The Bisilu Maramma Temple in Mavalli, Bangalore, holds deep cultural and historical significance. Established during a time when the plague epidemic devastated the region.
The temple was one of four Maramma shrines built in each corner of the village, believed to protect the people from the disease. Although the village has now become a part of the city, the shrines housing the four goddesses continue to exist and to be worshipped.”
The name “Bisilu,” meaning “sunshine” in Kannada, is symbolic. Interestingly, sunlight, known to inhibit Yersinia pestis, the plague-causing bacterium, plays an essential role in the temple’s design—its sacred stones are purposefully left under the open sky to ensure they receive direct sunlight.
Legend has it that Chamundeshwari, the goddess from Mysore, once traveled through Mavalli, a village surrounded by a mango forest at the time. She sought shelter there, promising to protect the land if allowed to reside. The villagers agreed, and to this day, she resides at the Bisilu Maramma temple. She is revered as Bisilu or Veyil (sunlight) Maramma, as she preferred to remain in the open under sunlight rather than an enclosed space.
A grand festival called Ooru Habba is celebrated every three years, drawing over 100,000 people to the temple. This event attracts both locals and former residents, who gather to invoke the blessings of the deity, Mariamma, and honor the cultural heritage of Mavalli.
The Ooru Habba festival’s dates are decided through a traditional meeting among priests from the four Maramma temples in Mavalli, typically held after the Ugadi festival. Once the dates are determined, the priests announce them across the village, walking from street to street with sticks in hand, much like town criers of the past. This ritual invites the community to participate and maintains a sense of tradition and unity.
Originally, the festival united over 11 villages in the surrounding area. However, as time went on, six of these villages started holding their own festivals. Today, the villages of Dodda Mavalli, Chikka Mavalli, Dandepalya, Sathyammanavattara, and Chinappapalya continue the age-old custom of celebrating the Ooru Habba, preserving this rich cultural tradition in the heart of Bangalore.
