Thaipusam is a festival of the Indians in Malaysia. The name Thaipusam comes from two Tamil words, Thai and Pusam. Thai is the month in the Tamil calendar when the festival is celebrated. It falls somewhere around January / February. Pusam refers to a star when it is at its highest position in the sky during the month of Thai. This is when, according to Hinduism, the deity Murugan was born.
Murugan, also known as Subramaniam, is the youngest son of the Hindu deity Shiva and his consort, the deity Parvati. Thaipusam celebrates not only Murugan's birthday, but also the occasion when Parvati gave Murugan the magic spear, or vel, which he used to defeat the evil demon Soorapadman.
In Malaysia, Thaipusam is celebrated in many cities and towns with a substantial Hindu population. This festival is staged in the biggest scale at Batu Caves in Selangor, and at the Hindu temples from George Town to the Botanic Gardens in Penang.
On the eve of Thaipusam, the huge silver-chariot bearing the image of Murugan makes its way through the streets. In Kuala Lumpur, it starts from the Sri Mariamman Temple at Jalan Tun HS Lee in Kuala Lumpur, and makes its way through the city, to reach Batu Caves.
(By the way, Mariamman, also written as Mahamariamman or simply Amman is the mother goddess of the South Indians, and is associated as Parvati, the mother of Murugan. Hindu temples dedicated to her are the most numerous in Malaysia. This same goddess has more fearful forms known as Durga, Kali, Chandi, and benevolent forms such as Mahagauri, Shailputri and Lalita. There are ten different forms to this Divine Mother goddess, and are collectively known as Mahavidya.)
In Penang, the silver chariot starts from Penang Street. The image of Murugan resides in a nondescript three-storey Chettiar clan association building along Penang Street while the chariot has its own two-storey silver chariot garage on the opposite side of the road. In the procession, the silver chariot will be drawn by two heavily decorated bulls. It will wind its way through the city, ending at the Nattukkottai Chettiar Temple, also known as the Waterfall Temple, at Jalan Kebun Bunga (formerly known as Waterfall Road / Jalan Air Terjun).
Devotees participating in Thaipusam often perform acts of penance. This is often in the form of debt bondage, that is to say, to repay a debt to Murugan for something that was sought and was given. It is also done to redeem themselves of any particular sin that they have committed. The act of penance is done in the form of offering a Kavadi. The word kavadi means a physical burden through which the devotee sought help from Murugan. What happens is, a devotee will take a vow to offer a kavadi to Murugan (or in other case, any other Hindu deity) for the help. Once it is granted, the devotee will dedicate the kavadi to the deity.
There are several ways a devotee can perform kavadi. This may include carrying a pot of milk, or some form of self mortification. This is done through the piercing of the skin, tongue or cheeks with the vel skewers. Devotee may wear a long vel pierced through the cheek, with a smaller spear through their tongue. This prevents him from talking, and the endurance required reminds him of his devotion of Murugan.
A more physically enduring form of kavadi is a sort of canopy supported by a wooden rod that is borne on the shoulder. The most spectacular is vel kavadi, which is a portable altar up to two meters in height, decorated with peacock features and attached to the devotee with 108 vels which are pierced into the skin, on the chest and on the back.
In preparation for Thaipusam, kavadi bearers observes celibacy and consume only one meal a day, and only Satvik food. Satvik food (or Sattva) is food that has not been contaminated by the evil of the worlde. This includes flowers, fruits and food that are offered to the Hindu deities; and milk from cow raised in good surroundings. Consuming Satvik food helps the devotee focused their attention on their deity.
On the day of Thaipusam, many devotees have their heads shaved. The roads along the procession route are lined with heaps of coconut, sponsored by various individuals. As the silver chariot passes, devotees break the coconuts as an act of cleansing the way for the deity. Coconut water is regarded as the purest water in Hinduism.
Thaipusam celebrations in Malaysia is said to be on a bigger scale than in India itself. Apart from Penang and Kuala Lumpur, it is also staged at a smaller scale in other cities such as Malacca and even Kuching. Thaipusam is also celebrated in other countries including Singapore and Maldives.
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Exploring Malaysia is researched and written by Timothy Tye. Content and articles in Exploring Malaysia are provided in goodwill and are believed to be correct at time of writing. While every reasonable care is taken to check and verify the information shared, Exploring Malaysia disclaims responsibility for its use. All pages may be printed out for your own personal, non-commercial use. Photographs appearing in Exploring Malaysia are available according to the licensing terms specified in its caption. Photographs not credited to a third party belong to Timothy Tye and may not be reused in any form unless you are first given permission. Write in to inquire if interested. Third party photographs are governed by their respective licenses.
