Kalikambal Temple, George Town – History
Kalikambal Temple is part of the tradition of naming the
port cities of Mumbai, Calcutta and Chennai after the goddess consecrated in a
temple on the seashore. Chennamman lent her name to Chennai, capital of Tamil Nadu.
She was the presiding deity of Chennai Kuppam, an old settlement in the 17th
century CE. The area where the temple now exists was called Maratta town. This
changed to Muthialpet and Pavazhakaara Theru – Coral Merchant Street. This area
was also called Chennamman Kuppam. The presiding deity of Chennamman Kuppam was
Kali and now she is called Kalikambal. For more than 500 years
Vishwakarmas (artisans and craftsmen’s community) worshipped Kalika as their
family deity. The temple is being maintained by Vishwakarmas.
The temple was originally located closer to the sea
shore and was relocated to the current site at 1640 AD. It was then built
in 1678. Shivaji, the Maratha warrior and the founder of the
Hindawi-Swarajya in the 17th century, had worshiped in this temple
incognito on 3 October 1667. It is interesting to note that he came to be
called as Chatrapati after worshipping the deity. It is believed that a fierce
form of Goddess was held in worship earlier and that this form was
replaced with the Shanta Swaroopam (calm posture) form of Goddess. The
great Tamil poet, Subramanya Bharathiyar, when he was working for Swadeshi
Mithran, used to visit this temple often. He song the famous “Yadumaki Ninrai
Kali” song on this deity. The famous TMS’s song ‘Ullam Uruhuthaiya’ was sung
for the first time here only, in 1952 by Sri Andavan Pichai.