Sri Muthumariamman Temple

Sri Muthumariamman Temple Sri Muthumariamman Temple Sri Muthumariamman Temple

Muthumariamman Temple or Arulmigu Sri Muthumari Amman Kovil is a Hindu temple in Matale, Sri Lanka.

The prefix “Muthu”, literally means “pearl”. "Mari" means rain and "Amman" means mother in Tamil language.The temple is dedicated to Mariamman, the goddess of rain and fertility. The chariot festival in this temple is held usually coinciding with Magam on a Full Moon Poya Day.

History

The land was originally part of a paddy field and was gifted by the owner in 1852.

The current temple was built in 1874, funded by the Nattukkottai Chettiar. This temple is used by both Hindus and Buddhists. The temple was originally a small statue under a tree prayed to by the Hindu people but has been developed by the people in Matale. The first Kumbhabhishekham of the temple was held in 1960.

The temple was severely damaged during the anti-Tamil riots in July 1983 but was subsequently restored. One of the visually dominant features of this temple is its 32.9 m (108 ft) high Gopuram ('Raja Koburum'), a large decorated tower located above the main northern gateway ('Vadakku Vaayil') to the temple.The Raja Koburum is one of the largest Gopurams in Sri Lanka. The 1008 statues of Hindu deities are the work of South Indian sculptor, Nagalingam and his son Ramanathan, with the help of about 100 designers, painters and architects from Tamil Nadu and Sri Lanka. The Raja Koburum was completed in 2007 at the cost of approximately Rs 150M.

Special events

The main religious festivals including the chariot festival at the temple are celebrated during February or March on an annual basis.

The temple has five ornate chariots, which are used to convey statues of Hindu deities around the city on 'Ther' or 'Vettai Thiruvizha', the chariot ceremony day, which is held the day before 'Medin Poya' (the Poya day in March).Ganesha, Shiva, Mahadevi, Murugan and Chandeshvara Nayanar are the five prominent statues of Hindu deities which are carried by devotees in the chariot festival.

Sri Muthumariamman Temple Sri Muthumariamman Temple Sri Muthumariamman Temple

Om Centralprovinsen

Centralprovinsen i Sri Lanka består primært af bjergrigt terræn. Provinsen har et areal på 5.674 km² og en befolkning på 2.421.148. Nogle større byer inkluderer Kandy, Gampola (24.730), Nuwara Eliya og Bandarawela. Befolkningen er en blanding af singalesere, tamiler og maurere.

Både bjerghovedstaden Kandy og byen Nuwara Eliya ligger i Centralprovinsen samt Sri Pada. Provinsen producerer meget af den berømte Ceylon-te, som blev plantet af briterne i 1860'erne efter en ødelæggende sygdom, der dræbte alle kaffeplantagerne i provinsen. Centralprovinsen tiltrækker mange turister med bjergbyer som Kandy, Gampola, Hatton og Nuwara Eliya. Tempeltand eller Dalada maligawa er det vigtigste hellige sted i Centrel-provinsen.

Klimaet er køligt, og mange områder omkring 1500 meter har ofte kølige nætter. De vestlige skråninger er meget våde, nogle steder falder der næsten 7000 mm regn om året. De østlige skråninger er dele af den midterste tørre zone, da den kun modtager regn fra den nordøstlige monsun. Temperaturerne varierer fra 24°C i Kandy til kun 16°C i Nuwara Eliya, som ligger 1.889 m over havets overflade. De højeste bjerge i Sri Lanka ligger i Centralprovinsen. Terrænet er for det meste bjergrigt med dybe dale, der skærer sig ind i det. De to vigtigste bjergregioner er det centrale massiv og Knuckles-bjergkæden øst for Kandy.