Thiapusam 2013- The Batu Caves

Thiapusam is a Hindu festival, celebrated mainly by the Tamil community, in January/February during a full moon. Along with celebrations throughout India, you can also find smaller Tamil communities celebrating throughout Malaysia, Myanmar, Thailand, and Singapore. The festival commemorates the occasion when Parvati gave Murugan a Vel, so that he could vanquish the evil demon Soorapadman. You can ready more about Thaipusam and the history of it all here.

Honored by over 1 million devotees in Kuala Lumpur (along with thousands of tourists), they begin at a temple near the city center and proceed, by foot, to the Batu Caves, about 15 kilometers away. Once there, they climb the 272 stairs to the actual temple within the caves. There is fasting involved for the 48 hours leading up to the celebrations, and families gather to honor in their own creative way.  You can read about our last trip to the Batu Caves here.

I was lucky enough to go with some friends to experience this amazing celebration. As you will see, I am in no way shape or form a professional photographer but hopefully these pictures can at least give you a sense of what we experienced. It was mind blowing – my senses were overwhelmed with sounds, sights, smells, and more. A gorgeous way to honor in the Hindu religion.

To begin, we walked over to the river where families/tribes/groups danced and got themselves ready through chanting, music, fire, smoking, and more:

From there we following a couple processions towards the entrance of the Batu Caves, where the crowds got thicker and the sights and smells even more amazing:

And this next one just blows my mind- this guy is pulling the cart you see by HOOKS that are stuck in his back….puncturing his skin. I was at a loss for words…..

This guys was my favorite expression of the night. He was obviously incredibly strong but so dedicated and focused too!

Once we arrived to the entrance of the caves, we stood and watched the processions head up towards the stairs. I personally did not go up the 272 steps, due to the crowds and my extreme claustrophobia….but it was enough to just watch it all happen. Stunning displays!

Finally, a bit more of some favorites from the night:

Love the intense expression here

Not sure if you can tell…the woman on her knees had crawled….on hand and knee….the entire 15 kilometers to the caves and was about to climb the 272 final steps. I was stunned to say the least. She was crying and screaming in pain, but still dedicated and pushing through. Beautiful.

These are silver bells attached to this man’s skin with metal hooks….

I can’t even imagine the concentration to let go of the pain

As you can see, it was a beautiful celebration and one I am so thankful to have witnessed. I am also so grateful to all the devotees who allowed us to get close and document their celebrations with our lens. I can’t wait to go back next year!!

Happy & safe travels,

Kimbra