Sri Mahamariamman Temple, Penang

The Sri Mahamariamman Temple is a Hindu temple in the Little India district of George Town in Penang.

The Sri Mahamariamman Temple is open to visitors from 06:30 to 12:00 and 16:30 to 21:00. Admission is free but donations are welcome. Remember to take off your shoes before going into the temple.

About the Sri Mahamariamman Temple

The Sri Mahamariamman Temple is located between Queen Street and Jalan Masjid Kapitan Keling in an area where there are lots of Indian-Malay run businesses. The main entrance is on Queen Street. The site was first established as a place of worship in 1801 when the leader of the town’s Tamil and Southern Indian community was granted the land to use for religious purposes. Since 1786, when Penang came under British control, a large number of Indian people came to George Town as soldiers, administrators and workers. The British authorities recognised that the Indian community needed a temple and formalised the arrangement in 1831 with a grant of a land title. The original small shrine was transformed into a proper temple in 1833. Since then the temple has been renovated five times, most significantly in 1933 when the temple took on the form that it is in today.

The Sri Mahamariamman Temple is dedicated to the Goddess Mariamman, who is widely worshipped by people in Tamil Nadu state in Southern India. The Goddess Mariamman is believed to be the god of curing diseases amongst other things and is seen as a protector of Indians travelling abroad. The main feature of the temple is the 7 metre tall gopura tower over the main entrance. Gopura towers are a common feature of Hindu temples in Southern India. They represent the sacred Mount Meru ,which in Hindu cosmology is the place in the centre of the universe where the gods reside. The gopura at Sri Mahamariamman Temple in Penang is decorated with statues of the many incarnations of the Goddess Mariamman alonf with four swans. Inside the temple are shrines to other Hindu Gods, particularly Lord Ganesha and Lord Muruga.

Location of the Sri Mahamariamman Temple

• The Sri Mahamariamman Temple is located at Lebuh Queen, George Town, 10450 George Town, Pulau Pinang, Malaysia.