One of the dilapidated landmarks in Chaguanas is the famous Lion House on the Chaguanas Main Road. It is also known as Ananad Bhavan or Mansion of Bliss.
One hundred years ago, in 1924, Pundit Capildeo used his artistic skills to begin constructing this masterpiece. He died in 1925 whilst on a trip to India.
Who was this builder? Capildeo was born in 1873 in the village of Mahadeva Dubey in the state of Uttar Pradesh, India.
He would later leave for Benares to study, but was recruited by arkatias (immigrant recruiters) to work on the sugar estates in the British colony of Trinidad. He boarded the Hereford ship in 1894 accompanied by other Indians.
Capildeo served on the Woodford Lodge Sugar Estate in Chaguanas. Upon leaving the indentured scheme he became a pundit serving the Hindus in central and rest of Trinidad. Capildeo was also renowned as a businessman, farmer and landowner.
Some of his relatives believed Capildeo hoped to reconstruct, in Chaguanas, an extraordinary structure similar to one in the town of Gorakhpur in India. Undoubtedly, it reflected the builder’s ancestral homeland, as the Lion House was modelled on unique Gupta style houses from India in the 5th century.
It was dubbed "Hanuman House" by VS Naipaul, in A House for Mr Biswas, who referred to it as an "alien white fortress." It was the childhood home of both Naipaul and Dr Rudranath Capildeo.
Prior to the emergence of the Lion House, the site was occupied by a shop-home. And the Lion House would be built to the front of the shop-home. The two merged as the Lion House eventually hid the former residence.
The house was painted in white and had four storeys. Undoubtedly, this impressive structure reflected the wealth of its occupants and their status in the community.
The architectural style reflected a Hindu ideology and intricate designs were made around windows and doors. The base of the concrete pillars had floral patterns. Circular mirrors were installed to identify the house’s openings. The lions are on the front ends of the house and on the back wall is a depiction of Ganesh – an elephant-headed god.
Behind the walls was a secluded inner courtyard which had a small garden and would have been a relaxing setting on mornings and afternoons. From the street, the public saw thick, outside walls. These walls were surrounded by impressive pillars that formed an arcade. A flat roof provided protection from the elements.
The top floor was rarely used by the family and seemed unnecessary. Below was the third floor, which housed a puja room. From this room, family members had access to the top floor.
Below was the second storey, which was private and for domestic use. It was occupied by the family and had four rooms. This level was connected to the third floor by narrow wooden steps.
The first floor was regularly used by the children. This storey was a thoroughfare for the public and was accessible from the Main Road. There was a store, with awnings and decorative blocks, for public business. The store sold ganja, haberdas
