Sri Maha Mariamman Temple Kuching’s ‘Raja Gopuram’ is tallest in Borneo

The new Sri Maha Mariamman Temple in Kuching is poised to become a significant landmark and tourist attraction for Sarawak with its six-storey-tall ‘Raja Gopuram’ which is said to be the tallest of such structure in Borneo.

The eye catching ‘Raja Gopuram’ at Jalan Rock is also the second tallest of its kind in Malaysia, with Arulmigu Karumariamman Temple of Seberang Jaya, Penang, having the tallest.

This 18-meters six-storey tower is also known also as the monumental entrance tower, and it weighs a massive 600 tonnes. It will feature more than 100 deities once fully completed.

In Hindu tradition, ‘Raja Gopuram’ is not merely an architectural feat.

It is said that the taller the ‘Raja Gopuram’, the greater power and blessings for the community and its leaders, making this a deeply symbolic addition to the temple.

Aside from the ‘Raja Gopuram’, the temple at Jalan Rock will also soon welcome deities that are imported from India, with the main shrine of the temple housing the Goddess Sri Maha Mariamman.

The temple will perform the Maha Kumbha Abhishekam (a consecration ceremony to empower and inaugurate the temple in accordance with Agamic traditions) by September or October.

Construction of the Kuching temple began in 2020, with the Sarawak government via UNIFOR, providing RM2.3 million of the RM3 million needed to complete the temple.

News/photo/info source: Borneo Post, Sarawak Tribune