Thaipusam (Tamil: தைப்பூசம்) is a Hindu festival celebrated mostly by the Tamil community on the full moon in the Tamil month of Thai (Jan/Feb). Pusam refers to a star that is at its highest point during the festival. The festival commemorates both the birthday of Lord Murugan (also Subramaniam), the youngest son of Shiva and Parvati, and the occasion when Parvati gave Murugan a vel (lance) so he could vanquish the evil demon Soorapadman.
Devotees prepare for the celebration by cleansing themselves through prayer and fasting. On the day of the festival, devotees will shave their heads undertake a pilgrimage along a set route while engaging in various acts of devotion, notably carrying various types of kavadi (burdens). At its simplest this may entail carrying a pot of milk, but mortification of the flesh by piercing the skin, tongue or cheeks with vel skewers is also common. The most spectacular practice is the vel kavadi, essentially a portable altar up to two meters tall, decorated with peacock feathers and attached to the devotee through 108 vels pierced into the skin on the chest and back. Fire walking and flagellation may also be practiced. It is claimed that devotees are able to enter a trance, feel no pain, do not bleed from their wounds and have no scars left behind. However, some of the more extreme masochistic practices have been criticized as dangerous and contrary to the spirit and intention of Hinduism
To this day, I have never seen that many brown people (East Indians) in one place at the same time. Mind you, I live in Surrey BC, Canada which is the East Indians' home away from home.
The tour of the Batu cave usually takes about 20 minutes when the cave is empty (please refer to my flickr photos). But this 1.5 million people, it took about 3 hours from and back to the entrance.
Another salient characteristic of Thaipusam (besides the amount of people) is the sound of the beating drums. Before the devotees make their journey up the 272 stairs, they seemed to get "psyched" for the journey ahead by listening to the fast beating of the drums and dancing in circles while carrying their kavadi (which looked extremely heavy).
I don't know what it is, but one can feel a presence when he/she hears those drums beating. One can almost feel the enchanting effect of the drums when listening carefully:
As wikipedia describes, the devotees pierce their skin in the strangest places and perform feats solely based on faith that I have not yet observed in any religion (including my own)
After observing Thaipusam, only one statement remains in my mind - "No religion in this world has ANYTHING on Hinduism, Thaipusam, & its devotees". Also I felt ashamed for the fact that I do not give my religious dues solely out of laziness & lack of faith.
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