GOMBAK: A sea of saffron and yellow-clad devotees packed the roads in and around the Sri Subramaniar Swamy Temple in Batu Caves, thronging the hallowed grounds for Thaipusam.
Devotees bearing intricately- decorated kavadi, some towering up to 3m and adorned with peacock feathers, filled the paths to the temple as they ascended the 272 steps while others bore paal kudam (milk offerings).
The blaring tunes of the urumi melam, thavil and pambai accompanied the devotees on their spiritual journey.
Among those fulfilling their vows was Nethiyaa Rajendran, 35, who climbed the steps with her one-year-old daughter.
“I made a vow to bring my daughter up to the temple once she was born. Today, I am blessed and thankful to fulfil this with my husband,” she said.
Another devotee, who only wished to be known as Sritharan, 40, said he had been fulfilling his vows here for the past 20 years.
“It is an annual vow that began with my forefathers, my family and now me,” said the civil servant, who arrived at the temple at 3am.
Sritharan noticed that the crowd this year was much larger than expected.
“We were stuck for about three hours at the halfway point of the staircase. Despite the challenges, I am thankful that everything went smoothly,” he added.
Aircraft engineer Vickna Raj Sundaraju, 38, came to fulfil an annual vow of thanksgiving.
“It’s to give thanks for the blessings I received last year and also gratitude for blessings to come,” said the devotee, who has been doing this since he was eight.
Sankararaj Krish, who heads the Siva Saktivel musical troupe from Seremban, said they have been volunteering their services since Monday.
“We are volunteers and intend to help accompany devotees’ prayers with music,” he said.
One intention: A family walking together during the Thaipusam celebration at Sri Subramaniar Swamy Temple, Batu Caves.
Sarena Tan, 52, expressed a sense of togetherness and patriotism upon seeing so many people from various races at the festival.
“Only in Malaysia can we see so many of our fellow Malaysians from other races openly attend and join cultural events,” she said.
“My favourite part of the celebration was watching the kavadi- bearers and other devotees climb the steps of the temple in devotion.”
Foreign tourists also thronged the temples to witness the beauty of Malaysia’s cultural diversity.
“I came here to see the diverse cultural practices Malaysia has to offer. It is amazing to see how the Asian population is able to preserve their culture and it is a very beautiful sight,” said Nigerian Ike Owen.
Sato Yuichiro from Japan described the festival as very exciting and colourful.
“It was very enjoyable. This is also my second time attending the festivities,” he said.
Polish national Marcin Sierakowski and Spanish national Leather Pereda were also excited to experience the sights and sounds of Thaipusam.
“The huge crowds made it challenging to ascend the staircase. We love how colourful and lively it is,” they said.
According to Sri Maha Mariamman Temple trustee Datuk N. Sivakumar, Batu Caves received close to 1.8 million visitors between Feb 1 and noon yesterday.
“This is 20% more than last year. We are doing our best to manage the crowds despite the large volume,” he said, adding that close to 3,000 volunteers were on duty during the celebration.
Thaipusam is celebrated on the full moon in the Tamil month of Thai, which corresponds with the Pusam star in the Tamil calendar.
It commemorates Lord Murugan’s victory over the demon Soorapadman, whom he slayed with the sacred vel (spear) given by his mother, Goddess Parvati, restoring balance and peace.
