Thaipusam

Tuesday - January 25th, 2005
Thaipusam is a Hindu festival that commemorates the devotion of Idumban, a devotee of Lord Subramniam, who received great blessing by scaling a hill with heavy burden of offerings.

In modern day Singapore, Hindu's celebrate this festival by a parade where devotees pierce themselves and carry heavy objects between two temples. The 3KM route may not seem all that long, but when you see the elaborate kavadis and the numerous piercing, it quickly becomes obvious that this journey is not easy.

I must say that this was by far one of the most unique visual displays I have ever seen. It was as though it were a parade route that stretched across 3KM, but the whole way was filled with Hindu observers. I joined in at about midway point and actually followed the path of the devotees where I quickly found myself in a line of thousands of people all waiting to get into the temple. As quickly as I had entered, I was surrounded by hundreds more behind me. It was quite a strange feeling, being an obvious foreigner in this homogenous mass. However, everybody was very peaceful and orderly and it was strange to be almost comfortable and claustrophobic at the same time. Below are a few of the pictures I took of the event.













PS: I also went up to the 70th floor of the Swiss Hotel. It's an awesome view and it was worth the effort.