Sri Mariamman was built in 1883 and is George Town’s oldest Hindu house of worship. For local south Indians, the temple fulfils the purpose of a Chinese clanhouse; it’s a reminder of the motherland and the community bonds forged within the diaspora. It is a typically south Indian temple, dominated by the gopuram (entrance tower).
Penang’s Thaipusam procession begins here, and in October a wooden chariot takes the temple’s deity for a spin around the neighbourhood during Vijayadasami festivities.
The temple was being renovated when we were in town.
