Sri Mahamariamman Temple, Kuala Lumpur
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The Sri Mahamariamman Temple (
Tamil Tamil may refer to: People, culture and language * Tamils, an ethno-linguistic group native to India, Sri Lanka, and some other parts of Asia **Sri Lankan Tamils, Tamil people native to Sri Lanka ** Myanmar or Burmese Tamils, Tamil people of Ind ...
: ஸ்ரீ மகாமாரியம்மன் திருக்கோவில், ''Śrī Māriyammaṉ Kōvil'') is the oldest
Hindu temple A Hindu temple, also known as Mandir, Devasthanam, Pura, or Kovil, is a sacred place where Hindus worship and show their devotion to Hindu deities, deities through worship, sacrifice, and prayers. It is considered the house of the god to who ...
in
Kuala Lumpur Kuala Lumpur (KL), officially the Federal Territory of Kuala Lumpur, is the capital city and a Federal Territories of Malaysia, federal territory of Malaysia. It is the largest city in the country, covering an area of with a census population ...
,
Malaysia Malaysia is a country in Southeast Asia. Featuring the Tanjung Piai, southernmost point of continental Eurasia, it is a federation, federal constitutional monarchy consisting of States and federal territories of Malaysia, 13 states and thre ...
. Founded in 1873, it is situated at the edge of
Chinatown Chinatown ( zh, t=唐人街) is the catch-all name for an ethnic enclave of Chinese people located outside Greater China, most often in an urban setting. Areas known as "Chinatown" exist throughout the world, including Europe, Asia, Africa, O ...
in Jalan Bandar (formerly High Street). In 1968, a new structure was built, featuring the ornate 'Raja Gopuram' tower in the style of South Indian temples. From its inception, the temple provided an important
place of worship A place of worship is a specially designed structure or space where individuals or a group of people such as a congregation come to perform acts of devotion, veneration, or religious study. A building constructed or used for this purpose is s ...
for early Indian immigrants and is now an important cultural and national heritage.


History

The Sri Mahamariamman Temple was founded by K. Thamboosamy Pillai in 1873 and was initially used as a private shrine by the Pillai family. The family threw the temple doors open to the public in the late 1920s and eventually handed the management of the temple over to a board of trustees. This is the oldest functioning
Hindu Hindus (; ; also known as Sanātanīs) are people who religiously adhere to Hinduism, also known by its endonym Sanātana Dharma. Jeffery D. Long (2007), A Vision for Hinduism, IB Tauris, , pp. 35–37 Historically, the term has also be ...
temple in Malaysia. It is also reputed to be the richest in the country. The temple was originally sited somewhere near the Kuala Lumpur railway station. It shifted to its present location along Jalan Tun H.S. Lee (next to KL's Chinatown) in 1885. The initial attap structure was demolished in 1887 and a brick building was erected in its place. That structure was demolished to make way for the current temple building which were completed in 1968. The impressive gateway to the temple, known as the ''
gopuram A ''gopuram'' or ''gopura'' ( Tamil: கோபுரம், Telugu: గోపురం, Kannada Kannada () is a Dravidian language spoken predominantly in the state of Karnataka in southwestern India, and spoken by a minority of th ...
'', was completed in 1972. The new temple was consecrated in 1973.


Architecture


Gopuram

Built in the South Indian style, the temple's most outstanding feature is the impressive 5-tiered ''
gopuram A ''gopuram'' or ''gopura'' ( Tamil: கோபுரம், Telugu: గోపురం, Kannada Kannada () is a Dravidian language spoken predominantly in the state of Karnataka in southwestern India, and spoken by a minority of th ...
'' (tower). It is the tallest structure in the temple. The dramatic 22.9 m (75 ft) high pyramid-shaped gate tower is decorated with depictions of Hindu gods sculpted by artisans from southern India. The chief sculptor was the late S. T. Muniappa from Tamil Nadu and is credited for creating the 228 idols on the gopuram.


Main Prayer Hall

'' of the temple where Sri Maha Mariamman idol is enshrined This Temple resembles the form of a human body lying on its back with the head positioned towards the west and the feet towards the east. The temple's 5-tiered gopuram corresponds to the feet of the body. It is the threshold between the material and spiritual world. At the rear is the Garbhagriha, garbagraham or sanctum sanctorum, which corresponds to the head. It is a freestanding structure with its own roof and walls and has one entrance that faces east. This is the inner sanctum where the chief deity Sri Maha Mariamman is located. The priest stands in front of the garbagraham when performing the puja (prayers). Within the temple is a main
prayer File:Prayers-collage.png, 300px, alt=Collage of various religionists praying – Clickable Image, Collage of various religionists praying ''(Clickable image – use cursor to identify.)'' rect 0 0 1000 1000 Shinto festivalgoer praying in front ...
hall with richly decorated ceilings. The location of three shrines in the main temple is marked by an ornately embellished onion dome which can be seen from outside. There is also four smaller shrines located peripherally around the main temple building
Pillaiyar Ganesha or Ganesh (, , ), 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 the Ganapatya sect. His depictions are found throughout India. Hi ...
is in the shrine on the left and Lord Muruga, his brother, is on the right. Pillaiyar is also found at the entrance as he is the remover of obstacles. The eight idols adorning the pillars inside the temple are of ashta
Lakshmi Lakshmi (; , , sometimes spelled Laxmi, ), also known as Shri (, , ), is one of the principal goddesses in Hinduism, revered as the goddess of wealth, fortune, prosperity, beauty, fertility, sovereignty, and abundance. She along with Parvat ...
. Once every 12 years, in keeping with Hindu tradition, the temple is reconsecrated.


Silver Chariot

A silver chariot is housed within the premises. This chariot is a prominent feature during the annual
Thaipusam Thaipusam or Thaipoosam (Tamil language, Tamil: Taippūcam, ) is a Tamil Hindu festival celebrated on the first Purnima, full moon day of the Tamil calendar, Tamil month of Pausha, Thai coinciding with Pushya, Pusam Nakshatra, star. The festiv ...
festival. It used during this occasion for transporting the statuettes of Lord Muruga and his consorts (Valli and Teivayanni) through the city streets to Batu Caves. It made its debut in 1983 and was built at a cost of RM350,000 using 350 kilograms of silver. The chariot was made in
India India, officially the Republic of India, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area; the List of countries by population (United Nations), most populous country since ...
and shipped here in 12 parts to be assembled. It is 6.5 metres tall and has 240 bells and a pair of horses on it. Before the silver chariot, a wooden one was used which was made 1930 by Indian craftsmen at a cost of RM50,000.


Bangunan Mariamman

Recently, the Sri Maha Mariamman Temple has, after a 40-year wait, finally got its own building. The RM 13 million six-storey building, behind the temple in Jalan Tun H.S Lee was officially opened by Works Minister and MIC President Datuk Seri S. Samy Vellu. Temple chairman R. Nadarajah said the idea to construct the building was mooted by Datuk Seri S. Samy Vellu 38 years ago when he was a committee member of the temple. Known as Bangunan Mariamman, the building is beside the Klang Bus Station and opposite the Pasar Seni LRT/MRT station. It is connected to the temple and has two floors of basement car parks, three floors for two auditoriums and a hall.


The Deity

Mariamman is popularly worshipped by overseas Indians, especially
Tamils The Tamils ( ), also known by their endonym Tamilar, are a Dravidian peoples, Dravidian ethnic group who natively speak the Tamil language and trace their ancestry mainly to the southern part of the Indian subcontinent. The Tamil language is o ...
because she is looked upon as their protector during their sojourn to foreign lands. Mariamman is a manifestation of the goddess - Parvati, an incarnation embodying Mother Earth with all her terrifying force. She protects her devotees from unholy or demonic events.


Administration

The Sri Mahamariamman Temple is managed by the Board of Management of Sri Maha Mariamman Temple Devasthanam, which also manages the Batu Caves Sri Subramaniam Temple and the Kortumalai Pillaiyar Temple. It also performs the role of Hindu Religious Consultant to the
Government of Malaysia The Government of Malaysia, officially the Federal Government of Malaysia (; Jawi script, Jawi: ), is based in the Federal Territories of Malaysia, Federal Territory of Putrajaya, with the exception of the legislative branch, which is located in ...
in determining the
Hindu Hindus (; ; also known as Sanātanīs) are people who religiously adhere to Hinduism, also known by its endonym Sanātana Dharma. Jeffery D. Long (2007), A Vision for Hinduism, IB Tauris, , pp. 35–37 Historically, the term has also be ...
yearly calendar.


Festivals

The temple is particularly packed on
Deepavali Diwali (), also called Deepavali (IAST: ''Dīpāvalī'') or Deepawali (IAST: ''Dīpāwalī''), is the Hindu festival of lights, with variations celebrated in other Indian religions such as Jainism and Sikhism. It symbolises the spiritual ...
with devotees eager to offer their prayers on the holy day. Also on the holy day of
Thaipusam Thaipusam or Thaipoosam (Tamil language, Tamil: Taippūcam, ) is a Tamil Hindu festival celebrated on the first Purnima, full moon day of the Tamil calendar, Tamil month of Pausha, Thai coinciding with Pushya, Pusam Nakshatra, star. The festiv ...
, thousands of devotees throng the temple at the wee hours of the morning to start a long procession leading up to Batu Caves as a religious undertaking to Lord Muruga. They carry containers containing milk as offering to Lord Muruga either by hand or in huge decorated carriers on their shoulders called 'kavadi'.


See also

* Sri Mariamman Temple, Singapore


References


Kuala Lumpur - Sri Mahamariamman Temple
{{Malaysian historical architectures and sites Mariamman temples Hindu temples in Malaysia Tamil diaspora in Malaysia Religious buildings and structures in Kuala Lumpur