Two Goddess Temples in Northern Germany

"Hindu Shankarar Shri Kamadchi Ampal Temple e.V. (Europe)", Siegenbeckstr. 4-5, Hamm-Uentrop Germany. From its modest beginnings in a basement (1989), this goddess temple has grown into the largest Tamil Hindu place of worship in continental Europe. It is the first European temple in the South Indian architectural style. Eleven Sri Lankan priests performed the extensive Agamic consecration rites (30.6-7.7.2002). The temple is located in an industrial area (top picture), in the vicinity of two meat factories and the (closed) cooling tower of an atomic plant. It is famous for its great annual cart processions (picture below: gopura and processional cart); see Brigitte Luchesi's slide show. The gopura and vimana towers are covered with (mainly female goddess) sculptures fashioned by South Indian artists. Top photo: 13.6.2003; bottom photo: 5.7.2004.

Interior of the Sri Kamadchi temple. In the foreground: consecration ceremony of the new flag post performed by the chief priest and founder of the temple, Sri Paskaran Kurukkal. At the back: sanctum (garbhagrha) of the goddess Kamakshi (Kamadchi). Its entrance is flanked by two colorfully painted sculptures representing female guardian deities. The temple is one of the rare ones in Germany having full-time priests. The priests belong to a (extended) priestly family of Sri Lankan Viracaivas of the Jaffna pensinsula. Regular pujas take place three times a day. Photo: 14.6.2003.

Main icon (murti) of the temple: Shri Kamakshi Devi in the central sanctum (garbhagrha), beautifully dressed and adorned with a crown and nose-ring on the occasion of the 12th day of the annual temple festival in 2004. The black stone icon bears the iconography of the Shrividya goddess Lalita-Tripurasundari with whom Kamakshi Devi is identified: noose, goad, flower-arrows and sugarcane bow. The murti is installed on a shricakra, and another shricakra is engraved in the yoni-shaped vessel at her feet. Whereas exoteric daily rites are performed in front of this main icon, a separate room adjacent to the temple (see plate 11) is reserved for special shricakra rites and homa (the fire sacrifice). Photo: 7.6.2004.

The Vasanta Mandapa shrine with the metal icons used for processions (utsava- murtis). On each Friday night the metal Kamakshi image in the center is taken out for a small procession in a golden cart to circumambulate the main sanctum and visit the other deities of the temple. Photo left: 14.4.2004; photo right: 6.6.2004.

Ground-plan of the temple indicating the route for visiting and circumambulating the shrines of the tempel deites in the correct order: 1. Ganesha also called Vinayakar (the goddess's first son), 2. Kamakshi, 3. Shiva (her husband) in the form of a linga, 4. Murugan with his two wives, 5. Lakshmi-Narayana, 6. Somaskanda, 7. Ayappan, 8. the Navagraha (planets), 9. Bhairava, 10. Candeshvara. The plan hangs in a hall adjacent to the temple entrance where the visitors leave their shoes before entering the sacred area. Next to it there is another ground-plan indicating the private sponsors of the shrines. Photo: 26.6.2004.

Close-ups of two prominent Shiva forms in the Kamadchi temple: the picture on the left shows Lord Bhairava whose small shrine next to the entrance indicates his protective role as guardian deity. The picture on the right shows Lord Sharabheshvara who is the family deity of one of the sponsors and one of the rare male deities portrayed on the colorfully decorated pillars. This wild depiction of Shiva, standing on the prostrate Narasimha, also occurs in the movable metal icons in the Vasanta Mandapa (see plate 4). Photo left and right: 14.4.2003.

The Kamadchi temple has been steadily embellished since its consecration in July 2002. In 2003 and 2004, several wall paintings were added, two of which portray the chief priest Sri Paskaran worshipping his favorite deity (ishta-devata) Shri Kamakshi. The goddess is supposed to be particularly powerful and some temple visitors even attribute superhuman powers to Sri Paskaran. The painting on the right in the top photo depicts the priest performing the fire sacrifice (homa) and the goddess appearing in the fire. The painting on the left portrays the royal Shrividya goddess (Rajarajeshvari) sitting on Sadashiva and the four cosmic gods (Brahma, Vishnu, Rudra, Ishana) who constitute the feet of her throne. The shricakra at her feet points to the separate puja room where special shricakra ceremonies take place during festivals such as the Tamil New Year (see plate 11). When worshipping Kamakshi Devi as the great Shrividya goddess, the priest follows the South Indian Shankaracaryas of Kanchipuram. The wall paintings above the temple entrance (bottom picture) visualize this programme: one depicts the ascetic philosopher Shankara, the other a scene from Shankara hagiographies. Outdoor paintings like these, relating to the Shankara tradition of Kanchi, have been constantly added since the wall paintings inside the temple were finished. Top photo: 14.6.2003; bottom photo: 5.6.2004.

The most recent development so far has been the improvement and beautification of the temple premises. A donation of paving-stones by a (German) member of the local Lions Club was used to build a car park; later, flowers were planted and two Ganesha statues were installed to guard the temple entrance. Top photo and bottom photo: 26.6.2004.

During festival days, grandiose ceremonies take place inside and outside the Kamadchi temple. The picture on the left shows a fire sacrifice in front of a special altar with eight coconuts (representing the Ashtamatrka) surrounding a richly decorated jar (representing the Great Goddess in the center). In the open sanctum behind, the scantily dressed Kamakshi statue is waiting for ablution (abhisheka). The photo was taken in the early morning of the temple festival in 2003 and depicts preliminary rites for the great Ter-procession which started at noon. The picture on the right, taken during the Tamil New Year ceremony in 2003, shows a Tamil Om which was sprinkled by Sri Paskaran in front of the temple entrance. Photo left: 14.6.2003; photo right: 14.4.2003.

Copious ablutions (abhisheka) are performed on festival days or during special arcana rites ordered by lay people. The picture on the left shows the priest Arikaraputhira Mathivani Iya pouring milk on the god Bhairava; the picture on the right shows nicely prepared fruits on banana leaves in front of the Vasanta Mandapa for the abhisheka of the utsava Kamakshi. The rich red and green silken curtain covering the entrance of the shrine depicts the gracious goddess Lakshmi, the Indian Fortuna. Photo left: 14.4.2003; photo right: 6.6.2004.

Fire sacrifice for Shankha-abhisheka during a three-day ceremony at the 2003 Tamil New Year (picture right). The ritual takes place in the adjoining room for special rites (picture left). On the first day of the ceremony, a special altar is erected around which one thousand shells containing auspicious water are arranged in all directions. In the evening of the second day, the thousand names of the Goddess (Lalitasahasranama) are recited, whereby each of the thousand shells is worshipped and adorned with a red flower petal. On the third day, shricakra-puja is performed and the following fire sacrifice is shown in the picture. After this (very copious) fire sacrifice there is the ablution of Kamakshi Devi in the main sanctum with the sacrificial water from the jar and the shells, whereupon ablution of the other temple deities also takes place. For a detailed study of the ritual see Wilke, Die Goettin Kamakshi und ihr jahrlicher shricakra-Ritus, in: Baumann/Luchesi/Wilke (eds.), 2003, documenting the Tamil New Year ceremony in 2001, which took place in the much smaller old Kamadchi temple in Hamm-Uentrop. Photo left and right: 14.4.2003.

Temple festival in 2004. The picture on the left illustrates the great care taken by the priests to render the festival as luxurious and beautiful as possible, starting with the richly decorated flag post, the heavy flower garlands adorning the Kamakshi icon, and the colorful rows of tiny lamps beautifying the central sanctum. The picture on the right shows the priest Arikaraputhira Mathivani Iya doing circumambulation with a jar containing the sacrificial water for abhisheka. During the festivals lay people and sponsors take on ritual roles too, such as carrying the ceremonial umbrella as seen on the picture. Photo left and right: 26.6.2004.