The Mariamman Temple, Marabastad
The Mariamman Temple in Marabastad is a Hindu temple dedicated to Mariamman, south Indian Hindu goddess of smallpox and other infectious diseases. Built in 1905, the temple is testament to the history of a culturally diverse community, which was later forcefully separated by the apartheid government’s Group Areas Act.
Marabastad, also known as the Asiatic Bazaar, remains a business district of Pretoria. The town is named after Chief Maraba, who founded and headed the original Maraba Village, which lies south of the present Marabastad.
The town is very close to the Pretoria CBD, the University of Pretoria and Loftus Versfeld stadium, and there are plenty of shopping centres in the area. You can visit Barclay Square in Walker Street, the Pavilion Centre on Jeppe Street and Sunnypark shopping centre, also on Jeppe Street, with its new Nu Metro cinema.