Hindu Temples of South East Asia

Mahamariamman Temple in Bangkok aka in Thai as Wat Khake

2009-07-02T07:21:00.000-07:00

Wat Khake

Address:
2 Pan Road, Bangkok, 10500
Phone: +66 2 225 7612(Tourist Information)
Fax: +66 2 225 7615(Tourist Information)

Sri Mahamariamman Temple, Bangkok can be traced back to the latter half of the nineteenth century. This is an outstanding Hindu temple that was constructed at the initiative of the Tamil immigrants who settled down in southern Thailand. Initially the temple was built by the combined efforts of the traders and the laborers. Later however, more land was purchased and the temple was reconstructed.

The reigning deity of Sri Mahamariamman Temple, Bangkok is Mahamariamman or Uma Devi, who is flanked other Hindu divinities like Ganesha, Kandakumara, Krishna, Vishnu, Rashmi and Kali. Goddess Uma is worshipped here in her three incarnations of Parvati, Durga and Kali. A gold-plated copper dome adds to the majestic appearance of the temple. The courtyard of the temple contains a small shrine that houses the Shiva Lingam. The temple also houses few Buddha images which speak highly of the religious tolerance of Thai society. Sri Mahamariamman Temple, Bangkok illustrates the Chola and Pallava architectural styles. The detail and richness of the color of the carvings on the exterior of the temple make it stand out from way down Silom Road.

The daily rituals at the temple are conducted in the afternoon. The temple remains open to the public 6 am to 8 pm from Saturday s to Thursdays and from 6 am to 9 pm on Fridays. Make sure that you remove your shoes before stepping over any of the lines around the shrines.

OM SAKTHI!

Murugan Bakthi Links

2009-07-02T06:56:00.001-07:00

These are two really awesome sites filled with resources. It can be a real candy store if you're a Muruga Baktha :).

www.kaumaram.com
www.murugan.org.

Check it out!

Sri Ganesar Temple (Kottu Malai Ganesar Temple) - aka Pudu Pillaiyar Temple

2009-07-02T05:34:00.000-07:00

Kotta Malai Pillaiyar Temple

13 Jalan Pudu LamaKuala Lumpur, Malaysia 50200

Tel: +60 3 2222 4242

Opens - 8am to 6 pm daily

It is quite literally an institution in Kuala Lumpur. It located pretty close to the the main bus station at Puduraya KL. Its a small temple really but is renowned for its spiritual power in both Singapore and Malaysia. I have been there couple of times :).

The history of the foundation of the temple goes back to 1897, when an Indian gardener started a prayer session in the backyard of a British official's residence. Wagner, the official, threatened to destroy Ganeshar's image and days later, his hands and legs became paralysed. The gardener had a dream in which Lord Ganesha instructed him to smear vibuthi (ashes) onto Wagner's legs and hands. Wagner soon recovered. After this incident, Wagner initiated the building of a proper temple and provided the necessary funds. Today, Sri Ganesar Temple is a household name for almost every Malaysian Hindu.

If you're reading this and know something about this temple and can share, pls do!

Hinduism in Vietnam

2009-06-30T10:39:00.000-07:00

This is an amazing article on Hindu temples in Vietnam.
http://www.shaivam.org/siddhanta/toivietna.htm
Do visit http://www.shaivam.org/it for more articles on Hindu Temples around the world. :)

2009-06-30T10:04:00.000-07:00

Thendayuthapani Temple Ho Chi Minh

2009-06-30T09:57:00.000-07:00

Subramaniam Swamy Temple in Ho Chi Minh

2009-06-30T09:51:00.000-07:00

Ho Chi Minh Mariamman Sannithi

2009-06-30T09:47:00.000-07:00

Back!

2009-06-30T08:20:00.000-07:00

Am finally back to doing up this devotional blog I put up sometime in 2006. I have been very lazy indeed! Anyways the important bit is I am back to writing about my experiences in the temples of South East Asia and to some extent the wonderful temples of India as well.

This recent spurt of enthusiasm comes from my recent visit to Saigon or Ho Chi Minh City as its called now. The people are really friendly here and its really quite easy to get vegetarian food Vietnamese style. Things are relatively cheaper and I enjoyed my short stay there with Shyam from 19 June to 24 June 09. On 23 June 09 we went to the three Hindu Temples of note in the city. The temples were marvellous. I loved the serenity and quiet of the temples. I am going to add on a few pictures of the temples which Shyam took in a few days. For the time being I have found a pretty gorgeous picture of the Mariamman Temple in Ho Chi Minh's city centre on the web.