Karumariamman (), also known as Karumari, is the

Hindu Hindus (; ; also known as Sanātanīs) are people who religiously adhere to Hinduism, also known by its endonym Sanātana Dharma. Jeffery D. Long (2007), A Vision for Hinduism, IB Tauris, , pp. 35–37 Historically, the term has also be ...

goddess of smallpox, health and cure. She is also an aspect of the

goddess

Parvati Parvati (, , IPA: /Sanskrit phonology, pɑɾʋət̪iː/), also known as Uma (, , IPA: Sanskrit phonology, /ʊmɑː/) and Gauri (, , IPA: /Sanskrit phonology, gə͡ʊɾiː/), is one of the principal goddesses in Hinduism, revered as the Devi, ...

and another form of the goddess

Mariamman Mariamman, often abbreviated to Amman (), is a Hindu Dravidian folk religion List of rain deities, goddess of weather, predominantly venerated in the rural areas of South India. Her festivals are held during the late summer/early autumn season ...

and

Renuka Mahur Renuka, also known as Yellamma Devi, is a Hindu mother goddess venerated predominantly in the South Indian states of Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Telangana, Andhra Pradesh, and Maharashtra. She is regarded as the mother of Parashurama, the six ...

. She is primarily worshipped in the villages of

South India South India, also known as Southern India or Peninsular India, is the southern part of the Deccan Peninsula in India encompassing the states of Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Kerala, Tamil Nadu and Telangana as well as the union territories of ...

such as Thiruverkadu which is believed to be her abode. Karumariamman is usually worshipped by

s from

and Hindu's from

Singapore Singapore, officially the Republic of Singapore, is an island country and city-state in Southeast Asia. The country's territory comprises one main island, 63 satellite islands and islets, and one outlying islet. It is about one degree ...

Malaysia Malaysia is a country in Southeast Asia. Featuring the Tanjung Piai, southernmost point of continental Eurasia, it is a federation, federal constitutional monarchy consisting of States and federal territories of Malaysia, 13 states and thre ...

Sri Lanka Sri Lanka, officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka, also known historically as Ceylon, is an island country in South Asia. It lies in the Indian Ocean, southwest of the Bay of Bengal, separated from the Indian subcontinent, ...

Indonesia Indonesia, officially the Republic of Indonesia, is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania, between the Indian Ocean, Indian and Pacific Ocean, Pacific oceans. Comprising over List of islands of Indonesia, 17,000 islands, including Sumatra, ...

Africa Africa is the world's second-largest and second-most populous continent after Asia. At about 30.3 million km2 (11.7 million square miles) including adjacent islands, it covers 20% of Earth's land area and 6% of its total surfac ...

and

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country comprising mainland Australia, the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania and list of islands of Australia, numerous smaller isl ...

. Some

Hindus Hindus (; ; also known as Sanātanīs) are people who religiously adhere to Hinduism, also known by its endonym Sanātana Dharma. Jeffery D. Long (2007), A Vision for Hinduism, IB Tauris, , pp. 35–37 Historically, the term has also be ...

celebrate the festival of

Panguni The Tamil calendar (தமிழ் நாட்காட்டி) is a sidereal solar calendar used by the Tamil people of the Indian subcontinent. It is also used in Puducherry, and by the Tamil population in Sri Lanka, Malaysia, Singapo ...

, Ādi Thiruviḻa and

Navaratri Navaratri () is an annual Hindu festival observed in honor of the goddess Durga, an aspect of Adi Parashakti, the supreme goddess. It spans over nine nights, first in the month of Chaitra (March/April of the Gregorian calendar), and aga ...

in her honor, and it is believed that by celebrating this festivals in her honor reduces the risk of health issues and finds cure for health conditions and get relief from smallpox. In the Agama worship, She is worshipped as a combined manifestation of Parashakti, Adishakti, Icchashakti, Jnanashakti and Kriyashakti. Karumariamman is mainly worshipped among the

Thevar The Mukkulathor people, who are also collectively known as Thevar, are a community or group of communities native to the central and southern districts of Tamil Nadu, India. They comprise the Agamudayar, Kallar, and Maravar communities that s ...

and

Agamudayar Agamudayar (otherwise Agamudaiyar, Akamudayar, Agamudayan) are a Tamil community found in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. In Southern parts of Tamil Nadu, they are considered as one of the three castes which make up the Thevar or Mukkulathor co ...

caste in

who consider her as their family and primary deity as well as their caste deity.

Iconography

Karumariamman is usually pictured as a beautiful young woman with an oval shaped face, wearing a red dress with long

jewellery Jewellery (or jewelry in American English) consists of decorative items worn for personal adornment such as brooches, ring (jewellery), rings, necklaces, earrings, pendants, bracelets, and cufflinks. Jewellery may be attached to the body or the ...

and a big flower

garland A garland is a decorative braid, knot or wreath of flowers, leaves, or other material. Garlands can be worn on the head or around the neck, hung on an inanimate object, or laid in a place of cultural or religious importance. In contemporary times ...

. And is portrayed having four hands with flames of fire being represented behind the goddess head which indicates lord

Surya Surya ( ; , ) is the Sun#Dalal, Dalal, p. 399 as well as the solar deity in Hinduism. He is traditionally one of the major five deities in the Smarta tradition, Smarta tradition, all of whom are considered as equivalent deities in the Panchaya ...

(Sun god) respects the goddess. Karumariamman is generally portrayed in a sitting position, often holding a knife in her right hand and a bowl of

kumkum Kumkuma is a powder used for social and religious markings in India. It is made from turmeric or any other local materials. The turmeric is dried and powdered with a bit of slaked lime, which turns the rich yellow powder into a red color. In ...

a in the left. The other two hands hold a

trident A trident (), () is a three- pronged spear. It is used for spear fishing and historically as a polearm. As compared to an ordinary spear, the three tines increase the chance that a fish will be struck and decrease the chance that a fish will b ...

(

trishula The ''trishula'' () is a trident, a divine symbol, commonly used as one of the principal symbols in Hinduism. It is most commonly associated with the deity Shiva and widely employed in his iconography. Etymology The name ''trishula'' ultimate ...

) on the left and a

damaru A damaru (, ; Tibetan languages, Tibetan ཌ་མ་རུ་ or རྔ་ཆུང) is a small two-headed drum, used in Hinduism and Tibetan Buddhism. In Hinduism, the damaru is known as the instrument of the Hindu deity Shiva, associated wi ...

on the right.

Legend

According to legend, Karumariamman once disguised herself as a soothsayer and visited the sun-god

to predict his future. Surya ignored Karumariamman, refusing to grant her an audience. Angered, the goddess departed. The moment Karumariamman left his abode, Surya started losing his lustre. Soon he was turned into a large coal, causing the earth to plunge into darkness and chaos to reign in the universe. Surya realised his mistake and asked for forgiveness. To pacify Karumariamman, Surya promised that twice a year, he would touch her feet. Karumariamman blessed Surya and he regained his lost lustre. Today, the sun rays fall directly on the feet of Karumariamman at her abode of Thiruverkadu. This event happens in the

Tamil calendar The Tamil calendar (தமிழ் நாட்காட்டி) is a Sidereal time, sidereal solar calendar used by the Tamil people of the Indian subcontinent. It is also used in Puducherry (union territory), Puducherry, and by the Tamil ...

months of

(March – April) and Puratasi (September – October).

Temples

India

* The

Karumariamman Temple, Tiruverkadu Tiruverkadu Devi Karumariamman Temple is a Hindu temple in Tiruverkadu, a suburb of Chennai, in Tamil Nadu, India. The temple is maintained and administered by the Hindu Religious and Charitable Endowments Department of the Government of Tamil ...

is the main temple for the goddess Karumariamman. Every

Sunday Sunday (Latin: ''dies solis'' meaning "day of the sun") is the day of the week between Saturday and Monday. Sunday is a Christian sabbath, day of rest in most Western countries and a part of the Workweek and weekend, weekend. In some Middle Ea ...

is celebrated as the day of Karumari. Adherents can observe the site of sun rays falling on the head the image of the goddess twice a year. The shrine of goddess Karumariamman is made out of wood. *Sri Devi Karumariamman Temple, erandam padai veedu, thiruvillinjayampakkam, Avadi (Devi is described as aadhi Devi who gave darshan to kasyapa maharishi) * Sri Devi Karumariamman Temple, Whitefield, Bengaluru. * The Karumariamman temple, Ragavendra

Outside India

Indonesia

* Shri Karumariammen Koil,

Medan Medan ( , ) is the capital city, capital and largest city of the Indonesian Provinces of Indonesia, province of North Sumatra. The nearby Strait of Malacca, Port of Belawan, and Kualanamu International Airport make Medan a regional hub and multi ...

North Sumatra North Sumatra () is a Provinces of Indonesia, province of Indonesia located in the northern part of the island of Sumatra. Its capital and largest city is Medan on the east coast of the island. It borders Aceh to the northwest, Riau to the sou ...

Malaysia

* Karumariamman Temple, Penang located in

Penang Penang is a Malaysian state located on the northwest coast of Peninsular Malaysia along the Strait of Malacca. It has two parts: Penang Island, where the capital city, George Town, is located, and Seberang Perai on the Malay Peninsula. Th ...

. The temple is noted for having the largest

rajagopuram A ''gopuram'' or ''gopura'' (Tamil: கோபுரம், Telugu: గోపురం, Kannada: ಗೋಪುರ, Malayalam: ഗോപുരം) is a monumental entrance tower, usually ornate, at the entrance of a Hindu temple, in the South In ...

, or main sculpture tower, in

. It stands at a height of . The entrance of the rajagopuram, at tall and wide, is also the biggest in Malaysia. * Karumariamman Temple, Jalan Sentul,

Kuala Lumpur Kuala Lumpur (KL), officially the Federal Territory of Kuala Lumpur, is the capital city and a Federal Territories of Malaysia, federal territory of Malaysia. It is the largest city in the country, covering an area of with a census population ...

Singapore

Sri Mariamman Temple, Singapore The Sri Mariamman Temple () is Singapore's oldest Hindu temple. It is an Āgama (Hinduism), agamic temple, built in the Dravidian architecture, Dravidian style. Located at 244 South Bridge Road, in the downtown Chinatown, Singapore, Chinatow ...

, located in

. The temple is dedicated to

and also Karumariamman.

Sri Lanka

*Sri Devi Karumariamman Temple, located in

Colombo Colombo, ( ; , ; , ), is the executive and judicial capital and largest city of Sri Lanka by population. The Colombo metropolitan area is estimated to have a population of 5.6 million, and 752,993 within the municipal limits. It is the ...

Africa

*Sri Devi Karumariamman Thirukoil, located in

Johannesburg Johannesburg ( , , ; Zulu language, Zulu and Xhosa language, Xhosa: eGoli ) (colloquially known as Jozi, Joburg, Jo'burg or "The City of Gold") is the most populous city in South Africa. With 5,538,596 people in the City of Johannesburg alon ...

South Africa South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the Southern Africa, southernmost country in Africa. Its Provinces of South Africa, nine provinces are bounded to the south by of coastline that stretches along the Atlantic O ...

Canada

*Sri Devi Karumariamman Temple, located in

Calgary Calgary () is a major city in the Canadian province of Alberta. As of 2021, the city proper had a population of 1,306,784 and a metropolitan population of 1,481,806 making it the third-largest city and fifth-largest metropolitan area in C ...

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its Provinces and territories of Canada, ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, making it the world's List of coun ...

Gallery

File:Goddess Karumariamman at Mariamman temple singapore.jpg, Goddess Karumariamman at

File:Side view of the Rajagopuram of Tiruverkadu Temple 05.jpg, Side view of the Rajagopuram of the

, taken on 6 February 2022 File:A Hindu temple in Penang Malaysia.jpg, Karumariamman Temple, Penang in

Notes

References

* W.T. Elmore, ''Dravidian Gods in Modern Hinduism.''

External links

{{HinduMythology Tamil deities Hindu goddesses Consorts of Shiva Forms of Parvati Mother goddesses Health goddesses Smallpox deities