Sri Mahamariamman Temple, Kuala Lumpur

Sri Mahamariamman Temple, is located at the edge of Kuala Lumpur Chinatown or Petaling Street in Jalan Tun HS Lee. 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 in determining the Hindu yearly calendar.

Founded by K. Thamboosamy Pillai in 1873 as a private shrine, the Sri Mahamariamman Temple was then open to public in the late 1920s. The temple provided an important place of worship for early Indian immigrants. In 1972, an impressive gateway to the temple was built, featuring the ornate 5 tiered Gopuram tower in the style of South Indian temples. This dramatic 22.9 meters or 75 feet high pyramid-shaped Gopuram tower is decorated with depictions of 228 Hindu gods sculpted by artisans from southern India. It is the oldest functioning and richest Hindu temple in Kuala Lumpur and it is now an important cultural and national heritage in Malaysia.

Sri Mahamariamman 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 tower corresponds to the feet of the body. The temple’s rear is the garbagraham 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 installed. The priest stands in front of the garbagraham when performing the puja (prayers).

Within the Sri Mahamariamman Temple is a main prayer hall. The location of three shrines in the main temple is marked by an ornately embellished onion dome which can be seen from outside. There are also four smaller shrines located peripherally around the main temple building.

Lord Ganesha is in the shrine on the left and Lord Muruga, his brother, is on the right. Ganesh is also found at the entrance as he is the remover of obstacles. The eight female figures adorning the pillars inside the temple are of Lakshmi (Goddess of Wealth).

A giant silver chariot is housed within the temple. This chariot is a prominent feature during the annual Thaipusam festival. It is 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. It is 6.5 meters tall and has 240 bells and a pair of horses on it.

The deity Mariamman is popularly worshipped by overseas Indians, especially Tamils 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 is associated with disease and fever and protects her devotees from unholy or demonic events.

Sri Mahamariamman Temple is open daily from 6am to 9pm and admission is free. Visitors are welcome to make a donation for the maintenance of the temple. The temple is particularly packed on Deepavali with devotees eager to offer their prayers on the holy day. Also, Sri Mahamariamman Temple is the starting point of the yearly Thaipusam pilgrimage to the Batu Caves. Thousands of devotees throng the temple at the wee hours of the morning on Thaipusam day 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’. Thaipusam is also the day where visitors and tourists are able to see Hindu devotees haul portable altars pierced to their skin with 108 lances.

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