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Nee Choong's FotoPage
By: Nee Choong Moo
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| Tuesday, 25-Jan-2005 00:00 |
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Thaipusam 2005 at Batu Caves
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Dawn at Batu Caves
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Devotees and visitors going up the temple.
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Drummers
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Pulling hard
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Red face 1
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Red face 2
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Red face 3
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Red face 4
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Red face 5
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Red face 6
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An instrument I guess
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silhoutte of the Gods
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A young devotee
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Breaking coconuts 1
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Breaking coconuts 2
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Trash flying around
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This is one of the most spectacular event in Malaysia each year, not to be missed by photographers. I reached Batu Caves at 6.20am, the event has been on for 2 days, the peak of the event is today, took a number of shots, the ones uploaded are among the best. Personally, loved the facial expressions of the kids, the devotees in trance and some detail close-ups. However, there is no point just taking photographs without knowing the meaning of Thaipusam. I have included a piece of article from the internet blow;
The real meaning of Thaipusam
(Taken & Editited from THE STAR PAPER, Monday Feb 9, 1998)
Taken from The Star Online Feb 9 1998
THAIPUSAM celebrates the day that the Goddess Parvathi gave her son Murugan the invincible vel (lance) to vanquish the evil asuras (demons) Soorpadman, Singamugam and Tarakasuran as well as their army of soldiers.
Although this is clearly stated in the Hindu scriptures, to the average Malaysian Hindu, the festival is either celebrated in conjunction with Lord Murugan's birthday or is a special day for Hindus to pay penance.
Furthermore, it is a common practice for devotees here to pierce themselves with numerous hooks and long skewers as well as to pull heavy chariots hooked to their backs even though nothing is mentioned about these forms of devotional expressions in the holy books.
Walking on swords (which has since been banned) and men dressing up as women and smearing their tongues with red powder to impersonify Goddess Kali are also popular among Malaysian Hindus even though it is clearly stated in the Thirumanthiram (a Hindu scripture) that a person must not hurt or torture his body which is akin to a temple as it houses the soul.
A devotee with hooks in the back being pulled by a friend while climbing the steps to the Batu Caves temple. If a devotee wishes to carry a kavadi, that can be just a wooden arc decorated with flowers, peacock feathers and a picture of Murugan. Two pots filled with milk can be attached to both ends of the arch to be offered to Murugan.
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