Hundreds of thousands of Hindus flocked to the sacred grotto in Selangor, Malaysia, to celebrate the religious festival of Thaipusam. Early on Tuesday morning, worshippers climbed the 272 steps of ...

On the surface, the Hindu festival of Thaipusam might seem like any other thanksgiving or new year event. Celebrated during the full moon in the Tamil month of Thai (January/February), which is ...

Road To Repentance With Thaipusam With a custom where devotees use hooks and skewers to pierce their bodies, this festival is not for the faint-hearted Updated on: 18 January 2024 10:36 am ...

Malaysian Hindus celebrated a scaled-down Thaipusam festival on Tuesday, with limited numbers allowed to take part and with some traditions, such as devotees piercing their cheeks with skewers and ...

Thaipusam is a combination of the Tamil month ‘Thai’ and the word ‘Pusam’, the name of a star. On this day, Hindu devotees give thanks and perform rites to fulfil vows and promises.

Thaipusam is one of the most exceptional festivals in the world, and the best place to experience it in all its vibrant, unconventional glory is in Penang. This year Thaipusam will be celebrated ...

A Hindu devotee carries a Kavadi as he takes part in a procession during Thaipusam Feb. 9, 2017, at Batu Caves in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Photo by Lai Seng Sin/REUTERS ...

ALOR SETAR: The Thaipusam “public holiday” in Kedah is an “event holiday” (cuti peristiwa) and not a gazetted holiday.

Visit Atlas Obscura for more on Thaipusam at the Batu Caves. Ella Morton is a writer working on The Atlas Obscura , a book about global wonders, curiosities, and esoterica adapted from Atlas Obscura .

Thaipusam in Malaysia: In Malaysia, Hindu devotees gather early and walk up the 272 stairs to the Batu Caves temple, where a few Hindu shrines and a 42.7-meter-high Lord Murugan statue are housed ...