Sri Mariamman Temple, Medan
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Medan Medan ( , ) is the capital city, capital and largest city of the Indonesian Provinces of Indonesia, province of North Sumatra. The nearby Strait of Malacca, Port of Belawan, and Kualanamu International Airport make Medan a regional hub and multi ...
's 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 ...
. This temple was built in 1884 for the worship of Goddess
Mariamman Mariamman, often abbreviated to Amman (), is a Hindu Dravidian folk religion List of rain deities, goddess of weather, predominantly venerated in the rural areas of South India. Her festivals are held during the late summer/early autumn season ...
. The temple is situated in the area known as
Kampung Madras Kampung Madras (Madras Village), formerly known as Kampung Keling (), is the Little India (location), Little India of Medan, Indonesia, and one of the city's significant ethnic enclaves. Kampung Madras encompasses an area of approximately 10 hect ...
or Medan's
Little India Little India (also known as Indian Street, India Bazaar, or India Town) is an Indian people, Indian or South Asian sociocultural environment outside India or the Indian subcontinent. It especially refers to an area with a significant concentra ...
. This temple is also devoted to the Hindu gods
Ganesha Ganesha or Ganesh (, , ), also known as Ganapati, Vinayaka and Pillaiyar, is one of the best-known and most worshipped Deva (Hinduism), deities in the Hindu deities, Hindu pantheon and is the Supreme God in the Ganapatya sect. His depictions ...
and
Murugan Kartikeya (/ kɑɾt̪ɪkejə/; ), also known as Skanda ( /skən̪d̪ə/), Subrahmanya (/ sʊbɾəɦməɲjə/, /ɕʊ-/), Shanmukha ( /ɕɑnmʊkʰə/) and Murugan (/ mʊɾʊgən/), is the Hindu god of war. He is generally described as the ...
, children of
Mariamman Mariamman, often abbreviated to Amman (), is a Hindu Dravidian folk religion List of rain deities, goddess of weather, predominantly venerated in the rural areas of South India. Her festivals are held during the late summer/early autumn season ...
. The Gate is decorated by ''
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 ...
'', namely a storey tower which can usually be found at the gate of the Hindus temples in
South India South India, also known as Southern India or Peninsular India, is the southern part of the Deccan Peninsula in India encompassing the states of Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Kerala, Tamil Nadu and Telangana as well as the union territories of ...
. The temple is a meeting point for worshippers during
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 ...
and Deevapali festivals.


History

This temple was built in 1884 and is the oldest Hindu temple in the city of Medan. It 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 worked at a plantation company located in North Sumatra. The temple was also headed by ''Sami Rangga Naiker and Somusundram Vaithiyar, Ramasamy Vaithiyar'', who were 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 ...
. This temple is located in
Kampung Madras Kampung Madras (Madras Village), formerly known as Kampung Keling (), is the Little India (location), Little India of Medan, Indonesia, and one of the city's significant ethnic enclaves. Kampung Madras encompasses an area of approximately 10 hect ...
, an area in Medan populated predominantly by
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 ...
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 temples in other part of Indonesia that conform to the Javanese or Balinese style. The Sri Mariamman temple was inaugurated for 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
Mariamman Mariamman, often abbreviated to Amman (), is a Hindu Dravidian folk religion List of rain deities, goddess of weather, predominantly venerated in the rural areas of South India. Her festivals are held during the late summer/early autumn season ...
. According to Hindu belief, Mariamman is the goddess who is believed to have the power to cure many diseases, relieve mild forms diseases, and reduce outbreaks of severe illnesses. In addition she can bring rain when an area is suffering drought. The goddess is worshiped in several regions of South India, such as
Andhra Pradesh Andhra Pradesh (ISO 15919, ISO: , , AP) is a States and union territories of India, state on the East Coast of India, east coast of southern India. It is the List of states and union territories of India by area, seventh-largest state and th ...
,
Tamil Nadu Tamil Nadu (; , TN) is the southernmost States and union territories of India, state of India. 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 Indi ...
and
Karnataka Karnataka ( ) is a States and union territories of India, state in the southwestern region of India. It was Unification of Karnataka, formed as Mysore State on 1 November 1956, with the passage of the States Reorganisation Act, 1956, States Re ...
. Besides being used to worship Mariamman, the temple is also used to worship the Hindu deities
Vishnu Vishnu (; , , ), also known as Narayana and Hari, is one of the Hindu deities, principal deities of Hinduism. He is the supreme being within Vaishnavism, one of the major traditions within contemporary Hinduism, and the god of preservation ( ...
,
Ganesha Ganesha or Ganesh (, , ), also known as Ganapati, Vinayaka and Pillaiyar, is one of the best-known and most worshipped Deva (Hinduism), deities in the Hindu deities, Hindu pantheon and is the Supreme God in the Ganapatya sect. His depictions ...
,
Shiva Shiva (; , ), also known as Mahadeva (; , , Help:IPA/Sanskrit, ɐɦaːd̪eːʋɐh and Hara, is one of the Hindu deities, principal deities of Hinduism. He is the God in Hinduism, Supreme Being in Shaivism, one of the major traditions w ...
,
Durga Durga (, ) 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 combating evils and demonic ...
,
Murugan Kartikeya (/ kɑɾt̪ɪkejə/; ), also known as Skanda ( /skən̪d̪ə/), Subrahmanya (/ sʊbɾəɦməɲjə/, /ɕʊ-/), Shanmukha ( /ɕɑnmʊkʰə/) and Murugan (/ mʊɾʊgən/), is the Hindu god of war. He is generally described as the ...
etc.


Architecture

The temple is surrounded by walls, with the height of 2.5 meters. In the front is the entrance to the Temple of Arca Tuwarasakti; reliefs and a statue of Lord Shiva are above the entrance. Tuwarasakti is described as a woman, because she is the guardian of goddess Mariamman as well. She has a beautiful face, with four arms that carry a trident, mace and pasa, and a hand attitude that 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, revered as the goddess of wealth, fortune, prosperity, beauty, fertility, sovereignty, and abundance. She along with Parvat ...
. 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. 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 Vishnu, Siva and Brahma. There are many unique ornaments in the temple, including statues that make the temple more beautiful. In the inner sanctum, the deities Murugan, Vishnu, the child Murugan and Narayanan are worshipped. On the Section to the left are the deities Vinayagar; Brahma, Siva, Vishnu; Agastya and Siva, Parvathi and Nandi. Behind the temple,
Krishna Krishna (; Sanskrit language, Sanskrit: कृष्ण, ) is a major deity in Hinduism. He is worshipped as the eighth avatar of Vishnu and also as the Supreme God (Hinduism), Supreme God in his own right. He is the god of protection, c ...
, Raja Rajeswari and Thillai Natarajar are enshrined. Image:COLLECTIE TROPENMUSEUM Vrouwen maken een rondgang bij de Hindoe tempel Sri Mariamman TMnr 20018361.jpg, Hindu devotees entering the temple, 1993 Image:Kuil Shri Mariamman Kota Medan.png, The temple main entrance


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