Samayapuram Mariamman Temple
Encyclopedia
Samayapuram Mariamman Temple is a Hindu
temple in Samayapuram
near Trichy / Tiruchirappalli in Tamil Nadu
, India
. The main deity, Samayapurathal or Mariamman
is made of sand and clay like many of the traditional Mariamman deities, and hence unlike many other Hindu deities there are no abhishekams (sacred washing) conducted to the main deity, but instead the "abishekam" is done to the small stone statue in front of it.
It is believed by the devotees that the Goddess has enormous powers over curing illnesses
and hence, it is a ritual to buy small metallic replicas, made with silver or steel, of various body parts that need to be cured, and these are deposited in the donation box.
Devotees also offer mavilakku, (Tamil - மாவிளக்கு) a sweet dish made of jaggery, rice flour and ghee.
Offerings of raw salt is 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 Palani.
, and one of chief priests of the temple believed that the idol caused him illness and hence asked it to be removed from the temple. It is a common belief in that part of the region that such local Gods have immense powers and they must always be satisfied by proper offerings and sacrifices. The idol was moved outside Srirangam, and later found by some of the passerby who built a temple named, the Kannanur Mariamman temple.
During that period (around 17th century CE), Trichi was ruled by the Vijayanagar
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. Originally it was under the management of the Thiruvanaikaval
temple, a popular one in the region. Later, the control was split and currently Samayapuram is under an independent trust monitored by the Government of Tamil Nadu, which also monitors the annadanam distribution (an act of offering food to the devotees).
During festivals, it is not unusual to find people doing extreme things to make their bodies suffer as an act of sacrifice including, walking over a red-hot bed of charcoal and holding hot mud-vessel in bare hands. Mariamman temples also typically involve Samiyattam wherein one of the deveotees (usually a female), gets hyper-excited during prayer and starts talking in an hysteric way interpreted by the devotees as an act of communication by God.
, Singapore
, South Africa
and Fiji
still maintain their loyalties to the temple and try to create similar temples and environment in their new country, raising both a cause of concern and an appreciation of diversity.There is also a Samayapuram Mariamman Temple in Tanjong Rambutan at Malaysia.There is also a shrine for Goddess Sri Samayapuram Mariamman at the Sri Veeramuthu Muneeswarar Temple which is located at Yishun Industrial Park,Singapore. During the month of Aadi,the annual Kozh Valarpu festival is conducted with much granduer by the Sri Samayapuram Mariamman Pillaigal at Jurong West,Singapore.
Here, at Samayapuram, the Chithirai Charriot Festival is celebrated for a period of 13 days. The Festival Starts on the 1st Tuesday of the month “Chithirai”. The Charriot Festival will be on the 10th day of the Festival. The Chariot (Car) with Goddess Samayapuram Mariamman will be pulled by devotees around the Temple. It is a Maha Festival --- Grand Festival, which attracts Lakhs of Devotees.
The Crowd is so much, though the Government made so many arrangements, still it is un-manageable. Luckily for Devotees, nowadays, they are following the traffic rule of left side walking in the road. This helps a lot for the smooth movement, which avoids any complications associated with big crowds. Still you will find that so many children missing, which is being announced during the festival time in the loud speakers.
During the Charriot Festival time, the Local Government arranges a ‘’’Special Bus Stand’’’, which is one Kilometer away from the SamayaPuram Town. All the Buses and any other 2 / 3 / 4 wheelers are stopped there only. The vehicles which are going beyond Samayapuram in NH-45 will only be allowed with a little bit delay.
The 4 laning of the National Highway 45 has helped to ease traffic congestion to a considerable extent. Onward traffic can take the flyover, while those going to Samayapuram for Darshan can take the Service Lane which leads to the Temple.
For festival days, during the Chithirai Charriot Festivals, there are 24 hours bus services to nearby places like, Salem, Namakkal, Karur, Thuraiyur, Thanjavur and other nearby Small Towns. Further, there are continuous Town Bus Services provided which mainly connect to Tollgate (Salem-Trichy main road junction), Chathiram Bus Stand and Central (Main) Bus Stand.
During the Festival days we can see that, the Tamil Nadu Police, NCC, Scout (School and College Students) Controlling the Crowd every where including the Temple premises.
Mother of all Mothers --- The Goddess Shiva Sakti ---Samayapurathal
is so Powerful to fulfill the Prarthanas of Devotees. In very few temples, you can see the presiding deity from the entrance of the temple. Yes, Samayapurathu Mariyamman is visible from the Main Entrance of the Temple and it will look like that the mother is waiting for your arrival.
Hinduism
Hinduism is the predominant and indigenous religious tradition of the Indian Subcontinent. Hinduism is known to its followers as , amongst many other expressions...
temple in Samayapuram
Samayapuram
Samayapuram is a suburb of the city of Tiruchirappalli in Tamil Nadu, India. Formerly a separate village of its own, Samayapuram was included in the Tiruchirappalli Municipal Corporation limits in 1994. Samayapuram is located 12 kilometres north from the heart of the city on the Trichy-Chennai road...
near Trichy / Tiruchirappalli in Tamil Nadu
Tamil Nadu
Tamil Nadu is one of the 28 states of India. Its capital and largest city is Chennai. Tamil Nadu lies in the southernmost part of the Indian Peninsula and is bordered by the union territory of Pondicherry, and the states of Kerala, Karnataka, and Andhra Pradesh...
, India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
. The main deity, Samayapurathal or Mariamman
Mariamman
Māri ,Tulu, also known as Mariamman , both meaning "Mother Mari", spelt also Maariamma , or simply Amman or Aatha 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...
is made of sand and clay like many of the traditional Mariamman deities, and hence unlike many other Hindu deities there are no abhishekams (sacred washing) conducted to the main deity, but instead the "abishekam" is done to the small stone statue in front of it.
It is believed by the devotees that the Goddess has enormous powers over curing illnesses
and hence, it is a ritual to buy small metallic replicas, made with silver or steel, of various body parts that need to be cured, and these are deposited in the donation box.
Devotees also offer mavilakku, (Tamil - மாவிளக்கு) a sweet dish made of jaggery, rice flour and ghee.
Offerings of raw salt is 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 Palani.
History
History of the temple is unclear. In early 18th century, King Vijayaraya Chakkaravarthi built the present day form of the temple. There is scant history of the period before that though it is believed that the locals worship the Goddess for many centuries before building the current temple. One legend says that the present deity was at the Ranganathaswamy temple at SrirangamSrirangam
Srirangam , Old name is Vellithirumutha gramam and Tamil name is Thiruvarangam , is an island and a part of the city of Tiruchirapalli , in South India....
, and one of chief priests of the temple believed that the idol caused him illness and hence asked it to be removed from the temple. It is a common belief in that part of the region that such local Gods have immense powers and they must always be satisfied by proper offerings and sacrifices. The idol was moved outside Srirangam, and later found by some of the passerby who built a temple named, the Kannanur Mariamman temple.
During that period (around 17th century CE), Trichi was ruled by the Vijayanagar
Vijayanagara Empire
The Vijayanagara Empire , referred as the Kingdom of Bisnaga by the Portuguese, was an empire based in South Indian in the Deccan Plateau region. It was established in 1336 by Harihara I and his brother Bukka Raya I of the Yadava lineage. The empire rose to prominence as a culmination of attempts...
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. Originally it was under the management of the Thiruvanaikaval
Thiruvanaikaval
Thiruvanaikaval is a famous Shiva temple in Tiruchirapalli , located in the state of Tamil Nadu, India. The temple was built by Kocengannan , one of the Early Cholas, around 1,800 years ago...
temple, a popular one in the region. Later, the control was split and currently Samayapuram is under an independent trust monitored by the Government of Tamil Nadu, which also monitors the annadanam distribution (an act of offering food to the devotees).
Festivals
- Thai PoosamThaipusamThaipusam is a Hindu festival celebrated mostly by the Tamil community on the full moon in the Tamil month of Thai . It is celebrated not only in countries where the Tamil community constitutes a majority, but also in countries where Tamil communities are smaller, such as Singapore and Malaysia...
, usually occurring in the Tamil month of ThaiTamil calendarThe Tamil calendar is a solar and sidereal Hindu calendar used in Tamil Nadu. It is also used in Pondicherry , and by the Tamil population in Malaysia, Singapore, Mauritius and Sri Lanka. It is also used by Telugu speaking people in Tamil Nadu...
. - Like most Tamil temples the main festival is during the start of the summer, generally in April. During this time, the temple chariotTemple carTemple cars are chariots used to carry representations of Hindu gods. The car is usually used on festival days, when many people pull the cart....
processions and teppams (lake processions) happen. - All the Fridays in the Tamil months of AadiTamil calendarThe Tamil calendar is a solar and sidereal Hindu calendar used in Tamil Nadu. It is also used in Pondicherry , and by the Tamil population in Malaysia, Singapore, Mauritius and Sri Lanka. It is also used by Telugu speaking people in Tamil Nadu...
(July 15 - Aug17) and Thai (Jan 15 - Feb 15) are celebrated in a grand manner.
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.During festivals, it is not unusual to find people doing extreme things to make their bodies suffer as an act of sacrifice including, walking over a red-hot bed of charcoal and holding hot mud-vessel in bare hands. Mariamman temples also typically involve Samiyattam wherein one of the deveotees (usually a female), gets hyper-excited during prayer and starts talking in an hysteric way interpreted by the devotees as an act of communication by God.
Heritage of Samayapuram outside India
The legacy of Samayapuram is well spread beyond Tamil Nadu and even after centuries of emigrating from India, many people in Sri LankaSri Lanka
Sri Lanka, officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka is a country off the southern coast of the Indian subcontinent. Known until 1972 as Ceylon , Sri Lanka is an island surrounded by the Indian Ocean, the Gulf of Mannar and the Palk Strait, and lies in the vicinity of India and the...
, Singapore
Singapore
Singapore , officially the Republic of Singapore, is a Southeast Asian city-state off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, north of the equator. An island country made up of 63 islands, it is separated from Malaysia by the Straits of Johor to its north and from Indonesia's Riau Islands by the...
, South Africa
South Africa
The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...
and Fiji
Fiji
Fiji , officially the Republic of Fiji , is an island nation in Melanesia in the South Pacific Ocean about northeast of New Zealand's North Island...
still maintain their loyalties to the temple and try to create similar temples and environment in their new country, raising both a cause of concern and an appreciation of diversity.There is also a Samayapuram Mariamman Temple in Tanjong Rambutan at Malaysia.There is also a shrine for Goddess Sri Samayapuram Mariamman at the Sri Veeramuthu Muneeswarar Temple which is located at Yishun Industrial Park,Singapore. During the month of Aadi,the annual Kozh Valarpu festival is conducted with much granduer by the Sri Samayapuram Mariamman Pillaigal at Jurong West,Singapore.
Chithirai Ther Thiruvila (Charriot Festival in the month of Chithirai --- April)
Samayapuram is located 15 KM from Tiruchirappalli on the National Highway (NH-45) which is now a 4 Lane Road from Chennai to Tiruchirappalli.Here, at Samayapuram, the Chithirai Charriot Festival is celebrated for a period of 13 days. The Festival Starts on the 1st Tuesday of the month “Chithirai”. The Charriot Festival will be on the 10th day of the Festival. The Chariot (Car) with Goddess Samayapuram Mariamman will be pulled by devotees around the Temple. It is a Maha Festival --- Grand Festival, which attracts Lakhs of Devotees.
Arrangement during the Charriot Festival
During the Charriot Festival, no vehicle is allowed to go inside SamayaPuram Town and all the vehicles are stopped one Kilometer away from the Town and everybody have to go to the temple by walk.The Crowd is so much, though the Government made so many arrangements, still it is un-manageable. Luckily for Devotees, nowadays, they are following the traffic rule of left side walking in the road. This helps a lot for the smooth movement, which avoids any complications associated with big crowds. Still you will find that so many children missing, which is being announced during the festival time in the loud speakers.
During the Charriot Festival time, the Local Government arranges a ‘’’Special Bus Stand’’’, which is one Kilometer away from the SamayaPuram Town. All the Buses and any other 2 / 3 / 4 wheelers are stopped there only. The vehicles which are going beyond Samayapuram in NH-45 will only be allowed with a little bit delay.
The 4 laning of the National Highway 45 has helped to ease traffic congestion to a considerable extent. Onward traffic can take the flyover, while those going to Samayapuram for Darshan can take the Service Lane which leads to the Temple.
For festival days, during the Chithirai Charriot Festivals, there are 24 hours bus services to nearby places like, Salem, Namakkal, Karur, Thuraiyur, Thanjavur and other nearby Small Towns. Further, there are continuous Town Bus Services provided which mainly connect to Tollgate (Salem-Trichy main road junction), Chathiram Bus Stand and Central (Main) Bus Stand.
During the Festival days we can see that, the Tamil Nadu Police, NCC, Scout (School and College Students) Controlling the Crowd every where including the Temple premises.
Mother of all Mothers --- The Goddess Shiva Sakti ---Samayapurathal
is so Powerful to fulfill the Prarthanas of Devotees. In very few temples, you can see the presiding deity from the entrance of the temple. Yes, Samayapurathu Mariyamman is visible from the Main Entrance of the Temple and it will look like that the mother is waiting for your arrival.