Hindu Thaipusam Festival - Ipoh

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Thaipusam is a one of the main Hindu ceremony that is held each year during the full moon in the tenth month of the Hindu calendar, it is dedicated as a thanksgiving to Lord Subramaniam (also known as Murugan) for answered prayers, and is also a day of penance. Devotees pray to God to receive his grace so that bad traits are destroyed. Thaipusam is celebrated by the Hindu people of South India and the mainly Tamil-speaking Hindu communities throughout Malaysia. The most famous is at the Batu Caves in Kuala Lumpur and the Arulmigu Balathandayuthapani Temple in Penang. Here in Ipoh although smaller but still very interesting, and the parade with Kavadi Attam(carrying burden) along the pilgrimage route are rather intense. It was a 24 hours non-stop procedure start from the Mariamman Kovil Temple, each family group had their own musicians team, and the most important is the Kavadi Attam performer who will be hooked and pierced, either carried or pulling a huge mountain of burden, after attached all the accessories on the body of the performer then the family group would began their parade to the Kalumalai Murugan Temple where the pilgrimage should ended. Along the route people would setup makeshift shrine, also provided simple snack and drinks for everyone, the parade would gave dance and singing to cheer up the crowd while stop to accepted offering. Sometimes youngster gathered and joined the dance, it boosting the atmosphere to a carnival spirit. And the parading group kept coming, no matter under the noon day heat or the windless night. It was my first Thaipusam experience, although the piercing and hooking were a bit terrifying, but the over all impression of the festival was great, I heard there would be a huge crowd for Thaipusam in Kuala Lumpur, here in Ipoh I can enjoy this day in a much leisure pace without any elbowing with other tourist.

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[D MJ Binkley]

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Nice photography