GEORGE TOWN: Thousands of devotees and spectators gathered near Chulia Street and Penang Street from as early as dawn on Saturday (Jan 31) as the golden and Silver Chariot departed for the annual Thaipusam procession in Penang.
Devotees began arriving at key temples and along the procession route as early as 5am, many carrying offerings, while volunteers and temple committees prepared the chariots amid prayers and traditional music.
The Golden Chariot carrying the Vel departed from the Arulmigu Sri Maha Mariamman Temple in Queen Street at about 6am and will make its way to Arulmigu Sri Bala Thandayuthapani Waterfall Hilltop Temple on Jalan Kebun Bunga.
It will pass through Chulia Street, Victoria Street, Maxwell Road, Jalan Datuk Keramat and Western Road, and is expected to arrive before midnight.
Introduced in 2017, the Golden Chariot features gold-plated embellishments and intricate carvings. Before its introduction, the Thaipusam procession in Penang dated back to 1856, when the Silver Chariot stood as the sole ceremonial feature.
At about 7am, the Silver Chariot carrying the statue of Lord Murugan left the Kovil Veedu at Penang Street. It followed closely behind the Golden Chariot on the same route and will end at the Nattukotai Chettiar Temple at Waterfall.
The sounds of "vel vel vetri" or "vel vel Murugan" from the devotees could be heard as they accompanied the procession.
The Silver Chariot remains a central symbol of tradition and devotion for the Hindu community.
Police personnel, volunteers and enforcement officers were deployed to manage traffic, crowd control and security along the route. Several roads in the city were closed or diverted to facilitate the procession.
Thaipusam commemorates the occasion when Lord Murugan received the divine spear from his mother, Goddess Parvati, to defeat evil.
