Madurai Mariamman Tank near the temple.
Written by London Swaminathan
Post No. 15,785
Date uploaded in London –25 May 2026
Contact – swami_48@yahoo.com
Pictures are taken from various sources for spreading knowledge.
this is a non- commercial blog. Thanks for your great pictures.
tamilandvedas.com, swamiindology.blogspot.com
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Tamil version will be posted tomorrow
Bangkok Mariamman Temple
MARIYAMMAN
Hindu Goddess worshipped in Tamil Nadu. She is the goddess of rain, prosperity, and healing. Mariamman is a manifestation of the goddess – Parvati, an incarnation embodying Mother Earth with all her terrifying force. She protects her devotees from unholy or demonic events. Hindu migrant workers have erected her temples around the world, particularly in Sri Lanka, Malaysia, Singapore, Mauritius, South Africa and other countries. Even in UK, there are three temples dedicated to her. When ever there is an outbreak of diseases such as small pox devotees vow to offer her body parts in silver or walk on fire in Fire Walking Ceremonies. Neem tree leaves are hung around the fire pots the devotees carry during festivals. Madurai Mari Amman temple is one of the famous temples with a big tank opposite it.
In some towns devotees suspend themselves in ropes and an iron hook through the flesh of the back and whirled around a pole. Villagers believe she can cause diseases and eradicate diseases. They offer her Rice Pongal or Rice Gruel. High caste Hindus offer her Maa Vilakku= sweet flour with ghee lamp in the middle. In each village same ceremonies are done to local goddesses with different names. Some local anecdotes or incidents are linked to her.
Foreigners who could not understand the ceremonies have used wrong words to describe her.
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MARMA STHANA
Marma sthaana refers to vital points in the body that are crucial for health and well-being, as detailed in Shilpashastra, Ayurveda, and scientific perspectives. These locations, often associated with critical biological functions, are marked by their vulnerability; injury to them can lead to serious consequences such as deformity or death. Marma sthaana also means excretory organs in common parlour.
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Marichi
A spark of fire; मरीच्य इव निष्पेतु- रग्नेर्धूमाकुलार्चिषः (marīcya iva niṣpetu- ragnerdhūmākulārciṣaḥ) Rām.1.56.18.
-ciḥ 1 Name of a Prajāpati, one of the ten patriarchs created by the first Manu, or one of the ten mindborn sons of Brahman; he was father of Kaśyapa.
He married Kala , the daughter of Kardama rishi by Devahuti . Kashyapa was his son.
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Markandeya with Siva; Yama is kicked away by Lord Siva.
Markandeya
Mārkaṇḍeya (मार्कण्डेय) the son of Sage Mṛkaṇḍu was born to a couple when they propitiated Śiva with their prayers. At the time of granting them their wish, Shiva offered them two choices, a son who would be wealthy, powerful and long lived, but of ill character, or a son who would be virtuous, but who will die when he turns sixteen. The Brahmana asked for a son who would be virtuous. The Lord granted the boon and disappeared. The young Mārkaṇḍeya was not only extremely intelligent but also a great devotee of Śiva. When Yama, God of Death came to take his life at the age of sixteen, he was praying to Shiva as usual. He hugged Shiva Linga when he saw Yama with terrible appearance. When Yama tried to pull him away from Shiva’s statue, Lord Shiva himself came out and kicked Yama away. Lord Shiva told Yama that he will remain Sixteen for ever. There is a Purana called Markandeya Purana detaining the story.
Pronunciation- maarkandeya.
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Marut
Vedic God of storm. Vedas say that Maruts are sons of Rudra.
The storm gods hold a very prominent place in the Vedas and they are represented as friends and allies of Indra. Various origins are assigned to them. They are sons of Rudra, brothers of Indra and and sons of ocean and earth. They are armed with lightnings and thunderbolts, and ride on the whirlwind and direct the storm. The number of them is said in one place to be thrice sixty and in another only 27.
In Ramayana, they are represented to have their origin in an unborn son of Diti, whom Indra dashed into 49 pieces with his thunderbolt and in compassion converted them into Maruts. They have obtained their name from the words maa roadih , weep not, which Indra addressed to them.
One more view is Siva and Parvati beheld them in great affliction and Parvati asked Siva to transform the lumps into boys; he accordingly made them boys of like form, like age, and similarly accounted, and gave them to Parvati as her sons, whence they are called the sons of Rudra.
The world of the Maruts, called Maaruta, is the appointed heaven of Vaisyas. The god of the wind, and regent of the north west quarter. Maruti , Anjaneya is related to the word Wind/Marut
Puranic Story: Marut (मरुत्).—Fortynine in number, born of Diti and Kaśyapa; seven in each of the seven vātaskandhas; brothers of Indra and participators in sacrifices;1 when Diti conceived a son to be the slayer of Indra, the latter began to serve her throughout her pregnancy. Once finding that she did not keep to her vows he entered her womb and cut the foetus into 49 pieces, when they cried. He said to them mā ruda and hence māruta: being divine, were born as 49 sons: at the request of their mother Indra made them a Devagaṇa, called Marutgaṇa
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Maruti– Another name of Anjaneya/ Hanuman. Son of Vayu Deva.
See Hanuman and Anjaneya
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MARUTHAM MANTHA/ CHANDA
Maarutham is wind or Breeze. Mantha Marutham is the southern breeze coming from Malaya Mountain (part of Western Ghats/ Sahyadri. Chanda Marutham is gale fore wind.
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Matali – maatali
Charioteer of Indra. World’s first pilot of Space Shuttle.
He came down to earth to escort Arjuna to Swarga/heaven and then return him to earth after five years. He is the first pilot of space shuttle in literature. During Arjuna’s stay in swarga/heaven it was Matali who showed him celestial places. Arjuna’s space travel is in Vana Parva of Mahabharata.
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MATHA/ MUTT
Religious centres where the head of a particular sect lives. Kanchi Kamakoti Mutt in Tamil Nadu and Sringeri Mutt in Karnataka and Ahobilam Mutt in Andhra Pradesh are very famous. In Tamil Nadu, Adeenams are Mutts of Saivite saints . Vaishnavites have Jeeyar Mutts. All these Mutts have branches in different parts of the country. Pujas and worship happen everyday in the popular Mutts. In Tamil they are called Matam.
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Matsya Avatara
Matsyāvatāra (मत्स्यावतार).—the first of the ten incarnations of Viṣṇu; (during the reign of the seventh Manu, the whole earth, which, had become corrupt was swept away by a flood, and all living beings perished except the pious Manu and the seven sages who were saved by Viṣṇu in the form of a fish.
Matsya means Fish; in Tamilized form it is Machcha. Lord Vishnu’s first Avatar/incarnation. This story is in various religions as Nova or Flood Story etc.
Name of a country as well in ancient India.
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Matsya purana
It gives the story of fish incarnation of lord Vishnu. it has about 15,000 slokas/couplets. Many of its chapters are same as the parts of Vishnu and Padma Puranas.
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Maya
A Daitya who was the architect of the Asuras and as Viswakarma as the architect of the Devas.
Maya was the son of Viprachitti and father of Vajra karma and Mandodari, wife of Ravana.The Mahabharata speaks of a palace he built for the Pandavas. In Hari-vamsa he appears frequently both as victor and vanquished in contests with the Gods.
Story in Mahabharata
When Khandava forest was being burnt by Arjuna and Krishna with the help of Agni, Maya sought and received protection from Arjuna. To show his gratitude he built the central court of Yudhisthira’s new capital Indraprastha; the court was unparalleled in beauty and architectural skill. It was to this court Duryodhana was invited later at the time of Yudhithira’s Rajasuya Yajna and where Duryodhana mistook the highly polished marble floors for water and vice versa bringing ridicule upon himself. Draupadi with her companions, watched it from the balcony , laughed, which hurt Duryodhana very much. He revenged upon her by disrobing her IN public assembly when Pandavas lost everything including her in the gambling.
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Maya- mayaa
Illusion, deception.
Illusion personified as a female form of celestial origin, created fro the beguiling some individual. Goddess Durga is also called Mahaa Maayaa or Maayaa Devi. The name shows that she is capable of destabilising even people of wisdom, if they do even a single mistake.
Om jñānināmapi cetāṁsi devī bhagavatī hi sā
balādākr̥ṣya mohāya mahāmāyā prayacchati
Meaning:
“Even the minds of the wise are forcibly drawn by the Goddess Bhagavati—the Great Maya—and led into delusion.”- says Durga Saptasati/ Devi Mahatmya.
Adi Shankara frequently used this word in his propagation oof Advaita. He said seeing a rope as a snake is Maayaa/illusion.
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Manikarnika Ghat
Manikarnika Ghat, located on the banks of the Ganges in Varanasi, India, is one of the oldest and holiest cremation grounds in Hinduism. It operates 24/7, with hundreds of pyres burning continuously as families gather to cremate their deceased with the belief that it grants eternal liberation (Moksha).
- Location: Situated in the Kashi region of Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh.
- Operation: 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.
Visitors typically observe the process from a boat on the Ganges River or from designated safe vantage points onshore.
Costs: For those arranging a cremation, costs range from ₹4,000 to ₹20,000 depending on wood quality and specific rituals.
The ghat is named after Sati’s (a Hindu goddess) earring, which is believed to have fallen there.
The Eternal Flame: According to tradition, the main funeral pyre has been continuously burning for over 3,000 years.
The Dom Community: The cremation rituals are traditionally overseen and managed by the local Dom community, who prepare the bodies and maintain the sacred fires
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Mayadevi – maayaadevi-
Māyādevī (मायादेवी).—Name of the mother of Buddha.
The Maya Devi Temple refers to one of the sacred or popular destinations of Lumbini (Rupandehi District, Nepal).—Description of the Maya Devi Temple: This UNESCO world heritage site is the birthplace of Siddhartha Gautama (Buddha), the son of King Suddhodhana, the once ruler of the ancient kingdom of Kapilvastu, and his Queen Maya Devi. The queen gave birth here in the garden of Lumbini Park, while on her way home, holding onto a branch of a Sal tree. Today, this site is where the Maya Devi temple stands. There is an older temple structure under the current building. A few years ago, ancient tree roots dating to the 6th century BCE were found in the temple, which correlates to the story of how Queen Maya gave birth to Buddha.
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Mayavati- maayaavati
Māyāvatī (मायावती).—An incarnation of Ratidevī. An asura named Śambara made her his wife. But Pradyumna, son of Kṛṣṇa, carried her away to Dvārakā.
Māyāvatī (मायावती).—Rati in her former birth: when her husband was burnt by śiva, she was reborn as the superintendent of Śambara’s kitchen. Hearing from Nārada that Pradyumna was Kāma and that he was thrown into sea by Śambara and swallowed by a fish and was brought to her kitchen, she nursed him lovingly and when he came of age, she spoke the truth and taught him mahāmāyā vidyā with which he killed Śambara: She took him by air to Kṛṣṇa and was rejoiced to become the daughter-in-law of Kṛṣṇa and Rukmiṇī.*
To be continued……………………
Tags—Mayadevi, Mayavati, Manikarnika, Markandeya, Mariamman, HINDU DICTIONARY IN ENGLISH AND TAMIL 65; இந்து மத கலைச்சொல் அகராதி-65

