Ayman: creating a location!

2026-03-25T21:58:01Z

creating a location!

New page

{{Short description|Hindu temple in Tamil Nadu, India}}
{{More citations needed|date=June 2024}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=July 2020}}
{{Use Indian English|date=July 2020}}
{{Infobox Hindu temple
| name = Arulmigu Sri Mariamman Temple
| native_name = '''அருள்மிகு மாரியம்மன் திருக்கோயில்'''
| image = Samayapuram Mariyamman Temple Entrance-1.jpg
| alt = Temple Entrance Arch
| caption = View of the entrance arch
| district = [[Tiruchirappalli district|Tiruchirappalli]]
| deity = [[Samayapuram Mariamman]]
| festivals = Chithirai Car Festival,<br />Poo Choridal Festival,<br />Vaikasi Panchaprakaram Festival<br />and<br />Thai Poosam Festival
| temple_board = [[Hindu Religious and Charitable Endowments Department|Tamil Nadu Hindu Religious and Charitable Endowments Department]]
| location = [[Samayapuram]]
| state = [[Tamil Nadu]]
| country = {{flag|India}}
| map_type = India Tamil Nadu
| map_caption = Mariamman Temple, [[Samayapuram]], [[Tamil Nadu]]
| coordinates = {{coord|10.9185|N|78.7389|E|display=inline,title}}[https://geohack.toolforge.org/geohack.php?pagename=Mariamman_Temple,_Samayapuram&params=10.9185_N_78.7389_E_type:landmark]
| architecture = [[Tamil architecture]]
| elevation_m = 115
| temple_quantity = One
| monument_quantity =
| inscriptions =
| year_completed =
| creator =
| website = [https://samayapurammariamman.hrce.tn.gov.in/hrcehome/index_temple.php?tid=25704]
}}

[[File:Samayapuram Mariyamman Drawing in the Temple Corridor.jpg|thumb|A painting of Mariamman on the ceiling of the entrance hall.]]
'''Arulmigu Sri Mariamman Temple, Samayapuram''' is an ancient [[Hinduism|Hindu]] temple in [[Tiruchirappalli district]] in [[Tamil Nadu]], [[India]]. The main deity, [[Samayapuram Mariamman]], a form of [[Adi Parashakti]] and [[Mariamman]], is made of sand and clay with extractions of medicinal herbs unlike many of the traditional stone idols and is considered as most powerful [[Goddess]], and hence unlike many other Hindu deities there are no ''[[abhishekam]]s'' (sacred bathing) conducted to the main deity, but instead the "abishekam" is done to the small stone statue in front of it.

Devotees also offer ''[[mavilakku]]'' (Tamil - மாவிளக்கு), a sweet dish made of jaggery, rice flour and ghee.<ref>{{cite web | url = http://www.trichy.com/places/samayapuram/| title = Facts about Samayapuram}}</ref> Offerings of raw [[salt]] and [[neem]] leaves are also made to the Goddess by the rural devotees.

The temple attracts thousands of devotees on Sundays, Tuesdays and Fridays, the holy days for Mariamman. Samayapuram is the second most wealthy (in terms of cash flows) temple in Tamil Nadu after [[Dhandayuthapani Swamy Temple|Palani]].

==History==
[[File:Temple tower of Samayapuram Mariamman.jpg|thumb|Gold-plated [[vimana]] over the sanctum.]]
The history of the temple is unclear. In the early 18th century, King Vijayaraya Chakravarti II built the present day form of the temple.<ref>{{cite web
|url = http://www.chennaionline.com/hotelsandtours/Placesofworship/2006/04temple88.asp
|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20060413141736/http://www.chennaionline.com/hotelsandtours/Placesofworship/2006/04temple88.asp
|url-status = dead
|archive-date = 13 April 2006
|title = Chennai Online's article on Samayapuram}}
</ref> There is scant history of the period before that though it is believed that the locals worshipped the Goddess for many centuries before building the current temple. One legend says that the present deity was at the [[Sri Ranganathaswamy Temple (Srirangam)|Sri Ranganathaswamy Temple]] at [[Srirangam]], and one of the chief priests of the temple believed that the idol caused illness to [[Ranganathar]] and hence asked it to be removed from the temple. It is a common belief in that part of the region that such local deities have immense powers and they must always be satisfied by proper offerings and sacrifices, otherwise, they cause epidemics. The idol was moved outside Srirangam and later found by some of the passersby who built a temple named, the '''Kannanur Mariamman Temple'''.

During that period (around the 17th century CE), Tiruchirapalli was ruled by the [[Vijayanagara Empire]] kings and the area was used as an army base. It is believed that they made a commitment to build the temple if they win the war and after attaining success, they built a shrine for the Goddess.The Mariamman Urchavar idol was donated in the year 1991 by G.Balamurugan & G.Muralikumar, grand children of M.Venkatachala Padayachi & V.Valliammal & children of V.Gunasekaran & G.Kokila of No.1, Old Post Office Street, Ulundurpet, South Arcot Dist<ref name=Diwakar>{{cite book|title=Temples of South India|first=Macherla|last=Diwakar|location=Chennai|year=2011|edition=1st|page=154|isbn=978-93-83440-34-4|publisher=Techno Book House}}</ref>

==Architecture==
The new [[utsava murti]] idol, made out of ''[[panchaloha]]'', was donated to the temple in the year 1991.<ref>{{cite web
|url = http://www.tn.gov.in/citizen/HRCE.htm
|title = Hindu Religious and Charitable Endowments Administration Department}}
</ref>

The temple is maintained and administered by the [[Hindu Religious and Charitable Endowments Department]] of the [[Government of Tamil Nadu]].<ref>[http://www.tnhrce.org/hrce_act_1959.html Hindu Religious and Charitable Endowments Act, 1959]</ref>

==Festivals==
[[File:Samayapuram Mariyamman Temple Corridor-3.jpg|thumb|Entrance corridor, lined with shops]]
[[Thaipusam|Thai Poosam]] usually occurs in the [[Tamil calendar|Tamil month of Thai]]. Like at most Tamil temples, the main festival happens before summer, generally in April, including the [[Temple car|temple chariot]] and lake processions (teppams).<ref>{{cite web
|url=http://www.tn.gov.in/trichytourism/mariamman.htm
|title = Tamil Nadu government's tourism page on Samayapuram}}
</ref>

==Significance of the temple==
Samayapuram is a significant symbol of the native culture in rural Tamil Nadu and there a number of unique practices concerning the Mariamman temples. Samayapuram has been used a model to describe rural folklore in a number of research works on sociology and religion.<ref name ="taming">{{cite web | url = http://www.manushi-india.org/pdfs_issues/PDF%20140/01fever%20goddess%20pg2-13%20version2.pdf
| title = Taming the fever goddess}}</ref><ref name="festival">{{cite journal | jstor = 1463443
| title = A Temple Festival of Mariyamman | last1 = Younger | first1 = Paul | journal = Journal of the American Academy of Religion | date = 27 April 1980 | volume = 48 | issue = 4 | pages = 493–517 | doi = 10.1093/jaarel/XLVIII.4.493 }}</ref><ref name="old ways">{{cite web
|url = http://www.maxwell.syr.edu/moynihan/programs/sac/paper%20pdfs/SinhaV.wpd%20paper.pdf
|title = Bringing back the 'old ways': Remembering and re-installing a 'local' Hindu goddess in urban Singapore
}}{{dead link|date=May 2018 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}
</ref>

During festivals, it is not unusual to find people doing extreme things to make their bodies suffer as an act of sacrifice including, [[thimithi|walking over a red-hot bed of charcoa]]l and holding hot mud-vessel in bare hands. Mariamman temples also typically involve '''Samiyattam''' wherein through a devotee (usually a female), Goddess Mariamman chooses to talk to help and bless the gathered devotees. The personality of the Goddess as well as the tremendous strain put on the body by the channelling (both physically and emotionally), may be interpreted by non-believers as [[hysteria]] or hyper-excitement.<ref name="taming"/><ref name = "festival" />

==Heritage of Mariamman outside India==
The legacy of Mariamman is well spread beyond Tamil Nadu and even after centuries of emigrating from India, many people in [[Sri Lanka]], [[Malaysia]], [[Singapore]], [[South Africa]] and [[Fiji]] still maintain their loyalties to the temple and try to create similar shrines in their new country, raising both a cause of concern and an appreciation of diversity. There are many shrines to Mariamman in [[Malaysia]] and [[Singapore]].<ref name="old ways"/><ref>{{cite web | url = http://www.durban.gov.za/eThekwini/Community/community_news/shri_mariamman | title = Mariamman temple at Durban | url-status = dead | archiveurl = https://web.archive.org/web/20060116083140/http://www.durban.gov.za/eThekwini/Community/community_news/shri_mariamman | archivedate = 2006-01-16 }}</ref>

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
* [https://geohack.toolforge.org/geohack.php?pagename=Mariamman_Temple,_Samayapuram&params=10.9185_N_78.7389_E_type:landmark GeoHack - Mariamman Temple, Samayapuram]
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20061018134236/http://www.indiantemples.com/Tamilnadu/samayapuram.html Templenet article]
*[http://www.mailerindia.com/temples/history/index.php?samayapuram/ Samayapuram history] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070928001032/http://www.mailerindia.com/temples/history/index.php?samayapuram/ |date=28 September 2007 }}
*[http://www.tn.gov.in/trichytourism/mariamman.htm/ Tamil Nadu government's tourism page]
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20061102042906/http://www.trichy.com/travel/samayapuram.htm Samayapuram]
*[http://www.srirangaminfo.com Srirangam Temple, Related place]
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20110724113533/http://www.trichyonline.net/popular-places-2/samayapuram/ temple]

{{Tiruchirappalli}}
{{Temples_around_Tiruchirappalli}}
{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Hindu temples in Tiruchirappalli]]
[[Category:Mariamman temples in Tamil Nadu]]

Mariamman Temple, Samayapuram - Revision history

Ayman: creating a location!