Thaipusam

The real meaning of Thaipusam
(Author : Wani Muthiah)

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. Click here to see another devotee carrying the kavadi.

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.

"There is no point really to carrying big kavadis or to pulling chariots with hooks attached to the back; at the end of the day, it all just becomes a sideshow," for says chief priest and Hindu scholar Sivachariar Muthu Kumara Gurukal.

But why have such gruesome-looking practices been going on for decades?

Muthu reckons the confusion is due to the lack of religious knowledge which is why many Hindus observe the festival blindly without knowing its true significance.

"Unlike practising Muslims and Christians who read and study the Quran and the Bible, most Hindus do not study their religious scriptures in detail.

"Everything is accepted at face value and what is practised are hand-me-downs from generation to generation here in Malaysia," he says.

Besides, most of these kavadi bearers prepare themselves in small independent Kali or Muniswaran temples that can be found scattered throughout Malaysia. Hence, there's no proper supervision or guidance as many of the priests in these temples have not undergone any religious training themselves.

That is why, says Muthu, many Hindus who throng the temples in Penang, Perak and Selangor carry kavadis for other deities like Ganesha and even Ayappan without knowing Thaipusam is a day of prayer and fasting exclusively for Murugan and his vel. (See sidebar)

To underscore Muthu's point, P. Samy, caretaker of a Kali temple in Kuala Lumpur who prepares devotees participating in the Thaipusam festivals, admits that no proper guideline is adhered to in such preparations.

"What we do here is to teach all those who will be carrying the kavadi or piercing their bodies on Thaipusam how to get into a trance so that it would be easier for them on that day."

Is he aware that the current practices are not in line with what's in the holy books?

"I never knew that there were religious scriptures in Hinduism!" replies Samy. "People have been doing things this way for decades and nobody said anything. So, why are they banning this and that all of a sudden now?"

But Muthu stresses that it is truly sinful to smear kum kum (red powder) on the tongue to give the impression that it is bleeding as well as to claim that Murugan, Goddess Kali or demi-god Muniswaran have taken over their bodies and for them to bless onlookers.

"What right do these people have to actually claim and show off that God is in them? Not only does it give Hinduism a bad name but it is also a serious case of blasphemy."

The Hindu scriptures, Muth adds, states that the right way to carry the kavadi is to do it calmly with a lot of love and faith while chanting vel, vel or the many names of Lord Muruga.

"But what we get here is a lot of jumping, shouting and hysterics by youth wearing jeans and boots. This is not Hinduism, it'shooliganism."

Honorary secretary G. Gopallakrishna of the Sri Maha Mariamm Temple Dhevasthanam which manages the Batu Caves temple, a popular Thaipusam venue in Selangor, agrees that many practices which are unrelated to Hinduism take place during the festival. "We are trying our best to keep out deviationist practices and have so far banned whips, rotans, parangs and bongos from the temple perimeters."

This year, the management is also stepping up on the restrictions. Gapollakrishna says that the smearing of kum kum on the tongue as well as the wearing of wigs will not be allowed tomorrow and temple officials have been instructed to look out for any deviant practices that are not in line with Hinduism.

"Only traditional musical instruments like the mridingam, tavil and nagaswaram will be allowed to accompany the kavadi-bearers this year," he adds.

With such firm steps taken to weed what is wrong in the celebrations, in time to come Thaipusam can finally be observed the right way for the right purpose.

(Taken from THE STAR PAPER, Monday Feb 9, 1998)

MORE ON THAIPUSAM

DEVOTION...a man smearing himself with "kugguman" (red powder) as part of his Thaipusam offering. On the right is a devotee with dozens of hooks on his back.

The vel (or symbolic spear) in various sizes were used by several thousand devotees as part of the fight between good and evil. Thaipusam, which is celebrated as a triumph of good or evil, is also a day when mankind displays love and care for the less fortunate and underprivileged.

PREPARATION OF THE PIERCING (taken from The Star Paper, 11.2.98)

A delicate task preparing devotees for a painless trip

PENANG: Behind every devotee carrying kavadi are "behind-the-scene" experts who prepare them for their journey.

Among them is technician L. Vimalesvaran, 33, who has been carrying kavadi since he was 16 years old. He changed his role to that of preparing kavadi bearers this year.

Vimalesvaran underwent special training from his mentors in Alor Star. "I ensure that kavadi bearers do not feel the pain when they are being pierced. It is a delicate job," he said.

He said if a person did not know this art, the devotee would end up suffering in silence as he would not be able to voice out his pain.

"You need to learn how to pierce without rapturing his veins and causing bleeding," he said, adding that he spent four years to learn the art. Vimalesvaran said he too had to go on a vegetarian diet for five or nine days prior to Thaipusam.

He said it was important for a helper to prepare the bearer spiritually and emotionally, as continuous flow of blood during the piercing of hooks and spears would indicate that a person was not ready for the ritual.

"I have done piercing for more than 60 kavadi bearers for all occasions including Thaipusam, Chitrapuram and Maasi Maasam. None of them experienced bleeding," he said.

Yesterday, Vimalesvaran helped pierce hooks and spears on his brother Yogeswaran, 26 and his friend A. Siva, 26, who carried individual kavadi from the Sri Muthu Mariamman Temple in Lorong Kulit.

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