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Negombo Muththumari Amman Temple (Google Street View) |
Muththumari Amman Temple (Tamil: ஸ்ரீ முத்துமாரி அம்மன் ஆலயம், நீர்கொழும்பு; Sinhala: මීගමුව මුත්තුමාරිඅම්මාන් කෝවිල) is a Hindu shrine situated in Wellaweediya in Negombo in Gampaha District, Sri Lanka. It is dedicated to the goddess Muthumari Amman, the Hindu goddess of rain and fertility. People come here to perform sacred rituals and fulfill their vows with the hope that their wishes will be granted. The famous St. Mary's Chucrh is located nearly 300 m south of this temple.
History
Being one of the sacred Mari Amman temples in Sri Lanka, this site is believed to be about 200 years old (Ratnayaka, 2022). At the beginning there was only a small hut for the deity, but over time, it gradually developed to the present scale under the patronage of Hindus in the area. It is said that Chetty people, who arrived in Sri Lanka from India, contributed to the development of this temple (Ratnayaka, 2022).
The temple
The temple reflects features of the Dravidian architecture. The stone carvings in the sanctum are considered best specimens of its kind. Beside the main statue of Muththumari Amman in the sanctum, the statues of other deities such as Ganesha, Kali Amman and Murugan are venerated in the temple.
The annual festival of this temple is held in October and considered one of the most notable Hindu festivals in the area.
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References
Books
1) Ratnayaka, U. H. S., 2022. Gampaha urumaya narambamu (In Sinhala). Central Cultural Fund. ISBN: 978-955-613-313-4. pp.50-51.
