A sea of colour lit up Malaysia’s iconic Batu Caves near the capital on Sunday, as hundreds of thousands of Hindu devotees gathered to celebrate Thaipusam, one of the religion’s most revered festivals.
Thaipusam is observed with particular fervour in multicultural Malaysia, a Muslim-majority nation where ethnic Indians account for around seven per cent of the 34 million population.
Many pilgrims pierced their bodies with ornate hooks and skewers, while others offered milk as part of the rituals, commemorating the day in Hindu mythology when the goddess Parvathi gave her son, Lord Murugan, a powerful lance to defeat evil demons.
The festival is also celebrated in India, Singapore, and other regions with large Hindu Tamil communities.
As for more than a century, celebrations centred on the Batu Caves complex on the outskirts of Kuala Lumpur.
The site, home to a towering 43-metre (141-foot) statue of Murugan—one of the world’s largest—is expected to draw 2.5 million visitors over the course of the festivities, according to local news reports.
The 272 brightly coloured steps leading to the temple, where the rites are performed, drew throngs of visitors alongside worshippers.
Devotees bearing offerings such as milk pots, or carrying elaborate and heavy metal frames called “kavadis”, walked barefoot up the steps to reach the temple.
Kavadis can weigh as much as 100 kilograms (220 pounds) and are typically attached to a person’s body using sharp metal spikes pierced into the flesh.
Those bearing the structures often sway and gyrate to the beat of percussionists accompanying religious chants and devotional folk songs.
“Today I came at 3:00 am to the temple. I have been coming for Thaipusam for the past 30 years,” said S. Jeyasangar, 39, from Klang, Selangor, speaking to AFP.
Shema Nanthini, 26, from nearby Petaling Jaya, Selangor, said the festival holds deep personal significance.
“Thaipusam is important to me because I have gone through so much, and I’m successful today because of Lord Murugan,” she told AFP.
“Every day I pray for a better future, so today I came to thank Lord Murugan,” Shema added.
