Thaipusam Festival

Thaipusam celebrates the day Goddess Parvati bestowed upon her son the “vel” or lance to vanquish the evil demon, Soorapadam. This lance denotes spiritual insight, ability to differentiate right from wrong, righteousness and steadfastness. However, for many Hindus, Thaipusam has come to mean the birthday of Lord Subramaniam, also known as lord Muruga, the younger son of Lord Shiva.

Hindus celebrate Thaipusam on the tenth month of their calendar. It coincides with the full moon at the end of January and beginning of February 'Thai' is the Hindu month which falls between January 15 to February 15 and 'Pusam' refers to a star which is at its brightest during the period of this festival. In other words, in year 2011 the festival falls on January 20.

Celebrated in all parts of the world where there is a concentration of South Indians, the manifestation of the festival is best witnessed in Malaysia at Batu Caves (which is 10km from Kuala Lumpur) and Penang. The festivities cantered at Batu Caves is an exciting and thrilling spectacle.