125th Hindus festival of Thaipusam at Batu Caves, Malaysia

thaipusam, batu caves, malaysia, gombak, india, hindu, paal kadum, kadavi, vel, selangor

A Hindu devotee makes his way towards the temple during the Thaipusam festival at Batu Caves, Malaysia

Thousands of devotees are in trance, they were seen offering prayers carring kadavi (their offering to God) while chanting Vel! Vel! while hundreds of thousands tourists visit Batu Caves took the opportunity to experience the 125^th Thaipusam Celebration. Thaipusam is a holy festival celebrated by Hindus of Tamil as a thanksgiving and repentance held in honour of Lord Murugan, who represents virtue, youth and power, and is the destroyer of evil. This festival is based on the full moon day in the month of Thai in the Hindu calendar.

In Malaysia the celebrations take place on a grand scale at the Batu Caves (Sri Subramaniar Swamy Temple) one of the landmarks in Malaysia and the most popular Hindu shrines outside India. This temple is located in in the hills of limestone Batu Caves Gombak district, 13 kilometers to the north of the city of Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Inspired by the shape of the cave entrance vel dedicated as a place of worship the God Murugan in the cave. The most iconic of this place certainly a golden statue of Lord Muragan world's tallest high as 42.7 meters and right behind the 272 stairs are steep enough to get to the mouth of the cave on the hill of limestone that serves as a shrine. And this is where the the focal point of Hindus festival of Thaipusam.

The night before Thaipusam celebration, Hindus gather at the Sri Mahamariaman Temple along Jalan Tun HS Lee in Petaling Street area. From that temple devotees will walk by foot around 15 kilometre towards to Batu Caves and they will arrive the next morning when The Thaipusam Celebration is held. Devotees prepare themselves for the occasion by cleansing their bodies through fasting and abstinence, and usually observe a vegetarian diet for a certain period of time.

A man carries a kavadi towards the temple during the Thaipusam festival at Batu Cave, Malaysia

A man carries a kavadi towards the temple during the Thaipusam festival at Batu Caves, Malaysia

In the middle of Festival, I saw many kavadi who carried their pal kodum (pots) filled with milk on their shoulder, kavadi who carried their pal kodum (pots) filled with milk on their head and some kavadi decorated with peacock fearthers. And most of them have themselves shaved that why I saw many devotees walking aroung with a bald head, even a woman!.

Hindu devotees carry milk pots for pilgrims as they proceed towards the temple during today’s Thaipusam festival at Batu Caves on the outskirts of Kuala Lumpur

Im quite shocked to saw many devotees in trance!, they expressed by dancing uncontrollably and waving arms wildly. Devotees who have made their vows and prayers to Lord Subramaniam will subject themselves to sacrificial acts in exchange for an answered prayer. It is perhaps the most elaborate and spectacular of all the Hindu festivals, mainly due to the combination of what seems like a painful body piercing and a religious practice. In return the Devotees do a sacrificial act if the request is fulfilled such as carrying kavadi weighing several pounds which is attached to the body by skewers and hooks that pierce through the body, some Devotees pierce their skin, tongue or cheeks with Vel skewers, some Devotees had many small hooks in their backs with small decorations. Oooh God!,

A Hindu devotee with piercings in his cheeks and body during the Thaipusam festival

A man carries a kavadi towards the temple during the Thaipusam festival at Batu Caves, Malaysia

A Hindu devotee with piercings in his cheeks and body during the Thaipusam festival

A man carries a kavadi towards the temple during the Thaipusam festival at Batu Caves, Malaysia

A Hindu devotee reacts as he makes his way towards the temple during the Thaipusam festival at Batu Caves

A Hindu devotee with piercings in his cheeks and body during the Thaipusam festival

A Hindu devotee makes his way towards the temple during the Thaipusam festival at Batu Caves, Malaysia

Devotees, locals and tourists all are allowed to go up the stairs to the actual caves but they need to follow the allowed path. The Organizer dived the enterance way based on Paal Kudam (kavadi who carried their pal kodum pots filled with milk), Public (for locals and tourists) and for Kadavi (devotees who carries a kavadi towards the temple during the Thaipusam festival).

Enterance Way Based on Paal Kudam, Public and Kadavi

Estimated over a million people visit Batu Caves during Thaipusam Festival

A general view of the Thaipusam festival at Batu Caves

Attendance at this festival remains unknown, but is estimated over a million people visit Batu Caves During Thaipusam. This place is very hectic and crowded moreover at some point it can be the peoples are pushing the masses to get forward. As a festival this area is filled with small stalls where food, snacks, drinks and also many religious items are sold. There is also a small children's amusement park to entertain the visitor who carried their family to this temple.

Stall for Religious Item and Accesoris

Children's amusement park to entertain the visitor who carried their family to this temple

Food Stall around Batu Caves Area

Stall for Fashion

Not just the tourists and hindus who came to this temple, as a Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak and his wife Datin Seri Rosmah Mansor came to be witnessed the Thaipusam celebration in Batu Caves. He visited stalls and met with the peoples around the Batu Caves temple.

Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak and His Wife Seri Rosmah came to be witnessed the Thaipusam

125th Thaipusam at Batu Caves

Interested to take the opportunity to experience the Thaipusam Celebration in Batu Caves? Make a note this festival is on the 10th month of the Hindu calendar, Thaipusam, which falls in January or February. You can see Malaysia calender because the date is marked in Malaysia as a public holiday. If you plan to go to Batu Caves during Thaiousam I recommend to you to take public transporation KTM Komuter train service from Pelabuhan Klang – KL Sentral – Batu Caves. If you take KTM you can avoid the massive traffic congestion because usually blocked by standers and devotees. Don’t worry during Thaipusam extra trains 24 hours will go between KL sentral and Batu Caves.

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