Malaysia celebrates numerous religious festivals, but the best known and most popular with tourists is the Hindu test of faith and endurance, Thaipusam, held at Batu Caves during the tenth month of the Hindu calendar. This festival, involving a procession of devotees carrying yokes (kavadi), bearing offerings, up hundreds of steps, is not for the squeamish. The bearers, in a trance-like state, are pierced with skewers through tongues and cheeks, with hooks and spears pierced through other body parts. The procession follows a ceremonial decorated chariot drawn by bullocks.
Region/City Name:
Kuala Lumpur
Event Date:
January 20, 2011
Venue:
Batu Caves, about seven miles north of Kuala Lumpur
Date Text:
20 January 2011
