By Rosemarie John – A swarm of bare chested Hindu devotees, jasmine flowers adorned on women clad in bright lemon yellow sarees and the beat of drums fill the elaborately lantern-lit part of Chinatown. Situated in the heart of Singapore’s Chinese roots, is the Sri Mariamman Temple that plays host to the annual Fire Walking (Theemithi) Festival in honour of Princess Draupadi. Known for her struggles portrayed in the Sanskrit epic Mahabaratha (400 BCE) and also considered the reincarnation of the Goddess Mariamman by South Indians, the Tamil version of the epic dating circa 1400 CE includes apotheosis to the powerful Goddess as Draupadi’s innocence and chastity is proved by walking barefoot over hot coals.

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