Sri Mariamman Temple is

Medan Medan (; English: ) is the capital and largest city of the Indonesian province of North Sumatra, as well as a regional hub and financial centre of Sumatra. According to the National Development Planning Agency, Medan is one of the four main ...

's oldest

Hindu Temple A Hindu temple, or ''mandir'' or ''koil'' in Indian languages, is a house, seat and body of divinity for Hindus. It is a structure designed to bring human beings and gods together through worship, sacrifice, and devotion.; Quote: "The Hind ...

. This temple was built in 1884 for the worship of Goddess

Mariamman Mariamman, often abbreviated to Amman, is a Hindu goddess of rain, predominantly venerated in the rural areas of South India. Her festivals are held during the late summer/early autumn season of Ādi throughout Tamil Nadu and the Deccan region, ...

. The temple is situated in the area known as

Kampung Madras Kampung Madras (Madras Village), formerly known as Kampung Keling ( ta, காலிங் கிராமம்), is the Little India of Medan, Indonesia, and one of the city's significant ethnic enclaves. Kampung Madras encompasses an area of a ...

or Medan's

Little India Little India or India Town (less commonly known as Indian Street or India Bazaar) is an Indian or Desi (South Asian) sociocultural environment outside India or the subcontinent. It especially refers to an area with Indian residences and a dive ...

. This temple is also devoted to the Hindu Gods

Ganesha Ganesha ( sa, गणेश, ), also known as Ganapati, Vinayaka, and Pillaiyar, is one of the best-known and most worshipped deities in the Hindu pantheon and is the Supreme God in Ganapatya sect. His image is found throughout India. Hindu d ...

, and

Murugan Kartikeya ( sa, कार्त्तिकेय, Kārttikeya), also known as Skanda, Subrahmanya, Shanmukha (), and Murugan ( ta, முருகன்), is the Hindu god of war. He is the son of Parvati and Shiva, the brother of Ganesha ...

, children of

. The Gate is decorated by ''

gopuram A ''gopuram'' or ''gopura'' ( Tamil: கோபுரம், Malayalam: ഗോപുരം, Kannada: ಗೋಪುರ, Telugu: గోపురం) is a monumental entrance tower, usually ornate, at the entrance of a Hindu temple, in the South I ...

'', namely storey tower which can usually be found at the gate of the Hindus temples in

South India South India, also known as Dakshina Bharata or Peninsular India, consists of the peninsular southern part of India. It encompasses the Indian states of Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Kerala, Tamil Nadu, and Telangana, as well as the union territo ...

. The temple is a meeting point for worshippers during

Thaipusam Thaipusam or Thaipoosam (Tamil: தைப்பூசம், ''taippūcam'' ?), is a festival celebrated by the Hindu Tamil community on the full moon in the Tamil month of ''Thai'' (January/February), usually coinciding with Pushya star, kno ...

and Deevapali festivals.

History

This temple was built in 1884 and is the oldest Hindu temple in the city of Medan which serves as a place for the worship of Goddess Mariamman. This temple was built by co-operative efforts of all the early Tamil settlers in Medan, who then were workers at a plantation company located in North Sumatra. The temple was also headed by ''Sami Rangga Naiker and Somusundram Vaithiyar, Ramasamy Vaithiyar'', who were also donors for the construction of this temple. The Sri Mariamman temple is located on the street Teuku Umar 18, which is 500 meters from the

Gunung Timur Temple Gunung Timur Temple () is a Chinese temple which is the largest in the city of Medan, Indonesia and possibly also on the island of Sumatra. This temple was built in the 1962 and dedicated to Dongyue Dadi (東嶽大帝). This temple is located a ...

. This temple is located in

which is an area in Medan populated predominantly by

Tamil Tamil may refer to: * Tamils, an ethnic group native to India and some other parts of Asia **Sri Lankan Tamils, Tamil people native to Sri Lanka also called ilankai tamils **Tamil Malaysians, Tamil people native to Malaysia * Tamil language, nativ ...

who are Hindus. This temple is adjacent to the Sun plaza. The temple shares the same architecture as other Hindu temples in South India and Sri Lanka, unlike several other Hindu temple in other part of Indonesia that conforms to the Javanese or Balinese-style. The Sri Mariamman temple was inaugurated its use for Hindu Dharma on October 23, 1991, by the ex-Governor of North Sumatra H. Raja Inal Siregar.

Deities

Sri Mariamman temple was named after the goddess

. According to Hindu belief, Goddess Mariamman is the goddess who is believed to have the power to cure many diseases, relieve mild forms diseases, outbreaks of severe illnesses and can cause it to rain when experiencing drought. The goddess is worshiped in several regions of South India such as

Andhra Pradesh Andhra Pradesh (, abbr. AP) is a state in the south-eastern coastal region of India. It is the seventh-largest state by area covering an area of and tenth-most populous state with 49,386,799 inhabitants. It is bordered by Telangana to the ...

Tamil Nadu Tamil Nadu (; , TN) is a States and union territories of India, state in southern India. It is the List of states and union territories of India by area, tenth largest Indian state by area and the List of states and union territories of India ...

and

Karnataka Karnataka (; ISO: , , also known as Karunāḍu) is a state in the southwestern region of India. It was formed on 1 November 1956, with the passage of the States Reorganisation Act. Originally known as Mysore State , it was renamed ''Karnat ...

. Besides being used to worship the Goddess Mariamman, is also used to worship the Hindu gods such as Lord

Vishnu Vishnu ( ; , ), also known as Narayana and Hari, is one of the principal deities of Hinduism. He is the supreme being within Vaishnavism, one of the major traditions within contemporary Hinduism. Vishnu is known as "The Preserver" within t ...

, Lord

Shiva Shiva (; sa, शिव, lit=The Auspicious One, Śiva ), also known as Mahadeva (; ɐɦaːd̪eːʋɐ, or Hara, is one of the principal deities of Hinduism. He is the Supreme Being in Shaivism, one of the major traditions within Hindu ...

, Lord

Durga Durga ( sa, दुर्गा, ) is a major Hindu goddess, worshipped as a principal aspect of the mother goddess Mahadevi. She is associated with protection, strength, motherhood, destruction, and wars. Durga's legend centres around co ...

, Lord

and other gods.

Architecture

The temple is surrounded by walls, with the height of 2.5 meters. In the front, there is the entrance to the Temple of Arca Tuwarasakti and reliefs and statue of Lord Shiva above the entrance. Tuwarasakti is described as a woman, because it is the guardian of goddess Mariamman as well. She has a beautiful face, with four arms that carry a trident, mace and pasa and hand attitude counts a warning. On the front wall to the right there is a statue of

Lakshmi Lakshmi (; , sometimes spelled Laxmi, ), also known as Shri (, ), is one of the principal goddesses in Hinduism. She is the goddess of wealth, fortune, power, beauty, fertility and prosperity, and associated with ''Maya'' ("Illusion"). Alo ...

. The statue in the middle, is the statue of the Hindu priest, depicted as wearing a turban, having a thick mustache, as a typology of the Tamil people. On the front wall, in the left, there is a statue of

Parvathi Parvati ( sa, पार्वती, ), Uma ( sa, उमा, ) or Gauri ( sa, गौरी, ) is the Hindu goddess of power, energy, nourishment, harmony, love, beauty, devotion, and motherhood. She is a physical representation of Mahadevi in ...

. The Parvathi statue is two armed with one hand holding a water pot. There are three chambers inside the temple where worship takes places. In the chambers, there are several statues, representing Lord Vishnu, Siva and Brahma. There are many unique ornaments in the temple, including statues that make the temple more beautiful. In the inner sanctum: * Murugan statue * Vishnu statue * Child Murugan statue * Narayanan statue Section to the left there are the sculptures consist of: *

Vinayagar Ganesha ( sa, गणेश, ), also known as Ganapati, Vinayaka, and Pillaiyar, is one of the best-known and most worshipped deities in the Hindu pantheon and is the Supreme God in Ganapatya sect. His image is found throughout India. Hindu de ...

statue * Statue of Brahman, Sivan, Vishnu *

Agastya Agastya ( kn, ಅಗಸ್ತ್ಯ, ta, அகத்தியர், sa, अगस्त्य, te, అగస్త్యుడు, ml, അഗസ്ത്യൻ, hi, अगस्त्य) was a revered Indian sage of Hinduism. In the I ...

statue * Statue of Sivan, Parvathi,

Nandi Nandi may refer to: People * Nandy (surname), Indian surname * Nandi (mother of Shaka) (1760–1827), daughter of Bhebe of the Langeni tribe * Onandi Lowe (born 1974), Jamaican footballer nicknamed Nandi * Nandi Bushell (born 2010), South Afri ...

On the side of behind the temple there are also has statue of: * Statue of

Krishna Krishna (; sa, कृष्ण ) is a major deity in Hinduism. He is worshipped as the eighth avatar of Vishnu and also as the Supreme god in his own right. He is the god of protection, compassion, tenderness, and love; and is one ...

* Statues of Raja Rajeswari * Statue of Thillai Natarajar Image:COLLECTIE TROPENMUSEUM Hindoe tempel TMnr 60039307.jpg, The temple (1923) Image:COLLECTIE TROPENMUSEUM Hindoe tempel TMnr 60016274.jpg, Inside the temple (1925)

References

External links

* http://indahnesia.com/indonesia.php?page=MEDCIT A Little Information about Medan's Sri Mariamman Temple * http://www.pbase.com/boon3887/shri_mariamman_kuil Photos of the temple {{Hindu temples in Indonesia Hindu temples in Indonesia Buildings and structures in Medan Dutch colonial architecture in Indonesia Religious buildings and structures completed in 1884 Tourist attractions in North Sumatra Mariamman temples 19th-century Hindu temples Cultural Properties of Indonesia in North Sumatra