Sri Maha Mariamman Temple, Bangkok

01The Tamils of Silom

Tamil traders in gems and cattle settled in Bangkok in the 1860s, and a decade later their leader, Vaithi Padayatchi, built a temple for the Devi they had worshipped at home. A lane off Silom, Soi Vaithi, still carries his name. The temple is in the South Indian style: a gopuram about six metres high over the gate, crowded with painted figures, and a gilded copper dome over the sanctum. Inside are three shrines, of Ganesh, Murugan and Mariamman. Thais know the Devi as Phra Si Maha Uma Thewi and bring her marigold garlands and lotus buds sold by the kiosks on Pan Road.

02Navaratri on Silom Road

The great festival is Navaratri. On Vijayadashami the image of the Devi is carried through the streets on a decorated chariot, Silom Road is closed to traffic, and devotees walk ahead in trance, some with skewered cheeks, while crowds of Thais and Indians line the pavements with offerings of fruit and flowers. It is one of the largest Hindu processions in South-East Asia. On ordinary days the temple is busiest in the evening, when office workers from the business district stop for darshan on the way home.

The life of this place