KUALA LUMPUR: The Thaipusam festival was celebrated on a grand scale across the country today after two years of muted celebrations due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
The Sri Subramaniar Swamy Temple in Batu Caves here was a sea of people, with thousands of devotees carrying 'kavadi' and 'paal kudam' (milk offerings) to pay homage to Lord Murugan.
At the temple, Human Resources Minister V. Sivakumar advised Hindus and tourists to be vigilant against the spread of Covid-19 and to observe cleanliness when on temple grounds.
"As for security, the situation here is good.
"I wish a Happy Thaipusam for the year 2023 to all Hindus throughout the country."
In Selangor, some 150,000 Hindus began thronging the Sri Subramaniar Swamy Temple in Kuala Selangor since yesterday, according to temple chairman P. Kannathasan.
He said the number of devotees had increased by 30 per cent compared with the last three years.
"Many people come here to make vows because the festival had been postponed for two years. The temple will be giving free food to visitors until tomorrow, thanks to public donations."
In Johor, Sultan Ibrahim Sultan Iskandar graced a vegetarian luncheon for the state-level Thaipusam celebration at the Arulmigu Sri Balasubramaniar Temple in Skudai, Johor Baru.
Sultan Ibrahim arrived at 11am, greeted by Johor Menteri Besar Datuk Onn Hafiz Ghazi and temple chairman Datuk S. Balakrishnan.
At the ceremony attended by some 10,000 devotees, Sultan Ibrahim accepted a RM5,000 donation from the temple to the Tunku Laksamana Johor Cancer Foundation and a souvenir pot made of silver specially ordered from India.
In Negri Sembilan, R. Parameswaran, president of the Sri Balathandayuthapani Temple in Jalan Yamtuan, Seremban, said thousands of devotees visited the temple, with about 5,000 marching with the paal kudam.
In Penang, thousands of devotees wearing bright orange-yellow to symbolise purity began flooding Jalan Kebun Bunga in George Town from as early as 4 am, before the crowd journeyed 2km to the Thanneermalai Shree Balathandayuthapani Temple, the famous shrine at the base of a waterfall.
Penang police chief Datuk Mohd Shuhaily Mohd Zain said up to 11am today, more than half a million people had participated in Thaipusam celebrations since they began yesterday.
He said the festival went smoothly without any incident.
In Kedah, Kuala Muda district police chief Assistant Commissioner Zaidy Che Hassan said the celebration at the Sri Subramaniya Swami Devasthanam Temple in Sungai Petani was also incident-free, with 700 police officers assigned to ensure security under Op Palu.
In Perak, some 25,000 Hindus celebrated Thaipusam at the Kallumal Arulmigu Subramania Temple in Gunung Cheroh, Ipoh.
French tourist Juliette Baudot, 24, said she was excited to be part of the celebration as it was her first time visiting the country.
"It is nice to be here as I didn't really know about the history of the festival. In my country, we don't have this. I came here as early as 10am to see it. I really like it."
Thaipusam is celebrated in the Thai month, the 10th month in the Tamil calendar, to commemorate Goddess Parvati giving her son Lord Murugan a divine spear, the 'Vel', to vanquish the evil demon Soorapadman and restore prosperity and wellbeing to humanity. - BERNAMA