Sri Mahamariamman Temple is probably best known for its wonderful many sculptured figures in bright colours. I had seen photos of them and this was another of the things in my "not to be missed" basket. The first three photos were taken on the way back from Gurney Drive at the end of my first tour and I have included them here.
The temple is dedicated to the goddess Mahamariamman, whom the Hindus call the “Mother of the Universe” and was built in 1833 by Tamil Indians. The beautiful ornate carvings were “imported” from their motherland in terms of style, colours and tradition. Some of the dieties include Navakeragam, Ganapathy, Chandikeswarar, Bairavar, Durga, Subramaniam and Techinamoorthy.
The golden door is flanked by two guardians.
This section was on the left hand side of the rear entrance.
Photos below were taken on the afternoon tour
This is the picture you see in all the travel brochures. Enarge the photo and you will see the god Ganesha at the very top. The artwork is really something and the amount of work put into it must have been very time consuming.
One thing that struck me when I went inside was the predominant colour of green. Everything seemed to have a green cast or light to it.
This statue is one of a pair when your first enter.
There was a lot of food being offered. People were sitting in groups around the temple, some eating, some reading.
If you look closely, you will see the little baby in her mother's arms has a small dot on her forehead. This is called a bindi, sometimes called a tilaka or a pottu. People may have erroneously thought it was an indicator of marital status, but this isn't so. Whilst in parts of India it is the prerogative of the married woman, the bindi is Hindu, not Indian.
It was a fascinating experience being in this temple, I'n not seen anything like it before and was amazed at the fervent devotion of the people here. It was an amazing place.
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