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• Cultural Colours - Thaipusam @ Batu Caves

  2009-02-09 5:27PM / 標準BLOG / 會員可以看
  6個評論

  

  Click here to read more about story behind Thaipusam.

  According to TheStar, 1.2 millions peoples are expected to visit Batu Caves and the Murugan temple this year. This is my first year attended this wonderful event and i am truely amaze with the hindu culture, their believes and their spirit. What i can see along the way is large crowds accompanied thousands of devotees carrying colourful kavadi (ornate frames), pal kodam (milk pots) and pulling chariots as acts of penance and to give thanks to Lord Murugan.

  I reached about 630pm yesterday. The crowd is already starting to gather and devotees is preparing to carry the Kavadi up to the Murugan Temple. We believed the spirit of Hindu Monkey god are on this devotee at this moment, in his body. He dun speak. He will only use non-verbal to communicate with another devotees who were in the same situation. Their reaction and expression do look/felt like the monkey god which we saw from the TV-shown epic.

  

  This is the Monkey God i reffering to. 1 of the devotees is pulling this carriot up to the temple where hook is attached to his back.      

  

  Another factor to believe that is that, when this devotee turns around, there were dozen's of oranges hung onto him using some sort of hooks. (* devotees have to be vegetarian and clean for a month in order to perform this kinda act, else he won't be able to take the pain. Some said when the god was in their body, they won't feel the pain. They won't bleed when the hook, hooked on to them)

  

      This is the side view of the devotee.   

  The Monkey God giving blessing to the believer.

  You can see some of the adults and children carrying something shown in the photo. This milk pot is call pal kodam. They are here to return the favor that the god made their wishes come true. They will accompany the Kavadi carrier along the way up to Murugan temple. 

  

  The cobra god is on this devotee's body and he is sitting on a a chair where nails are all facing upwards. He is there to giv blessing as well and he is smoking cigar. 

  

  This man is preparing to carry the Kavadi. The Kavadi doesn't seems as light as i tot specially when the devotees have to carry it for a long distance and some even dancing with it and turning rounds on the same spot when the drum is beaten.

  

  This devotee's is pulling strings where too big man behind him is pulling the opposite way.

  All the devotees is accompany with their family member throughout the journey. Specially those who carrying the Kavadi, he will have few person around him to make sure he get a stool to sit on when he is tired and he gets water. Some is carrying fire pot, so the family or friends will have to make sure the crowd are keeping a certain distain away from the fire.

   

  This is how it looks like when i reaches the main entrance of Murugan Temple.

  The stairscase beside the Giant Statue is the entrace to the Cave temple. Is about 200++ staircases if not mistaken and it is quite slanded.

  Following the crowd to go up the temple. Stress.... worried i will lost my balance and roll down. Then everyone will strike like a bowling pin. =_="

  

  This is the view half way from the staircase... The crowds are like tiny little ants.

         This is how the cave looks like.       

  I saw the flag on the camera man's shoulder. I assume they are German media people interviewing the monk about this celebration.

  Actually photos after i climbed up to the caves were all blur. Haha Not enough stamina and both my hands and legs were shaking...  That's my night.

  My fren SK is a big photography addict who definately won't miss this great opportunity. He go every year. This year he went in the morning before the sun rise. Take a look!