Sri Maha Mariamman Temple Dhevasthanam honorary secretary RT Sundaram said more than 1.6 million people are expected to gather at Batu Caves tomorrow, with 200,000 Hindus performing rituals in the annual religious event.
“The temple management has made thorough preparations to accommodate the crowds of people who will enliven Batu Caves during the Thaipusam festivities,” he told Bernama in Kuala Lumpur today.
Thaipusam is celebrated in the month of ‘Thai’, the 10th month in the Tamil calendar, and also commemorates the occasion (day) when Lord Murugan or Subramaniam or Kartikeya as he is also known, received the ‘Vel’ or divine spear from his mother, Parvati, so he could vanquish the evil demon ‘Soorapadman’.
Sundaram said the ‘silver chariot’ carrying the deities Lord Murugan and his two consorts Valli and Theivanai from, Sri Maha Mariamman Temple started at 10pm last night in a slow procession, covering 13 kilometres, to Batu Caves.
Sundaram said the ‘silver chariot’ with the deities will return to Sri Maha Mariamman Temple at 4pm on Wednesday (Feb 4).
He added that the ‘silver chariot’ has been given a facelift this year by widening its size, adding wheels and replacing the silver after 30 years.
Sundaram said that like previous years, Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak is expected to participate and witness the unique celebrations at Batu Caves at 10am on Thaipusam day (tomorrow).
Visitors can also witness a special photo exhibition celebrating 125 years of Thaipusam featuring 200 photographs which chronicles the development of the festival since 1891. The exhibition will be open to the public until Feb 8.
During Thaipusam, devotees carry ‘paal kudam’ (pots filled with milk) and decorated ‘kavadis’ up the stairs to the cave temple to fulfill their vows in exchange for answered prayers.
Thousands try to beat the crowd tomorrow
Meanwhile, a Bernama survey of Batu Caves found thousands of devotees had begun fullfilling their vows by shaving their heads, carrying pots of milk and offering prayers to beat the crowd tomorrow.
A devotee, G Ayanar, 68, from Felda Palung 8, Negri Sembilan, who was with his grandson G Kesavan, 17, and an acquaintance, K Murali, 43, said they had walked from Senawang via Sungai Besi, Kuala Lumpur since last Saturday to fulfill their vows at the Batu Caves temple today.
“I still want to maintain the tradition of walking 70km once a year to celebrate Thaipusam at Batu Caves temple, to offer my prayers and to seek the deity’s blessings for the whole family,” he said.
Murali said he will be shaving his head in gratitude for the well-being of his whole family after surviving a robbery incident that took place in 2010.
Kesavan expressed his excitement in having the opportunity to accompany his grandfather to carry on the tradition of celebrating Thaipusam in Batu Caves.
- Bernama
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