Tirtha Atlas

The sacred geography of the Indic world — every site mapped, dated, storied, and cited.

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Modern · Hindu · Malaysia

Sree Maha Mariamman Devasthanam Temple, Butterworth

Bagan Luar, Butterworth, Penang · 5.4125°, 100.3700°

Mariamman (Amman)ModernDravidian
Sacred since
1853 CE
first attestation / structure
Standing structure
founded 1853; present temple consecrated 1988
Modern

History & significance

One of the oldest Hindu foundations on mainland Penang, established at Bagan Luar in Butterworth in 1853 and given a permanent temple by Ponnusami Pillai in 1903. The present Dravidian structure, whose gopuram towers over the surrounding buildings, was raised in the 1980s and consecrated in 1988.

Sthala katha — the traditional account

What follows is the temple’s own traditional account, transmitted through liturgy and local memory. It is recorded here as tradition, not as attested history.

The temple is said to have begun when an image of Ambal was found by the seaside in 1853 and a small hut was put up on the spot to shelter her for worship.

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Sources

coordinates: wikipedia-2026-08-28 · sources retrieved 2026-08-26 · dynasty page: Modern