Clairwood Shri Siva Soobramoniar Temple

About Clairwood Shri Siva Soobramoniar Temple

The Clairwood Shri Siva Soobramoniar Temple — often shortened to C.S.S.S.T. — stands on Sirdar Road in Clairwood, south Durban, and is dedicated to Lord Muruga, worshipped here as Shiva-Subrahmanyar. It is one of the oldest Hindu temples in South Africa and a spiritual home for the Tamil community whose ancestors came to Natal as indentured labourers in the nineteenth century.

The complex includes the main Muruga shrine, a subsidiary temple to Drobathy (Draupadi) Amman and a large hall built by the community for social functions. Many of the murtis were donated by prominent families of Clairwood after the temple moved to Sirdar Road, and they remain in the temple today. In 2014 sthapatis (temple architects) from India carried out a major refurbishment, followed by a Maha Kumbha Abhishekam that marked 125 years since the temple's founding.

The temple is best known for its annual Thaipusam Kavady festival, when devotees carry kavadis in fulfilment of vows. Chariot festivals and Amman ceremonies have also been part of its calendar since its early years.

History

Local tradition tells that around 1889 a holy man was seen meditating under a tree on the bank of the Amanzimyama river; when residents came to meet him he had gone, leaving a lingam-shaped stone and a vel made of wire. The community built its first shrine on that spot, and Arumuga Soobramoney Paradassi began regular worship. A committee was formed in 1915, land on Sirdar Road was bought in 1919, and the temple moved there under its present name, with the main temple, the Draupadi Amman temple and a large hall built from the community's donations and voluntary labour.