Sri Muthumariamman Temple, Matale

Sri Muthumariamman Temple (or Sri Muthumariamman Kovil) is a popular Hindu shrine located in the middle of Matale town, Sri Lanka. 

The temple is famous among both Hindu and Buddhist people in the area. The Hindu goddess of rain and fertility, Muthumari Amman is venerated here by Hindus while Buddhists venerate this temple as a place dedicated to goddess Pattini, the patron deity of fertility and health (Abeyawardana, 2004).

History

The history of Sri Muthumariamman Temple can be traced back to the 19th century (Abeyawardana, 2004). It is said to have been founded during the Kandyan era by a person named Karuppannar (Arumugam, 1991). However, the shrine at the present site was built as a proper Hindu temple during the fifth decade of the 20th century by Suppiah Pillai (Arumugam, 1991).

Festivals

The annual Theru festival of Sri Muthumariamman Temple, Matale is said to be one of biggest Hindu festivals in Sri Lanka. Beautifully decorated chariots are used during the festival time to convey statues of Hindu deities (such as Vinayakar, Muthumari Amman, Somasuntheraswarer, Meenadshi, Subramaniar and his consorts) around the town. The festival ends with traditional water cutting ceremony.

Attribution

1) Muthumariamman tempel matale 2017-10-18 (1) by Z thomas is licensed under CC BY SA 4.0

2) This image (Matale Sri Muttumariyammankovil 108 feet tower) has been released into the public domain by its creator, Umapathy.

References

1) Abeyawardana, H.A.P., 2004. Heritage of Kandurata: Major natural, cultural and historic sites. Colombo: The Central Bank of Sri Lanka. pp.147-148.
2) Arumugam, S., 1991. More Hindu temples of Sri Lanka. London. p.65.

Location Map

This page was last updated on 1 September 2020
For a complete tourist map follow this link: Lankapradeepa Tourist Map