Thaipusam is a major Hindu festival observed not just in parts of India, but in other places in the world where there is a large ethnic Tamil population – Mauritius, Malaysia and Singapore. Over the past few years, I have been fortunate to observe Thaipusam celebrated at three cities on the Malayan Peninsula: Penang (2009), Kuala Lumpur (2011) and Singapore (2012). How do these celebrations differ? Join me as I explore the three festivals going from north to south.

Thaipusam in Singapore, 2012

My first encounter with Thaipusam was in Georgetown in 2009. Here, the chariot of Lord Murugan embarks from a temple in Georgetown to a cave-temple about 10km inland in a journey that takes about 24 hours.

The Chariot of Murugan making its way through the streets of Georgetown

What struck me about the Thaipusam festival in Penang? Coconuts! Lots and lots of coconuts! Before the arrival of the chariot, crowds throng the streets to smash coconuts on the ground as a welcome offering to the god. This isn’t just limited to devotees – the general public seem to get into it and even local businesses often have company outings where they smash offerings for luck!

Typical coconut-smashing scene

More coconut smashing

In 2011, I observed the Thaipusam festivities in Kuala Lumpur, at the Batu Caves. The Batu Caves are one of the biggest tourist attractions of Kuala Lumpur, and Thaipusam is the biggest event of the year for the caves. Some estimates put a million devotees at the Batu Caves every Thaipusam. So the theme in KL is the sheer size of the event!

In KL, Thaipusam is so huge that they close entire highways for the event!

Thaipusam at the Batu Caves.

The view from the top of the stairs, at the mouth of Batu Caves.

Inside the Batu Caves

By comparison, Thaipusam in Singapore is a muted affair. The crowds are nowhere as huge as the ones seen in Penang and Kuala Lumpur, and even coconut-smashing is limited to designated areas – so typically Singaporean! But this in no way detracts from the fervour of the devotees. As an observer, I certainly had a more intimate view of the festivities because there were relatively less people in Singapore.

[Warning, some of the images here may be disturbing to some readers.]

A devotee getting pierced

Devotee putting on spiked slippers

So there’s Thaipusam, down the major cities of the Malayan peninsula. It’s a special festival, and the only other place where it’s celebrated outside of India is Mauritius! But why travel that far when you can see it here? Til next year!