corps de Garde hike?

Generally considered a challenging route, it takes an average of 2 h 46 min to complete. This trail is great for hiking, and it's unlikely you'll encounter many other people while exploring.”

 

“Corps de Garde is a 720-metre-high mountain of volcanic origin, in the area Palma in the Black River district of Mauritius. The name derived from the fact that a French military post was once established on its slope to control the bands of runaway slaves.”

 

“This basaltic rock formation has an imposing appearance which is characterized by an abruptly breakup of the slope towards the sea. It is resembling a figure of a guard with its beret sleeping on his abdomen and looking forward. It is also famous for a nature reserve of about 90.33 ha with a very rare flora such as Trochetia parviflora which was rediscovered on a mountain slope in 2001, Pilea trilobata which was rediscovered in 2005 and the Mandrinette. On the foot of that hill are the towns of Beau Bassin-Rose Hill and Quatre Bornes.” Quoted from Wikipedia. Full acknowledgements are made here.

 

The so-called “beret” is called locally as “Big Rock.”  For the French it looked like a beret, for Mauritians it looks like a Big Rock. There is another smaller rock nearby, called “Little Rock.” Little Rock juts out rather horizontally. But, Big Rock is impressive. While climbing to the top of the mountain, you must scrape along the BASE of Big Rock to get to the other side. It is very dangerous to climb on Big Rock itself. You could slip and tumble down a ravine and hurt yourself real bad. Big Rock is never far from treacherous bushes and ravines that can spell your ruin, if not your death or disability. You must know how to tackle the climbing of Big Rock. You might be tempted to climb on top of Big Rock to get an exhilarating or pleasurable view or experience, but it is definitely dangerous to do so. You could lose your life or get disabled for life. No matter how fascinating Big Rock is, you climb it at your own risk. It is definitely safer to pass along its base to move along, holding on to the rock face for dear life’s sake.

 

At the top of the mountain, there is a spot called “pavilion.” It is not a flag. It is a triangular metallic structure to denote the highest point of the mountain. You can still move from that point towards Palma, Quatre Bornes. But, reaching towards that end, you must be very careful. The mountain suddenly goes almost vertically towards the ground. If ever you slip, you have had it. You are unlikely to survive that fall.

 

To end with, no matter how tempting, fascinating or exciting Big Rock is, you climb it at your own risk. Whatever pleasure this Big Rock can give you by climbing on it, it could end up as a deadly pleasure.

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Added on 14 March, 2024.

For some notes about this mountain, please see :

 

• (1) "The legends of our mountains." "MAURITIAN INTERNATIONAL" magazine, published in London, issue of October-December 1995, (page 12).
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• (2) "Carnet de route et d'érrances. Le Corps de Garde." "L'EXPRESS" newspaper, Mauritius, 9 July, 1995.
•  

(3) France Staub : "Les trésors du Corps de Garde." "WEEK-END" newspaper,  Mauritius, 20 May, 2001, (page 38). From this article, we can quote the following :

 

*    "Dominating the countryside of Quatre Bornes as well as that of Rose Hill, to which it owes it name when the winter dawns coloured it tender pink, the Corps de Garde, at once near and far, like the Sphynx, seems unconcerned with what's going on around it. (…..)"

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Added on 15 March, 2024

About the dangers of falling from Big Rock, we will note that there are TWO crematoriums at the foot of the mountain, one at the northern side and one at the southern side. There is even a FREE Municipal funeral parlour near the northern crematorium…. Jeez, they have thought of everything… One-stop shop, what say ?...

We can quote the following about this mountain :

“Thou, mountain, thou shalt be the final victor :

In truth, as the funeral pyre finally be set alight,

Thou shalt see, on some afternoon bright,

The flames gobbling up the past conqueror.

 

Mountain ! Many roaring fires hath thou seen,

Overlooking the plains, rolling and green,

In the final reckoning reducing to vanishing ashes

Victors and vanquish'd alike, in yon funeral  pyres.

 

…

 

“Mountain ! As mortals, we move on, we vanish :

As sheer dust or swirling ashes do we finish,

But, thou remain'st, sitting here forever,

Impassive at the surrounding fever…”

 

---From my poem “The silent conqueror.”

 

https://allpoetry.com/poem/17088753-Poem----The-silent-conqueror----3-April--2023.-by-Soman-Ragavan

 

https://mypoeticside.com/show-poem-168381

 

“As towards the funeral pyre we shalt finally proceed,

To thy songs, master, shalt we pay some last heed;

Brushing along the way past many a swaying reed,

To thy final and lofty abode dutifully shalt we speed….”

 

---From my poem “Kishore Kumar (9)”  

 

https://allpoetry.com/poem/17081633-Poem----Kishore-Kumar--9-----30-March--2023.--by-Soman-Ragavan  

 

https://mypoeticside.com/show-poem-169877

 

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