Built in 1883, Sri Mariamman 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).
The major festival of Thaipusam, which includes a procession where some participants hang pots of milk off their bodies on wire hooks and undergo other bodily piercings, begins here. In October a wooden chariot takes the temple’s deity for a spin around the neighbourhood during Vijayadasami festivities. Also known as the Dussehra, this festival marks the victory of the mother goddess Durga over the demon Mahishasura.
The temple's back entrance is on Jln Masjid Kapitan Keling.