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 125th 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.