Founded in 1873 by K. Thamboosamy Pillay, the temple was initially a private family shrine before opening to the public in the 1920s. It is dedicated to Mariamman, the South Indian mother goddess known for protecting her worshippers from disease and misfortune. The current impressive Gopuram was added in 1968, designed to represent a threshold between the material and spiritual worlds. The temple is most famous as the starting point for the annual Thaipusam festival; a silver chariot carrying Lord Murugan travels from here to the Batu Caves, a tradition that has drawn thousands of devotees for over a century.