Venue : Sri Mahamariaman Temple, Kuala Lumpur
Date : 23 January 2024
Time : 6 pm
A blend of the month of Thai and the star, Pusam, Thaipusam takes place on the full moon day in the Tamil month, typically in the month of January or February. In 2024, Thaipusam falls on January 25.
Thaipusam is a time to ask Lord Subramaniam, also known as Lord Murugan, the son of Lord Shiva, for good health, prosperity, and forgiveness in the new year.
It is a grand, colourful Hindu festival celebrated to remember Lord Murugan’s victory over evil.
Thaipusam is celebrated by the Tamil community in Malaysia, Sri Lanka, India, Singapore and Mauritius.
Thaipusam is the second largest Hindu festival in Malaysia. The primary Hindu festival in Malaysia is Deepavali .
The Thaipusam Festival was brought from southern India by 19th-century immigrants who came to the Malaysian peninsula to work in rubber estates and government offices.
Thaipusam is a three-day celebration that sees devotees clad in yellow and saffron, bearing milk pots on their heads or kavadis with body and facial piercings, seeking blessings, fulfilling vows and offering thanks to Lord Murugan.
In Kuala Lumpur, the devotees will gather at the Sri Mahamariaman Temple along Jalan Tun HS Lee. Devotees will join a midnight chariot procession, chanting and inching their 15-kilometer way toward Batu Caves, and finally reach the temple in the cave through 272 steps. Hundreds of thousands of worshipers will join and escort a chariot bearing Murugan's statue with the sounds of drums and trumpets.
The 400 million years old Batu Caves have now become the heartbeat of this powerful Hindu carnival for the Tamil community.
First celebrated at the Batu Caves in 1888, the Thaipusam Festival has been taking place on the outskirts of Kuala Lumpur for more than 130 years.
The Batu Caves, which are a popular tourist attraction all year round are also dedicated to Lord Murugan.
Batu Caves Murugan Statue (முருகன் சிலை) is the tallest statue in Malaysia and one of the tallest statue in the world at 42.7 metres (140 ft) in height. It is located at the foot of Batu Caves. The Statue was unveiled in January 2006 during Thaipusam festival.
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