Devotees prepare for the Kavadi procession. — Photos by Muhammad Rais Sanusi
KUCHING: Devotees, family members and supporters converged on Sri Maha Mariamman Temple at Jalan Rock here to celebrate Thaipusam yesterday.
Some were at the temple and at the adjacent Indian Association Kuching (IAK) premises before 8am to prepare for the Kavadi procession.
These young devotees made sure they did not miss out celebrating Thaipusam.
The procession departed the temple around 9am and took about an hour to arrive at Sri Srinivasagar Kaliamman Temple at Jalan Ban Hock.
It passed through Jalan Tun Abang Haji Openg, Jalan Crookshank, and Lorong Park before getting to Sri Srinivasagar Kaliamman Temple.
In a brief message, Sri Maha Mariamman Temple president Shankar Ram Asnani said Thaipusam is about faith, endurance and penance.
“Here in Sarawak, though Hindus are a minority, Thaipusam is still celebrated with great devotion and dynamism,” he said.
Sri Srinivasagar Kaliamman Temple pesident V Sahundararaju, meanwhile, said the Hindu community here had been celebrating the Thaipusam for decades.
A devotee is pierced prior to the start of the procession.
It is estimated that there are about 4,000 Indians in Kuching.
A public holiday in some states in Peninsular Malaysia,
Thaipusam is the largest festival for Hindus after Deepavali and usually falls in January or February.
It is observed as a holy day of thanksgiving and paying penance to Lord Murugan.
In Malaysia, the temple at Batu Caves near Kuala Lumpur often attracts over one million devotees and tens of thousands of tourists.
Thaipusam is the most elaborate and spectacular of all the Hindu festivals chiefly due to the combination of what seems like a painful body piercing and a religious practice.
Devotees make their way to Sri Srinivasagar Kaliamman Temple.