In the Sangam literature, there is an elaborate description of the rites performed by the Kurava priestess in the shrine Palamutircholai. The temples of the Sangam days, mainly of Madurai, seem to have had priestesses to the deity, which also appear predominantly as goddesses. The cult of the mother goddess is treated as an indication of a society which venerated femininity. She was worshipped by the ancient Tamils as the bringer of rain and thus also the bringer of prosperity, since the abundance of their crops was dependent largely upon adequate rainfall. The word Mari (pronunciation: /mɒri/) has a Sangam Tamil origin meaning 'Rain' and the Tamil word Amman means 'Mother'. Māri was later associated with Hindu goddesses like Parvati, Kali and Durga as well as with her North Indian counterpart Shitala Devi and Eastern Indian counterpart Olai Chandi and western Indian counterpart of Mogal mata. She is the main Tamil mother goddess, predominant in the rural areas of South India. Mariamman's worship probably originated in pre-Vedic India. Wikimedia Commons has media related to Muthumariamman Temple, Matale.Mariamman embedded in a trident, 1st century, Chola period, Tamil Nadu, India

^ 'Notable Photos: The Colors of Matale'.

'Theru Festival of Arulmigu Sri Muthumari Amman Kovil, Matale'.

^ 'Matale Muthumari Amman Chariot Festival'.

^ 'Matale Muthumariamman temple festival'.

View topic – Arulmigu Sri Muthumari Amman Hindu Kovil'.

: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list ( link) Sri Lanka Tamil News - Newsfirst | News1st | | Breaking. Indian and Chinese Immigrant Communities: Comparative Perspectives.

^ Bhattacharya, Jayati Kripalani, Coonoor (1 March 2015).

Religion Against the Self: An Ethnography of Tamil Rituals.

^ Nabokov, Isabelle (21 September 2000).

This wedding hall has been in use from 1856 to the present. There is a large wedding hall for the Hindu people. Ganesha, Shiva, Mahadevi, Murugan and Chandeshvara Nayanar are the five prominent statues of Hindu deities which are carried by devotees in the chariot festival. The temple has five ornate chariots, which are used to convey statues of Hindu deities around the city on 'Ther' or 'Vettai Thiruvizha', the chariot ceremony day, which is held the day before ' Medin Poya' (the Poya day in March). The main religious festivals including the chariot festival at the temple are celebrated during February or March on an annual basis. The Raja Koburum was completed in 2007 at the cost of approximately Rs 150M. The 1008 statues of Hindu deities are the work of South Indian sculptor, Nagalingam and his son Ramanathan, with the help of about 100 designers, painters and architects from Tamil Nadu and Sri Lanka. The Raja Koburum is one of the largest Gopurams in Sri Lanka. One of the visually dominant features of this temple is its 32.9 m (108 ft) high Gopuram ('Raja Koburum'), a large decorated tower located above the main northern gateway ('Vadakku Vaayil') to the temple. The temple was severely damaged during the anti-Tamil riots in July 1983 but was subsequently restored. The first Kumbhabhishekham of the temple was held in 1960.

The temple was originally a small statue under a tree prayed to by the Hindu people but has been developed by the people in Matale. This temple is used by both Hindus and Buddhists. The current temple was built in 1874, funded by the Nattukkottai Chettiar.

The land was originally part of a paddy field and was gifted by the owner in 1852.

Muthu mariamman