Indian Temples in Penang

Sri Mariamman Temple

0. Pleasures of Penang the central blog of our stay with the pictures of Georgetown.
1. Penang Chinese Temples and Clan Temples including the Kuan Yin Teng Goddess of Mercy Temple
2. Penang Indian Temples including the Sri Mariamman Temple
3. Penang Environs including Batu Ferrenghi, Air Itam, The reclining Buddha, Penang Hill Cableway, the Botanical Gardens and the Snake Temple.
4. Old Penang 1974

Penang has a rich variety of Indian temples stemming from the continuing trade over the centuries between South India in particular and South-East Asia. These temples thus often have a style similar to those of Mysore, with the pyramidal form of Mount Meru the cosmological mountain of Indian mythology. You can get a good view of all the Indian temples in Penang here.

Sri Mariamman Temple

This was just around the corner from our guest house and had a regular round of worshipers and evening ceremonies.

The central deity

Māri (Tamil: மாரி), Tulu(mAri), also known as Mariamman (Tamil: மாரியம்மன் and Mariaai (Marathi: मरी आई), both meaning "Mother Mari", spelt also Maariamma (Tamil: மாரியம்மா), or simply Amman or Aatha (Tamil: அம்மன், "mother") is the South Indian Hindu goddess of disease and rain. She is the main South Indian mother goddess, predominant in the rural areas of Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh and Maharashtra. Māri is also closely associated with the Hindu goddesses Parvati and Durga as well as with her North Indian counterpart Shitala Devi.

Mari (Wikipedia)

Kunj Bihari Krishna Temple





Nagarathar Sivan Temple

The central deity

Another smaller, but much more colourful, temple opposite Nagarathar Sivan

The central deity

There are several temples out on the road to the Botanical Gardens including Nattukotai Chettiar, one of the largest, and a hilltop shrine by the waterfall which is the destination of the Thaipusam procession from Sri Mariamman.

Here are some views of two of the Indian temples along the road up to the Botanical Gardens.



These interior views were of one which was little more than a tiny shrine.