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The Tamil Heritage in Pietermaritzburg Alleyn Diesel The Tamil heritage in Pietermaritzburg by Alleyn Diesel URING the Easter period, unscathed through fire. Faithful devo- while Christians all over Piet- tees spend the week fasting and attend- Dermaritzburg gather in church- ing the daily ceremonies at the temple es to hear once again the story of Jesus’ which highlight features of Draupadi’s life, death and resurrection, with the life. The dramatic climax of the festi- devout attempting to identify with his val is the firewalking where crowds of suffering, so members of the local Tamil devotees demonstrate their faith and Hindu community observe their own purity, emulating Draupadi by walking “holy week” preparing for the Drau- across a pit of burning coals. padi Firewalking Festival by listening Draupadi is the Mother of Fire, one again to the sacred story of the Goddess of the south Indian Amman (meaning Draupadi, her faithfulness, courage, and “mother”) Goddesses, brought to South victory over indignity and suffering. Africa by the early Tamil settlers, and This very popular 10-day festival, still very popular today. Mariamman, held in the grounds of the Mariamman another much venerated Goddess, Temple at the lower end of Langali- has many local temples dedicated to balele Street, recapitulates, through her. These vibrant female deities have story, song and ritual, aspects of the since very ancient times been regarded rich and complex mythology, relat- as responsible for the wellbeing of ing Draupadi’s odyssey towards spir- humans, animals and nature, revered itual perfection where, after numer- as the great Mother Earth who gave ous severe tribulations, she finally birth to all life, and to whom all will demonstrated her virtue by walking eventually return. 53 Natalia 45 (2015), Alleyn Diesel pp. 53 – 59 Natalia 45 (2015) Copyright © Natal Society Foundation 2015 The Tamil heritage in Pietermaritzburg The story of Draupadi, contained state of Tamil Nadu, where they were fa- in the great Indian epic the Mahab- miliar with the mythology and ritual of harata (c.200 BCE-200 CE), is a dra- Draupadi worship which can be traced matic tale of fortunes lost and won, of back at least seven centuries. Soon after treachery and faithfulness, of defeat they settled in Pietermaritzburg, they and final victory and vindication. A instituted an annual firewalking festival strong, spirited and outspoken woman, during the 1890s, one which has been she was the faithful wife of the five observed to the present. Pandava brothers. When, through the Tamils trace their descent back to treachery of their relatives, the Kaura- the ancient indigenous Dravidian peo- vas, her family lost their inheritance, ple of south India and Sri Lanka who and went into lengthy exile in the for- have lived in the east and south of the est, she courageously cared for them. sub-continent for millennia, pre-dating She survived numerous attempts by the arrival of the Aryans by more than men to seduce and humiliate her, her a thousand years. The main Dravid- religious faith and purity bringing her ian languages are Tamil, Telugu, Kan- safely through these ordeals. Eventu- nada and Malayalam. Their religion as ally vindicated, she demonstrated her practised today retains many features faithfulness and purity by her safe pas- of some of the oldest manifestations sage through fire, an event recorded in of religion still in existence, giving it the Tamil version of the Mahabharata. a unique quality, much of it worthy of Draupadi’s odyssey reflects a quest preservation. for spiritual perfection where, after Early Hindu settlers arrived in Pieter- enduring and overcoming various tri- maritzburg from about 1865, estab- als and hardships, she finally achieves lishing two temples at the lower end purification and sanctification. Her ul- of Longmarket Street, the Sri Siva timate ordeal of walking through fire is Soobramoniar and Marriamen (sic) an apotheosis, transforming her into a temples. These temples are the two Goddess worthy of the worship of her oldest in the city, officially opened in devotees, who must imitate her exem- 1925, although the Soobramoniar tem- plary life. Draupadi is a much revered ple had been constructed between 1908 name in Hindu households. and 1915, replacing an earlier wood- The richly symbolic Draupadi fire- and-iron structure. It is here, as well as walking festival involves devotees in Tamil homes all round the city, that participating in various rituals and dra- important Tamil religious observances mas recounting aspects of Draupadi’s and festivals are celebrated, preserving story, preparing themselves for the their ancient and rich culture and wor- climactic fire walk, where the Goddess ship. is believed to spread her sari over the The deity Soobramoniar (also known fire, cooling the coals to protect the as Muruga) is one of the sons of the su- faithful. preme God Shiva, believed to possess The majority of the Hindu inden- great healing power, celebrated twice tured labourers who came to Natal annually at the Kavadi festival, attract- from 1860 onwards were Tamils from ing very large crowds. the area around the great south Indian The second temple on this site is city of Madras (now Chennai) in the dedicated to the indigenous south In- 54 Natalia 45 (2015) Copyright © Natal Society Foundation 2015 The Tamil heritage in Pietermaritzburg The dome of the Mariamman temple 55 Natalia 45 (2015) Copyright © Natal Society Foundation 2015 The Tamil heritage in Pietermaritzburg The dome of the Soobramoniar temple 56 Natalia 4545 (2015)(2015) CopyrightCopyright ©© NatalNatal SocietySociety FoundationFoundation 20152015 The Tamil heritage in Pietermaritzburg dian Goddess Mariamman, and other knowledge of the various Indian lan- powerful Amman (Mother) goddesses, guages. Many Hindus believe attempts guardians of the earth in all its mani- to recover knowledge of their original festations. The front pediment shows languages will contribute significantly Mariamman seated on her lion vehi- towards the revival and maintenance cle, symbol of her fearsome, protective of both cultural and religious knowl- power. edge. Kistappa Reddy, a young indentured Because of this, various local Tamil labourer who arrived in South Africa associations have started numerous af- from the Madras area of south India ternoon classes to teach the vernacular in 1898, was a bricklayer who soon to children. Some classes are also run turned his very considerable talent to for groups of very enthusiastic adults, temple designing and building. Over particularly senior citizens. the years, until his death in 1941, he Another factor in this recent revival stamped his distinctive style on many of pride in their heritage is the open- highly regarded south Indian, Tamil- ing of post-apartheid South Africa to oriented temples, on the Natal north the world community, and with this and south coasts, at Mount Edgecombe, the increasing number of Tamil films Canelands, Newlands, Esperanza, and (with English sub-titles) being shown the First Umbilo Temple in Durban. at major movie venues round the Because of his competence and artistic country, as well as the availability of flair he was increasingly employed on many films on DVD, and the renewed temple projects, and in 1909 came to interest these have stimulated in Ta- Pietermaritzburg to make his contribu- mil music and dance. SATV 2 has a tion of the exuberant, uniquely “folk- Sunday morning Indian-themed pro- sy” domes on the two temples. Durban gramme, Mela, at noon, “showcasing architects Mikula, Kearney and Har- the uniquely South African Indian ber claim, “In the history of ‘classical’ experience”, and a lively Facebook South African Temples, Reddy must page. A number of Indian channels are retain the position as master.” featured on DSTV such as ZEE TV In the last 10 years or so I have and Glow, presenting movies, series, observed a number of developments cookery programmes, documentaries, which I believe could be indicators of and music, although Tamil interests do a nascent Tamil renaissance in this city not feature prominently. However, The and around the province. South African Tamil Federation has a The Tamil language (Thamizh), Facebook page with ongoing news and spoken by these early settlers, was comment. gradually replaced by English as the Evidence of a new generation of mother tongue of the Indian commu- young people taking pride in their nity. Although this loss of the language Tamil culture is the growing number of their grandparents is an indication of youngsters singing in choirs at re- of how successfully South African In- ligious functions, and the growth in dians adapted to life in this country, popularity of eisteddfods featuring recently this decline in the use of the Tamil music. vernacular has been regretted, with In January 2005 the two Tamil concerted efforts made to re-introduce temples in Longmarket (now Lang- 57 Natalia 45 (2015) Copyright © Natal Society Foundation 2015 The Tamil heritage in Pietermaritzburg alibalele) Street embarked on the Kistappa Reddy dome of this temple important task of renovating these in order to make way for the newly extremely busy temples. Generally constructed one. An irreplaceable part considered to be fine examples of of the legacy of the original settlers south Indian temple architecture with was surely worthy of a better fate than their colourful pediments and domes being consigned to the demolisher’s decorated with images of Hindu hammer. Perhaps it could have been deities, they had in recent years fallen dismantled and moved to another into a state of considerable disrepair. part of the temple compound where it This was due mainly to a lack of funds, could have become part of a specially and because, ideally, the work needed constructed shrine to preserve this to be done by specialist builders from charming example of “folk” south India. The South African apartheid Indian Hindu architecture. It seems authorities refused to grant permission somewhat ironic that something so for craftsmen to come from India, but valuable, with links to the earliest and this obstacle was finally overcome, finest building of temples in South allowing for the refurbishment to Africa, had to be lost in order for commence.
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