IPOH: Over 300,000 Hindu devotees and foreign tourists are expected to throng the Sri Subramaniar Temple in Gunung Cheroh here to celebrate Thaipusam on Thursday (January 25).
State Human Resources, Health, Indian Community Affairs and National Integration Committee chairman A. Sivanesan said the public would surely take this opportunity to enliven the celebration at the temple, which is over 100 years old, and perform religious rituals, including fulfilling their respective vows.
"A total of 1,000 Hindu devotees will be involved in the procession from the Sri Maha Mariamman Temple in Jalan Sungai Pari, Buntong, to the temple in Gunung Cheroh," he told reporters after chairing the Thaipusam Celebration Coordination Committee Meeting here today (January 23).
He said up to 400 devotees with various kavadis will be in the procession at the same place starting tomorrow (January 24) night.
"Food will also be distributed along Jalan Raja Musa Aziz from tomorrow to Thursday. About 300 stalls have also been set up and various security agency personnel have been deployed along the route and around the temple.
He said the meeting also decided that the public was not allowed to bring or consume alcoholic beverages, get drunk, set off fiecrackers, or dance inside or outside the temple area.
"Stern action will be taken against those who violate the regulations," he also said.
Meanwhile, he advised 600 temples in Perak to equip their premises with Closed-Circuit Television Cameras (CCTV) for security purposes. — Bernama