Summary-
Indra is the god of rain in Hinduism. But do you know about the goddess of rain? Mariamman, the goddess who brings rain, is a lesser-known deity from Southern India, who has many forms and rituals. She is worshipped as a local goddess as well as Durga, Kali, and Parvati. This blog discovers the many stories of Mariamman to reveal the many aspects of her powers that the devotees seek through ancient rituals and songs that go back to the Sangam period.
In the Devi Mahatmya, one of the Tamasic qualities of the supreme goddess is named, “Mahamari”- the great destroyer. Is this one of the rare references of Mariamman or mother Mari in Hindu Shastras? Who can say? The popular goddess of rain, health, and fertility, Mariamman, is a deity wrapped in mysteries and legends. In this article, we look at the stories of Mariamman, her descriptions in Hindu and folk tradition, and the many forms the goddess takes, all the while remaining a mother to her children.
Mariamman (Mari- “of rain”, or “changed”, Amman-mother) is worshiped as a form of Durga, Kali, Parvati, Kamakshi, Renuka, as Karuppusvami and Aiyanar (the guardian goddess) in the villages and towns of Southern India. She is revered as the Pidari or Grama Devata (village deity), who brings rain, cures diseases, blesses people with children, and protects the life and wealth of her devotees.
The term “mari” appears first in the Sangam period, where Mariamman is revered as “Pattalamma”- the goddess of truth and punctuality who punished people who do not follow these rules. Her rituals included worship during Pongal and offering of Pongal and Koozh (millet flour porridge) and fire walking rituals by devout worshippers. The tradition of hook-swinging or Kukattual is recorded in several British period documents as well, especially in the 19th-century Madras Presidency records.
Karumariamman, another local goddess, sometimes worshipped as a separate goddess and on the others as her aspect, is believed to have appeared at her Thiruverukadu temple as a serpent from an anthill, hence the name- Karul (black) and Mariamman.
There are several folk tales related to Mariamman in different localities. One legend remembers her as the wife of the famous saint Thiruvalluvar, who got smallpox and was driven to beg for food and keep the flies away with Neem leaves. She soon cured herself and was revered by the locals as a giver of health and protector from unforeseen calamities.
Another folk tale explains the reason behind the name- “Mutthu Maari”, an epithet associated with the goddess Mariamman. According to this tale, Mutthu means pearl, and the goddess bestows people with pearl-like raindrops, bringing abundance into their lives.
A third tale is of sage Prihu’s wife Nagavalli, according to which the great woman was visited by the Trimurti (Brahma, Vishnu, Shiva) during her daily duties. Seeing it as an intrusion, Nagavalli turned the gods into children. Angered by this act, they cursed her with smallpox. Seeing her condition, sage Prihu banished her to become a demoness who would scare people and spread disease. Due to this change (Mari means change) Nagavalli came to be known as Mariamman, who scares and protects people from diseases.
The major reasons behind Mariamman’s popularity are her powers, which give everything from rain to progeny, from health to abundance. During the summer season in Tamil Nadu, the devotees carry pots of water filled with turmeric and neem leaves, walking miles to reach the temples of Mariamman and pray to her to protect them from diseases.
In Tanjore, Mariamman is the Ishta or tutelary goddess of several families who invite her ritually for all their family functions such as birth ceremonies and marriages.
There are several temples of Mariamman all over the villages of Tamil Nadu. As the Grama devata, she protects the boundary of these villages and everyone residing in her land. Some of the popular temples of Mariamman are-
This is a prominent temple of Mariamman, where the goddess is worshipped through Agamic Hindu rituals by Brahmin priests.
The temple legends of this shrine tell that Mariamman appeared to king Venkoji Maharaja, the Chatarapati of Tanjore, in his dream and told him that she was residing in the forest of Punna trees, 3 miles away from his palace. The king sent his people and the idol of Mariamman was found in the jungle and a temple was constructed. Since then, the deity has been revered as Punnainallur Mariamman.
People offer mud replicas of their body parts in need of curing to this temple and the goddess removes illnesses and bestows health on her devotees. The daughter of Tulaja Raja of Tanjore got her eyesight back after worshipping in this temple.
The Mariamman idol here is the head of the 8 Mariamman temples in Salem. The temple was built by the Chera rulers, who along with their soldiers worshipped Mariamman as their protector on and off the battlefield.
During the festival of Aadi Perunthuru Vizhala, floral garlands from the Sri Azhagirnathar temple of Narayana are brought to this temple, for Mariamman, who is worshipped also as the younger sister of Narayana.
In the village traditions of Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, and parts of Maharashtra, Renuka is a powerful goddess, equivalent to Mariamman in her powers, and similar in iconography, to the extent that both goddesses are often revered as one. The legends that connect Renuka, the mother of Parashuram who was beheaded by him and Mariamman, suggest that the former is the chaste, pious lady and Karumariamman is the woman who is brought back to life after the unfortunate beheading of Renuka.
Some stories consider them the different avatars among the 7 sisters of Capta Kannikal (Saptamatrika) who guarded the villages. Renuka is worshipped through Tamil songs and Sanskrit hymns which weave a localized epic narrative around her.
The most famous story of goddess Renuka comes from the sacred Kanchi Mahatmya, in the episode of Renukeshvara Lingam. Renuka is the wife of sage Jamadagni and the daughter of Abhedya Varma. With her devotion to her husband, she gained several magical powers, such as being able to roll water into a ball.
One day, as she was filling the water for the daily rituals, she encountered Kartaveerya, a powerful king. He was enchanted by her and willed to attain her. Renuka on the other hand, only looked at his reflection in the water and felt a moment of attraction, which she immediately removed from her mind. However, it was too late.
When she reached home, Jamadagni could see that her powers had faded, and he immediately ordered their son Parashuram to punish Renuka, by severing her head for this transgression. Later, Renuka was brought back to life, but sage Jamadagni stated that due to her moral transgression, she was now a mleccha, or low-born woman.
Renuka vowed to atone for her transgression and raised a Lingam in Kanchi where she performed austerities and worshipped Shiva. Lord Shiva appeared and gave Renuka the name “Mari”. He said- “when in war with Banasura, I created a severe illness called Mari (with boils and fever). You will now become Mari, overpowering these diseases on earth and protecting people.” With sword, girdle of serpents, Ganesha and Pottu Raja by her side, Renuka as Mariamman became the goddess of Kanchipuram. According to the local beliefs, she is a jaagrit devata who has total control over Kaliyuga and guards’ devotees from its ill effects.
The temple legends of this shrine of the goddess Renuka start the story with Brahma and Saraswati, and their argument. Due to their spirited discussions, Brahma was angered and Saraswati was cursed to be born into a low family. As she descended the earth to fulfill the curse, she uttered the words to Brahma- “in every birth I take, wherever I am, you will come and marry me there”.
Brahma was born on earth in a Brahmin family and to avoid Saraswati’s prophecy, he became a traveler, never settling down. During his journey, he met Saraswati and both soon united and had children, the goddess of Samayapuram, Auvaiyar, and the goddess at Uthukadu.
The daughter of Saraswati and Brahma on earth, who was left by her parents, was noticed by the local washermen groups, who took her in and she became Renuka. She was married to the sage Jamadagni, and instead of Karataveerya, saw a Gandharva sporting with his beloved in the water and was beheaded.
Till here the story is similar to that of the Kanchi Mahatmya. After the beheading, Renuka was transformed, with her head attached to the body of a lower caste woman and her body attached to the head of said woman. Due to this change (mari), Renuka came to be known as Mariamman or “the changed mother”.
In this form, Renuka-Mariamman could not be taken back by Jamadagni so she was given the 9 grains or Navadhanya and directed to roam the world. Renuka took the grains and called herself Urumari (uru-body, mari-changed, she whose body was changed). Whoever she would put the muttu or grains on, will have fever for three days, muttu or boils on the 4th day, and allergies on the 5th day. The sick person must eat buttermilk, and coconut panagam, and worship Urumari to calm the symptoms.
With these powers, Renuka took the Muttu to Devaloka, where she put the disease on Shiva who couldn't bear it, and gave her his Sulam or trident and a cow to bring the fever down. Brahma too unable to take the pain, gave Renuka the boon that he would not write the fate of someone who was suffering from Muttu. Renuka then went to Yamaloka and put Muttu on Yama who could not be cured.
He blessed Renuka that he would not attack people on whom she would put the muttu. Yama also built the temple of Renuka at Padaivedu where his wife was the first woman on whom the goddess Renuka came. It is believed that Renuka placed her head outside the temple at Padaivedu and her body went inside the earth.
In the temple dedicated to Renuka-Mariamman at Kanchi, she is worshipped by devotees who perform pradakshina or circumambulation of the temple, wearing Neem garments in a ritual called Veppancelai. People suffering from disease, perform this ritual to get rid of the infection and gain the blessings of the goddess.
The Sthalapurana (text dedicated to glorifying the sacred geography and history of a Teertha or pilgrim spot) of Padaivedu narrates the story of Renuka’s attempt to perform Sati, at the spot where the temple was built by Yama. As Renuka sat on the funeral pyre, the rain started pouring and her attempt was halted. Her body was covered with burning marks which she covered with neem leaves, resulting in the ritual of devotees wearing Neem leaf girdles and attire when they visited Renuka Amman.
The reverence of Yama, the god of death, and the three gods- Brahma, Vishnu, and Shiva, shown towards Mariamman reveal the cosmic power that the goddess holds in the local traditions. These legends place Renuka-Mariamman as the sovereign, who controls the forces of death- punishing and regulating people by giving them muttu fever but also guarding them against weather, diseases, and ill luck.
According to some beliefs, Mariamman is an aspect of the goddess Parvati. The connection between Mariamman and Parvati is most strongly seen in the Patala Ponni Amman Temple at Chennai, where the goddess Ponni is worshipped as an aspect of Parvati, and also as a grama devata, with Shiva as her consort.
In the Mariamman Talattu, a text devoted to the goddess Mariamman, she is equated with Parvati among other Hindu goddesses. In essence, both Parvati and Mariamman represent the cosmic roles of Shakti- both goddesses characterized by a warrior and maternal nature, thus are often revered as one by the devotees.
The worship of goddess Mariamman is characterized by local rituals- some that require immense dedication such as fire walking while others simple, more personal like offering her homemade food and praying to her daily for blessings or special boons.
Devotees of Mariamman rever the goddess by placing statues of Mariamman in their home shrines, and worshipping her regularly as the Ishta with various ritual articles. For a deeper understanding of Mariamman and her rituals, it is better to consult temple priests or local experts who are aware of the mantras, Puja routines, and special methods of worshipping Mariamman.
Rain, disease, marriage, and accidents- seem like everyday concerns when looked at from the perspective of the cosmology and vast metaphysical quests that focus on life and death and freeing of the soul from these two. However, when looked closely, Mariamman is evoked to control things beyond the control of her devotees.
She interferes in smaller concerns to protect the larger order of things. She is the guardian of everything essential in the lives of her devotees, which is why she is as revered as Durga and Kali are among Hindus all over the world. With changing times, Mariamman expanded her reach to solve modern problems, but the core of her worship remains the same.
A child telling her Amman about their everyday worries and the mother lovingly doing everything in her power, including fighting with Brahma, Vishnu, Shiva, and Yamaraja to resolve their troubles. The many legends of Mariamman still reside in her rituals and temples and come alive during her festivals, when the goddess meets her devotees who visit her from all over the world. For the devotees, the question of whether Mariamman is Parvati, Durga, or Kali is not as relevant as the fact that she is their Amman, mother, who will always answer their call.
1. Towards an Iconography of Disease: Exploring the Gendered Worlds of the Goddesses of Epidemics, Malavika Binny, Studies in History 39(1) 12–28, 2023 © 2023 Jawaharlal Nehru University, Sage Publications
2. Sri Mariamman worship in the Gulf of Thailand, William Noseworthy
3. The Village Gods of Tamil Nadu Compiled by P R Ramachander
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