Stories abound on the history of Thaipusam, so here're some that I've learned from Hindu friends and my own reading... The festival is said to commemorate both the birthday of Lord Murugan (or Muruga and also known as Lord Subramaniam), the youngest son of Lord Shiva and Parvathi, and the occasion when Parvathi - a powerful goddess in her own right - gave Murugan a vel (lance) so he could vanquish the evil demon Soorapadman and his large army which were plaguing the world.
Thaipusam also coincides with a full moon day in the auspicious 10th Tamil month of Thai when the constellation of Pusam, the star of wellbeing, rises over the eastern horizon.
In Kuala Lumpur, the festival is celebrated on a mammoth scale at the Batu Caves temple on the city's northern outskirts. It began in 1892, started by early Tamils who migrated to colonial Malaya. Reportedly two of them climbed up the ancient limestone hill known as Gua Batu (Batu Caves) to the local Malay and Orang Asli aboriginals, and planted the vel in the cave. Made of metal and shaped like a lance, the vel symbolises Murugan the protector.
The huge Batu cave interior, the size of a soccer field and more, now houses several Hindu temples or shrines, with a special one dedicated to Lord Murugan. The huge cave is even likened to a natural cathedral space.
Batu Caves, especially during Thaipusam, are included and marked on the “Must-See List” for tourists in most literature about unique things to visit in Malaysia. Tourists always remark positively how amazing that a Hindu temple complex harmoniously occupies a major caves system in Islamic-majority Malaysia.
To many Hindus, Thaipusam is the day of thanksgiving or atonement for wrongs. To this end, a structure called kavadi (translated as “burden”), some simple and some spectacular, are often carried or pulled by the devotees with chains and ropes anchored in the skin of their backs or chests. Over the years, curious Western medical experts have speculated that the white ash smeared on the body, the juice squeezed from the yellow lime fruit and the milk poured on the pierced areas may help to numb the skin. The more extreme kavadi practices have been cautioned by some as dangerous and even contrary to the spirit and requirements of Hinduism.
This festival attracts over a million people each year at the by-now famous Batu Caves near Kuala Lumpur, the grounds of which presently house various Hindu temples and shrines, as well as the 42.7meter high statue of Lord Murugan that was unveiled in January 2006. As the caves are high up, just as traditionally the abode of Muruga is a hill or mountain, pilgrims and visitors need to climb a whopping 272 steps to reach the mouth of the caves.
Thaipusam has since evolved and grown so greatly in Malaysia that it has now far outsized similar celebrations even in India. For example, during Visit Malaysia Year 2007, the Thaipusam celebration was the biggest yet with an estimate of some 1.5 million devotees and tourists converging at Batu Caves, with possibly more than 10,000 kavadi bearers.
A fireworks display lit up the Thaipusam eve skies. 40 cultural shows were held on the day itself. More than 550 stalls offering everything from prayer items to food to clothes added to the festivities enjoyed by Malaysians.
Annually, celebrations commence with a procession on the eve of Thaipusam from the Sri Maha Mariamman Temple in Kuala Lumpur’s Chinatown district (Maha Mariamman is also another name for Parvathi, Murugan's mother). A five-ton silver chariot bearing Lord Murugan’s image followed by a procession of several thousand people in its wake makes a 13-km trek to Batu Caves. Upon the chariot’s arrival, devotees will carry Lord Murugan’s idol up the 272 steps to the temple cave, an ascent of about 56m or 185 feet from the base.
Throughout its history, the chariot has been pulled by up to six pairs of bulls. But in 2000, the organisers responded to allegations of animal abuse, by switching to a motorised vehicle. Meanwhile, drumbeats make trance-inducing rhythms and long wooden pipes, known as nathaswaram, croon devotional tunes in a loud festive atmosphere.
Thaipusam is of course celebrated all over Malaysia. In Penang, more than 600,000 people including foreign tourists made their way to the Arulmigu Balathandayuthabani temple in Jalan Kebun Bunga. The Thaipusam festival is also a mainstay in Penang's event calendar. The temple management and several factories and associations set-up 110 stalls along Jalan Utama to offer food and drinks. More than 1,000 kavadis of various sizes and colours were carried by devotees up the 248 steps to the top of the temple as an act of seeking blessings.
The festivities in Penang have evolved to the extent that they assimilate distinctly local characteristics. This year’s celebrations drew a cosmopolitan following of many non-Indians. One group of Chinese devotees was seen pulling a small chariot of Kuan Yin, the Chinese Goddess of Mercy. Another group had actually prepared an ornate chariot replete with giant images of Hindu gods such as Shiva and Kali accompanied by the serene image of Kuan Yin.
Penang’s yearly Thaipusam chariot procession has been held since 1857 (coincidentally the year Kuala Lumpur was founded under the auspices of Raja Abdullah in Selangor). A wooden chariot was used for the first 37 years until the silver chariot was brought from India to Penang in 1894.
Devotees who undertake a vow observe a strict vegetarian fast or viratham, consuming only water and pure Satvik food once a day for about 40 days. They observe celibacy and renounce all forms of comfort and pleasurable activities. The 40 days of purification are spent in meditation and prayer.
Among the vows taken are through carrying the kavadi or pal kodum (milk containers), breaking of coconuts or shaving one's head bald. They would then carry out their vows clad in yellow and saffron, clean-shaven heads smeared with sandalwood paste. Fire walking and self-flagellation may also be practiced.
The most spectacular practice is the vel kavadi, essentially a portable altar up to two meters tall, decorated with peacock plumes and attached to the devotee through 108 vels pierced into the skin on the chest and back. Many others pierce their tongue and cheek to impede speech and thereby attain full concentration on the Lord. Most devotees enter into a trance at such piercing due to the incessant drumming and chanting of "vel vel shakti vel.”
The kavadi itself is steeped in ancient mythology. At Mount Kailas, Lord Shiva entrusted the dwarf saint sage Agastya with two hillocks, with instructions to carry and install them in South India. But the sage left them in a forest and later asked his disciple, Idumban to get them. Idumban found the two hillocks, but could not initially lift them, until he obtained divine help. Near Palani in South India – where to this day there is a famous shrine of Murugan - Idumban put the hillocks down to rest awhile. When he attempted to continue his journey, he found that the hillocks were immovable.
Idumban sought the help of a scantily dressed youth, but the youth claimed the hillocks belonged to him. In the ensuing scuffle, Idumban was defeated. He then realised that the youth was Lord Murugan in disguise. Idumban pleaded to be pardoned and asked that anyone who comes to the hills to worship Murugan with an object similar to the two hillocks suspended by a rod, may be granted his wishes. And so the kavadi came to play its role in Hindu festivals such as Thaipusam in 1Malaysia.
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