Coconuts line Dato Keramat road along the path of the Chariot. Already the traffic is jammed. The coconuts are thrown and broken on the road in front of the chariot.
Saturday, February 7, 2009
The Chariot begins tha jouney - Hindu devotees began fulfilling their vows
The Beginning of the chariot ride
The 1st offering
PENANG, Feb 7 (Bernama) -- Hindu devotees began fulfilling their vows by breaking coconuts as they walked the 10km stretch in the Lord Murugan procession from the Kovil Veedum temple in Lebuh Ampang to the Nattukottai Chettiar temple in Jalan Kebun Bunga here.
The procession made a stop at every "Thanir Panthal" stalls erected along the way to allow the devotees to conduct the coconut smashing ritual.
Some members of the public, including tourists, also joined in by breaking some coconuts.
A.Nadason, 42, who was with his family at Jalan Datuk Keramat, said breaking the coconuts was a tradition practised by his family to symbolise their gratitude for the success they had achieved, as well as to make new vows.
"My family and I will make our vows and pray for our prosperity and good health, success in our business, education and work before doing the coconut breaking ritual," said the trader from Kedah.
-- MORETHAIPUSAM-COCONUTS 2 PENANG
An Australian tourist, Mark Joseph, 35, who was among the crowd of about 10,000 people in the procession, said it was his first experience in such a situation.
"It was surprising to see them smashing the coconuts and then clean the areas of the shells so fast," he added.
Mark, an engineer, is looking forward to witness the highlight of the Thaipusam celebration at the Arulmigu Balathandayuthabani located on a hill in Jalan Kebun Bunga.
Meanwhile, a Penang Municipal Council spokesman said about 20 tonnes of smashed coconuts were cleared by the municipal council workers during the procession.
Tomorrow, the Hindu devotees will carry various types of colourful kavadi (mini chariots) by walking up the flight of 276 stairs to the Arulmigu Balathandayuthabani temple to seek the blessings of Lord Murugan .
-- MORE
THAIPUSAM-COCONUTS 3 (LAST) PENANG
On the third day, the statue of Lord Murugan will be brought back in a procession from the Nattukottaio Chettiat temple in Jalan Kebun Bunga to the Kovil Veedum temple at Jalan Penang.
Thaipusam is celebrated by Hindus on the full moon day in the Thai month of the Tamil calendar, which is between January and early February.
The festival commemorates both the birthday of Lord Murugan, 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. -- BERNAMA EIY MIS
Sunday, February 1, 2009
Tallest Lord Murugan statue in the world
Malaysian Indians are the 3rd largest ethnic groups here where most of them are largely descendants from South India, migrated here during the British ruling of then Malaya. THAIPUSAM is celebrated by Hindu Indians on the 23rd of January this year. Next to Deepavali (festivals of lights), Thaipusam is the most elaborate and colourful celebration here for the Indians. It is time to pay homage to Lord MURUGAN, the most popular Hindu deity among south Indians. He is also the God of War and reference of him had been traced back to the first millenium BCE. We have the tallest Lord Murugan statue in the world. Standing at 42.7 m (130 feet) high, it took 3 years of construction and unveiled in January 2006. It stands tall just outside Batu Caves (Limestone cave)which is 400 years old and have at least 1.5 millions of pilgrimage every year. Patrons goes through strict religious fasting and prayers to enable them to perform or endure unbelievable sacrifices. Hooks, spears or many other type of ornaments on any part of the body. Many do it to fulfil a vow or to give thanks to Lord Murugan. I will post some of the colourful feasts and the 'milder' pictures of sacrifices as I am sure most have not seen them. Most pilgrims will have to walk the 272 steps to the Cave where most of the prayers are done. Pictures are courtesy of SJ PHOTOGRAPHY, used with permission and thank you SJ for sharing :)
Murugan is venerated through out the Tamil year. There is a six day period of fast and prayer in the Tamil month of Aippasi known as the Skanda Shasti. He is worshipped at Thaipusam, celebrated by Tamil communities worldwide near the full moon of the Tamil month Thai. This commemorates the day he was given a Vel or lance by his mother in order to vanquish the demons. Vaikasi Visakam or the full moon of the Tamil month of Vaikasi signifies his birth. Each Tuesday of the Tamil month of Adi is also dedicated to the worship of Murugan. Tuesday in the Hindu tradition connotes Mangala, the god of planet Mars and war. This reveals the link between Skanda and Kujan (Mangala).
Gazing at the magnificent 42.7m-high statue of Lord Murugan at Batu Caves, Selangor, artisan and sculptor R. Thiyagarajan still has trouble believing that his team’s three years of sweat and toil have come to fruition.
It is believed to be the tallest Lord Murugan statue in the world and the Sri Subramaniar Swamy Temple officials are aiming to get it into the Guinness Book of World Records.
The RM2.5mil statue is expected to pull in even more local and foreign tourists to the popular Batu Caves which already draws about 2,000 people daily.
Lord Murugan, also known as Subramanya, Skanda and Kartikkeya, among others, is popular among the Saivite Hindus of south India and is regarded as a protector of their culture and language.
Thiyagarajan, 42, from Trivarur, in Tamil Nadu, India, and his team of 14 workers began work after receiving a call from temple chairman R. Nadarajah.
The challenge was getting the statue’s proportions right.
“The statue is divided into nine-and-a-half portions from the head to the feet. Each portion is accurately measured and these measurements must be very precise,” he told The Star.
It is made up of 1,550cu.m of concrete, 250 tonnes of steel bars and 300 litres of gold paint. The foundation reaches 3.04m (10ft) underground.
“We had to work within a small area, lining up the bricks because of the scaffolding and the cover for the statue,” he said, adding that the carved garland and the vel (spear) were each 27.4m (90ft) long.
“Our main goal was to make sure the statue was free of flaws,” he said.
Thiyagarajan is no stranger to creating Hindu deity statues in Malaysia. He helped construct the Mariamman Temple in Tasek Gelugor, Seberang Prai, in 1991 before coming to Kuala Lumpur where he built the Meenakshi Amman statue at Batu Caves.
He and his team also did the 36 Vinayagar statues in Kortumalai Temple on Jalan Pudu, Kuala Lumpur, and the 50-feet (15m) tall Anjaneya statue, also in Batu Caves.
Thiyagarajan learned his trade from his grandfather, K. Periasamy Pillay and another guru, N. Kathiravale, in Thanjavur for 10 years before branching out on his own.
source: http://www.echarcha.com/forum/showthread.php?t=22595
Murugan is venerated through out the Tamil year. There is a six day period of fast and prayer in the Tamil month of Aippasi known as the Skanda Shasti. He is worshipped at Thaipusam, celebrated by Tamil communities worldwide near the full moon of the Tamil month Thai. This commemorates the day he was given a Vel or lance by his mother in order to vanquish the demons. Vaikasi Visakam or the full moon of the Tamil month of Vaikasi signifies his birth. Each Tuesday of the Tamil month of Adi is also dedicated to the worship of Murugan. Tuesday in the Hindu tradition connotes Mangala, the god of planet Mars and war. This reveals the link between Skanda and Kujan (Mangala).
Grand feat
Gazing at the magnificent 42.7m-high statue of Lord Murugan at Batu Caves, Selangor, artisan and sculptor R. Thiyagarajan still has trouble believing that his team’s three years of sweat and toil have come to fruition.
It is believed to be the tallest Lord Murugan statue in the world and the Sri Subramaniar Swamy Temple officials are aiming to get it into the Guinness Book of World Records.
The RM2.5mil statue is expected to pull in even more local and foreign tourists to the popular Batu Caves which already draws about 2,000 people daily.
Lord Murugan, also known as Subramanya, Skanda and Kartikkeya, among others, is popular among the Saivite Hindus of south India and is regarded as a protector of their culture and language.
Thiyagarajan, 42, from Trivarur, in Tamil Nadu, India, and his team of 14 workers began work after receiving a call from temple chairman R. Nadarajah.
The challenge was getting the statue’s proportions right.
“The statue is divided into nine-and-a-half portions from the head to the feet. Each portion is accurately measured and these measurements must be very precise,” he told The Star.
It is made up of 1,550cu.m of concrete, 250 tonnes of steel bars and 300 litres of gold paint. The foundation reaches 3.04m (10ft) underground.
“We had to work within a small area, lining up the bricks because of the scaffolding and the cover for the statue,” he said, adding that the carved garland and the vel (spear) were each 27.4m (90ft) long.
“Our main goal was to make sure the statue was free of flaws,” he said.
Thiyagarajan is no stranger to creating Hindu deity statues in Malaysia. He helped construct the Mariamman Temple in Tasek Gelugor, Seberang Prai, in 1991 before coming to Kuala Lumpur where he built the Meenakshi Amman statue at Batu Caves.
He and his team also did the 36 Vinayagar statues in Kortumalai Temple on Jalan Pudu, Kuala Lumpur, and the 50-feet (15m) tall Anjaneya statue, also in Batu Caves.
Thiyagarajan learned his trade from his grandfather, K. Periasamy Pillay and another guru, N. Kathiravale, in Thanjavur for 10 years before branching out on his own.
source: http://www.echarcha.com/forum/showthread.php?t=22595
Large Hooks
Thaipusam 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 largest Thaipusam celebrations take place in Malaysia. The temple at the Batu Caves, near Kuala Lumpur, often attracts over one million devotees and tens of thousands of tourists all over the world.
Thaipusam: Vanquished the evil demon
Wrong - if you think Thaipusam is all about devotees fulling their vows by means of mortification of the flesh, piercing the skin, tongue or cheeks with vel skewers.Thaipusam 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, so says the wiki.
Two days ago, with some LensaMalaysia shutterbugs, I went for my first ever Thaipusam photography trip to feel the silent emotions amidst the dramatic colours of this festival that symbolise the good claiming triumphs over the evil in the Hindu belief system.
We virtually camped there, starting from 6.30pm on January 31, and didn't leave until 11.30am the next day, and put in another three hours for the train rides to-and-fro Subang Jaya. We managed to catch some three hours of catnap at the railway station compound and missed the arrival of the chariot from Jalan Bandar. But it was well worth the tired legs and aching body due to the equipment weights and the long walk.
LensaMalaysia photographers, who have done a tireless round to promote VMY2007 and Eye On Malaysia, and the recent Floral Fest at Putrajaya, again have started to chronicle this year's Thaipusam through their diverse, colourful depiction through their lenses, click here.
Good triumphs over evil
There were so many topical features of Thaipusam that make excellent elements for photography. I was looking, as an insider, at the devotees who prepare for the celebration by cleansing themselves through prayer and cleansing. After observing days of fasting, they shave their heads before they take the yearly pilgrimage to the temple at Batu Caves, engaging in various acts of devotion, notably carrying various types of kavadi, which signifies the carrying of burdens.The kavadi ranges from the simplest form of one carrying a pot of milk, to the daunting types that involve the mortification of the flesh by piercing the skin, tongue or cheeks with vel skewers. And I saw non-Chinese devotees performing this kavadi-bearing, though I failed to locate the Caucasians. who have been known to return to Batu Caves to fulfil their kavadi-bearing vows in the recent years.
I love the Hinduism themes of Good vanquishing the Evil. In Deepavali, Light triumphs over Darkness. In Thaipusam, Murugan triumphed over evil demon Soorapadman by using the lance his mother gave him.
The Good defeating the Evil seems to be a universal value, cutting across different belief systems of the world.
In the oft quoted battle of David vs. Goliath, the giant was the Philistine warrior who vanquished in the hand of David, the young Israelite boy who would later be chosen by God and anointed by Samuel to become the King of Israel. The account of David vs Goliath is so well-known that it was given significant mention in the Hebrew Bible and in the Qur'an. My Christian friend told me it was also mentioned in Bible 1 Samuel 17.
This universal value should change not, or else the world will suffer.
Let's pray for the country
P/S: As I stood at the foot of the 272 steps towards the cave, or the congested road towards the riverine, or even queuing for the gents, there were total strangers who identified my face and greeted me so warmly. We have neve
r met each other, but they know what I blog for all these years. These Hindu devotees told me: "Jeff, tell Rocky, we will walk with you!"I have nothing in particular to reciprocate their warm friendship, perhaps this photo that I took will suffice till we meet again. I believe you, too, can feel the silent emotion I had intended to capture in the image.
Let's pray for our inner peace and pray for the wellbeing of this country.
LensaPress photo by Jeff Ooi
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