On my way back home from Neilson Hays Library, I stopped nearby to visit the Hindu (Brahman) temple of the Shakti sect, Sri Maha Mariamman or Maha Uma Devi Temple (วัดพระศรีมหาอุมาเทวี). Located in Bang Rak district, on the corner of Thanon Pan, opposite Silom Soi 20, it is one of the only two Hindu temples in Bangkok. It was built around 1879.
The reigning deity of the temple is Maha Mariamman (sometimes spelled in one word) also known as Uma Devi, the legendary Goddess of Death worshipped for her power to protect her believers against disease and death. The exquisite shrine bears the name of Jao Mae Maha Umathewi. Inside the shrine, the worshipers can say prayers to one of her three incarnations Parvati, Durga and Kali, her statue being flanked by other Hindu deities, such as Ganesha, Kandakumara, Krishna, Vishnu, Rashmi and Kali. Some of these statues were especially brought from India to be placed in the Bangkok temple. The crowded courtyard also contains a small shrine that houses the Shiva Lingam, a symbol associated by some to a phallus, though the association is disputed by most Hindus.
Built in the Chola and Pallava architectural styles, specific to the temples of southern India, Sri Maha Mariamman Temple is rich in colours and ornaments. The intricate carvings on the exterior of the temple and its wall catch the eye of any passerby (the buss stop right in front of the entrance also helps at doing that). The smell of incense sticks constantly burning pervades the air and the worshipers lost in prayer give the visitors an eerie feeling of piety.
Once inside the temple, make sure you remove your shoes before stepping over any of the lines that demarcate the shrines. I found it extremely annoying that it is prohibited to take photographs inside the temple grounds, but at the same time no postcards were available for sale with pictures of the main deities. This situation might be due to the fact that Sri Maha Mariamman Temple is considered as being the most sacred place for Indians and Thai Indians.
A few Buddhist images make this temple a worthy visit for the Buddhist Thais too, which only underlines the religious tolerance one can find in the Kingdom of Thailand. The temple is referred to by the Thais as Wat Khaek (วัดแขก), which means “Temple of Guests.” This name relates to the way Thais view the people of Indian descent and it is, understandably, not appreciated by the Indians.
The area around the temple is quite dirty and crowded with stalls of different kinds. Many of them sell flower garlands bought by visitors as a way to pay homage to the gods inside the temple. A gold shop, strategically located near the temple, allegedly makes good business as for Indians gold is a commodity of great value, believing that gold is a metal of demi-gods and monarchs.
Daily rituals are conducted at the temple every afternoon and the temple remains open for the public between 6 am and 8 pm from Saturday to Thursday. On Fridays, when most of the worshipers visit the temple, it stays open one hour longer.
Sri Maha Mariamman Temple, located in Bangkok’s banking district, can be reached by taking the BTS Skytrain to Chong Nongsi Station from where you need to backtrack a few hundred meters on the upper Silom Road, on the opposite side of Sofitel Silom.
