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Tuesday, February 27, 2018

Samayapuram Mariamman Temple, Samayapuram – Religious Significance

Samayapuram Mariamman Temple, Samayapuram – Religious Significance
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 through a devotee (usually a female) Goddess Mariamman chooses to talk to help and bless the gathered devotees. The personality of the Goddess as well as the tremendous strain put on the body by the channeling (both physically and emotionally), maybe interpreted by non-believers as hysteria or hyper-excitement.
The legacy of Samayapuram is well spread beyond Tamil Nadu and even after centuries of emigrating from India, many people in Sri Lanka, 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 Veera Muthu Muneeswarar Temple which is located at Yishun Industrial Park, Singapore. During the month of Aadi, the annual Kuzh Valarpu festival is conducted with much grandeur by the Sri Samayapuram Mariamman Pillaigal at Jurong West, Singapore.