The Sacred Hills of Madagascar

Island history on high: Pilgrims walk for days to worship the spirits of the Merina monarchs who built a great kingdom

Special to The Globe and Mail
April 26, 2008

ANTANANARIVO, MADAGASCAR -- When the great Merina king Andrianampoinimerina (a truncated version of his full, 54-letter name) first united the highlands of Madagascar in the late 18th century, he had 12 wives. So he created 12 separate hilltop residences and placed one of his queens on each, a clever move on many levels.

Though the last of the Merina rulers was exiled in 1896, these 12 royal hills are still considered sacred today. Most have a rova - a Malagasy word meaning both "palace" and "royal compound" - which can include anything from a full-blown castle to a dirt-floored hut, as well as fortifications, moats and elaborate royal tombs. All are found within a 20-kilometre radius of Madagascar's capital city, Antananarivo, which itself was founded around one of the most important of the sacred hills.
Known more for its flora and fauna, the island of Madagascar also has a fascinating cultural history that merits exploration. Its first settlers were Indonesians, mainland Africans and Arab traders; later came European pirates and colonists. By the 18th century, the Merina had created a vast kingdom, the remnants of which are as unique as the 101 types of lemurs found in Madagascar today.

Antananarivo - which means "city of a thousand," as 1,000 warriors supposedly once protected it - is thankfully called Tana for short (Malagasy place names can be poetically descriptive but tongue-twistingly long), and the first time I saw it I thought it looked like a cross between San Francisco and a medieval hill town. Set on steep hills covered with pitched red roofs, steepled churches and tropical trees, it has to be one of Africa's most attractive capitals.

You can't miss the grandest of its buildings, the Rova de la Reine. (French and Malagasy are the main spoken languages, though English was decreed the third official language in 2004.) Perched at 1,483 metres on Tana's highest hill, it still dominates the city, even though a mysterious fire in 1995 destroyed most of its wooden structures. A UNESCO-funded restoration project is under way, and the main palace, Manjakamiadana ("where tranquillity reigns"), still stands in all its English neo-Gothic splendour and is open to visitors.

The views from the Rova de la Reine are spectacular, taking in the undulating cityscape, rice fields - a bit of Indonesian heritage that gives the landscape a vaguely Asian feel - and, in the distance, more sacred hills.
The most popular of these is Ambohimanga, the first capital of the Merina rulers, about 20 kilometres north of Tana. Its rova was formerly off limits to non-Malagasy, but today it is a World Heritage Site.

The easiest way to visit the sacred hills is to hire a car and driver. Tana's labyrinth of unmarked streets are not for the uninitiated. My husband, Matthew, and I were happy to have our driver, Louis Rakotomanga, along for the trip; he not only drove like a pro, he was a wealth of information about Malagasy culture.

Soon the traffic of Tana gave way to a beautiful rural landscape of red mud-brick houses, rice fields and wandering zebus, a species of cattle. A cobblestone road climbs up to Ambohimanga's main gate and a huge stone disc that was formerly rolled across the entrance each night. Inside the fortified walls, the royal compound is filled with sacred sites, including the remarkably spartan one-room, dirt-floored rova of the fabled King Andrianampoinimerina.

A spry, elderly guide named Marie told us tales of life in the royal residence. "The queen liked her comforts," she said as she pointed to a deep stone pool. "She even had a sacred bath said to have been filled by 70 virgins. And this," indicating a small corral that was surrounded by a group of Malagasy visitors, "was for the ritual zebu sacrifice."

That was when I started to understand that Ambohimanga remains much more than a tourist site. Ancestor worship is second only to Christianity as the principal religion in Madagascar, and the other visitors were pilgrims who had walked for days from their villages to honour the spirits of the Merina monarchs. And, with typical Malagasy sociability, the group invited Matthew, Louis and me to watch their sacrifice just outside the rova, on a rocky outcrop.

About 50 people gathered around an elderly "priest" dressed in a fedora and flip-flops. One by one, three families presented him with three geese, which were then killed during a prayer. The blood was spilled on a ceremonial rock, along with some sugar candies, Fanta and honey - to ensure a sweet afterlife for the royal ancestors.

Ambohimalaza, 17 kilometres east of Tana, is where all Merina royalty and their descendants are buried. We parked in the little village below and followed a cobblestone road about two kilometres up through verdant countryside, with local children calling out, "Manao ahoana, vzaha" - "Good day, foreigners" - as we passed.

A hillside of colourful tombs soon came into view. Encircled by a deep moat and the remnants of red mud walls, most of the tombs had square stone bases topped by a tranomanara, a little wooden house with a pitched roof, topped by a wooden V, an indication of royalty. Despite their sacred nature, visitors can wander freely among the tombs.

Our last stop was the nearby village of Imerinkasinina. While not officially a sacred hill, Imerinkasinina has long links to the Merina and is the hometown of Madagascar's popular president, Marc Ravalomanana. Described in a 1999 guidebook as almost untouched by modernization, the village's political ties have done it some good: It now enjoys a well-maintained road, running water and a new school. But most striking is the huge presidential mansion under construction, suggesting that Imerinkasinina may just be the latest addition to the sacred hills of Madagascar.
*****
Pack your bags

GETTING THERE
Madagascar is located 400 kilometres off the east coast of Mozambique in the Indian Ocean. Both Air France and Air Madagascar fly direct from Paris to Antananarivo five times a week. Return tickets start at $1,300.

WHERE TO STAY
HOTEL LE ROYAL PALISSANDRE 13 rue Andriandahifotsy, Faravohitra, Tananarivo; 261 20 22 605 60; http://www.hotel-palissandre.com. The most charming of Tana's first-rate hotels, with an excellent spa. Rooms are decorated with palissandre (local rosewood) and offer views of the city. Doubles, including breakfast, start at about $225.
HOTEL PAVILLON DE L'EMYRNE 12, rue Rakotonirina Stanislas, Isoraka, Tananarivo; 261 33 02 566 38; http://www.pavillondelemyrne.com. A traditional Malagasy-styled house in central Tana, recently restored as a charming 10-room hotel. Doubles from $93.

WHERE TO EAT
GRILL DU ROVA About 100 metres from the Queen's Rova (street addresses are rarely used in Madagascar), Andohalo, Tana; 261 22 627 24. Excellent Malagasy specialties.
RELAIS DU ROVA About five kilometres from Ambohimanga on route 3. A red-brick restaurant/inn with a pretty garden.

More INFORMATION
READING Bradt Guide to Madagascar (2007) by Hilary Bradt.
MADAGASCAR TOURIST OFFICE (In French) www.madagascar-
tourisme.com.