Thaipusam in Batu Caves, Malaysia

I have always been rather hesitant to attend the Hindu festival of Thaipusam, despite it being held yearly, close to my hometown Kuala Lumpur, as I was never sure if I'd be able to withstand the sight of human flesh being pierced before my eyes -- with weighted hooks and skewers. But after filming a Travelogue in Kuala Lumpur with CCTV News, where we visited Batu Caves, I finally decided it's time to just do it!  No, not pierce myself, but to attend the festival.  

Batu Caves - a sacred limestone cave located just 15km north of Kuala Lumpur, hosts one of the largest Thaipusam celebrations outside of Tamil Nadu, India. It attracts over a million pilgrims and tens of thousands of tourists yearly.  Thaipusam is also celebrated in other areas with significant Tamil communities such as Mauritius, Sri Lanka, Singapore and Thailand.

Before you start thinking Thaipusam is some freakshow, let me explain what this Hindu festival is all about: 

Thaipusam is a day of thanksgiving and penance.  It celebrates the Hindu God of War and Victory - Lord Murugan, who vanquished demons with a magical spear (Vel) given to him by his father Lord Shiva's reincarnated first wife - Goddess Parvati.  To honour Lord Murugan and his divine weapon, devotees allow their bodies to be pierced with skewers and hooks of different sizes, bearing different weight, next ascending the steep 100m of 272 steps into the sacred limestone cave, where devotees will deposit their offerings for Lord Murugan. 

Look at the sea of people... My jaw dropped when I saw the amount of people climbing up the steep steps!  I have been warned that it would be very packed and I was prepared for it. Thaipusam in Batu Caves is known to have more than a million attendees from the world over, but I guess you don't really feel the Million until they're all put together. 

[WARNING: Potentially graphic images coming up. Brace yourselves.]

Zooming in... The wide stairway is divided into three lanes - the one of the left is for onlookers and devotees ascending with their offerings; The wider middle lane is for people ascending while bearing 'Kavadis', or 'Physical burdens' - Huge metal frames that could be as high as 2metres, with images or statues of Lord Murugan, elaborately decorated with flowers and peacock feathers, with more offerings; The lane on the right is for descending.

Imagine the slow and steep climb up, bearing all the weight of the offerings hooked onto your skin, and/or carrying a 'Kavadi' / 'Physical burden'  which usually weighs around 40kg and could go up to 100kg!  

An example of a 'Kavadi'. 

*Photo courtesy of Peter Gronnemann

A devotee with the trademark three-pronged spear, known as the Vel, pierced through his cheeks, carrying a pot of milk to be offered to Lord Murugan.

Another traditional object which devotees hook on to their bodies as offerings, are Limes and Betel Leaves.

Due to the creativity of devotees in coming up with 'fancy' Kavadis in recent years, the Malaysian government just released a new rule forbidding Kavadis bearing logos of their companies, favourite soccer clubs, movie stars and uncommon fruits (such as Durian)... I guess as a festival becomes more commercialised, people gradually forget the whole meaning of the celebration.  As for offering Durians on their bodies... Ouch! Durians weigh 6-10kg.. The hook has got to be chunkier and more solid than the ones above. That really is taking an offering to a new level.

Devotee on the left, who has been pierced and blessed by a priest, dancing to the rhythm of drumbeats as he passes on the energy and courage to the next devotee being 'hooked' with little pots of milk as offerings to Lord Murugan. Closer look below:

I struggle to see the next two pictures.

 *Photo courtesy of David Hagermann

This was quite hard for me to watch. They had someone hold on and pull the ropes as the person being pierced moves his body forward in accordance to the drumbeat, creating tension on the ropes... Hard to watch.

*Photo courtesy of John Ragai

In order for these devotees to perform such formidable tasks - without a drop of blood (!), it involves preparation by cleansing themselves through praying and fasting about 48 days before Thaipusam, observing celibacy, going vegetarian, and eating only Satvik food - Pure food that hasn't been contaminated with bad energy, such as drinking milk from a cow raised in good surroundings, without being ill-treated. All these cultivate Sattva - a state of mind in which the mind is calm and peaceful.

Here's a short video I took of a devotee being pierced, blessed and divinely possessed:

In case video doesn't appear, here's the link.

Prior to attending Thaipusam, I had always thought that the devotee would already be 'divinely possessed' and in a trance hence they weren't able to feel the pain. But from the few up-close encounters that morning, pierced devotees clearly feel the pain. 

I'm not sure if you're able to see in the video - the devotee trembling and trying to withstand the pain as the mini pots of milk are hooked onto his back, and once the priest makes sure that the number of pots are equal on both sides of the back, the priest will use the materials in the tray (picture below) to invoke the spirits of the Hindu gods to take possession of the 'hosts', or Kavadi bearers.

The tray consists of a small flame, tumeric powder, red powder called 'kum kum' and consecrated ash - Used to invoke the spirits of the Hindu Gods.

You'll also notice in the video, as soon as the priest is done piercing, he dips his finger into the tray to collect some holy ash, touches the forehead of the devotee and recites a prayer. The body of the devotee succumbs and then rises like a warrior. That is when, they say the spirit takes over.

There were many 'divine intervention' which I witnessed, but with my limited knowledge of Hindu Gods, I could only identify one God in which its 'spirit' took over a devotee - It was after a priest had recited a prayer, the devotee raised his upper body, screamed, with his eyes wide open, looking fearful and bewildered, jumping around, waving his arms and demanding for a lime to be given to him. He immediately stuffed the lime in his mouth and ceased screaming, yet his body kept moving wildly, only to be restrained by the ropes which were hooked onto his back.  I'm guessing that 'spirit' is the one of Hanuman, an ape-like deity from the Hindu epic: Ramayana. 

However, not everyone chooses extreme piercing. Some choose to carry pots of milk, which according to one of the devotees, is the favourite drink of Lord Murugan.

This little boy all ready to make his offering of a pot of milk, as family members look on in pride.

Some choose to shave their heads.
Shaving the head is another form of offering, since it strips away the trappings of vanity. It represents the death of ego, and the beginning of one's life as a humble servant of God.

The word Thaipusam is a combination of the 10th month of 'Thai', where the 'pusam' star is at its highest, usually occurring in January or February. So if you're interested in experiencing this interesting festival for yourself, you know roughly when to plan your travels.


I think Thaipusam is a festival worth experiencing. But if you still can't muster the courage to witness the procession or see the piercings, no worries, there are plenty of other things that will keep you occupied:

Walk into one of the Indian eateries nearby, order your choice of Roti (Indian bread) and 'Teh Tarik' (Pulled tea). Have your Roti while watching their 'Teh Tarik' performance.

Sample the many Indian snacks and sweets.

Be entertained by the monkeys who are real clowns (...and thieves too. Watch your snacks!)

Get some traditional Henna art done.

Wait for your Henna art to dry up while getting a chair-massage!

(I could not believe it when I saw this! On one end, people were summing up courage getting pierced and in pain... And over here, it's the total opposite. It was quite funny witnessing the instant contrast.)

Be blessed by an Indian priest.

Have your fortune told - the traditional Indian way, where they have their special parrot pick your divine card.

If your fortune isn't good, the next picture will brighten up your day...

Free Food For All....!!! =)


Alright, let's not get side-tracked. 
My first Thaipusam is entirely experiential. There were so many new things thrown at me from all around in just one morning, so many questions unanswered as those I had wanted to ask were simply too busy and involved in the procession, it just wasn't right to intrude.

Thaipusam is a festival worth checking out.  I would definitely go for it again, but next time I would want to follow a family who's willing and ready to have me. There's just so much more spiritual significance to Thaipusam than the gore and freakshow that most people make it to be.

Certainly more to the gore than meets the eye. 
Till the next Thaipusam!