adminMELAKA: Apart from the capital, Perak and Penang, Melaka is also among the focus of Hindu devotees during the Thaipusam celebration with nearly 50,000 devotees expected to attend this year, up from about 40,000 people last year.
President of the Sri Subramaniar Batu Berendam Temple, V. Manokaran, said this year’s celebration will take place from 22 Jan to 4 Feb with the temple remaining the main focus of the celebration in Malacca.
He said the celebration began on Jan 22 with the ubhayam ceremony, which is a voluntary donation or sponsorship to fund the implementation of religious rituals at the temple, including the preparation of ritual materials and feasts as a sign of gratitude, fulfilling vows and asking for blessings.
“Throughout the celebration period, various religious rituals are carried out including paal kudam (carrying a container filled with milk), carrying kavadi and abhishekam (bathing the idol of a deity with holy water) which are among the main practices in conjunction with Thaipusam,” he said when contacted by Bernama.
Manokaran said the ubhayam ceremony will last until Jan 31 while the main celebration will be on Feb 1.
He said participation in carrying the paal kudam at the temple was expected to increase to 10,000 devotees compared to about 7,000 last year, while the kavadi carrying ceremony showed an increase of up to 1,500 devotees from between 800 and 1,000 people the previous year.
The chariot procession is scheduled to take place on Feb 2 starting at 4.30pm from the Sri Subramaniar Batu Berendam Temple towards Taman Bachang Baru before passing through several main routes around Melaka city.
“The procession will pass through Jalan Batu Berendam, Batu Berendam Police Station, Taman Melaka Baru, Jalan Hospital Besar, Jalan Taming Sari, Jalan Bendahara and Jalan Temenggong before continuing its journey through Jalan Bukit China, Jalan Munshi Abdullah, Jalan Hang Tuah, Melaka Sentral and Jalan Bachang Baru and returning to the temple,” he said.
Manokaran said the route of the chariot parade is subject to current traffic conditions and police advice to ensure smooth running and safety for all parties.
Thaipusam, which is celebrated on the full moon day of the Tamil month of Thai, commemorates the event in which Lord Murugan was gifted with the sacred spear, Vel, by his mother Goddess Parvati to defeat Surapadman, thus symbolizing the victory of good over evil.
In Melaka, although the Thaipusam celebration is celebrated on a smaller scale than in some other states, it still reflects a strong religious spirit and plays a role in uniting the community and preserving the cultural traditions of the Hindu community in this state.
— BERNAMA
