Visitors celebrate colours, diversity during Thaipusam at Batu Caves

 

Devotees carrying ‘paal kudam’ (milk pots) as they make their way up to the Sri Subramaniar Swamy temple at Batu Caves.

BATU CAVES: The 28-year-old looked resplendent in her orange saree, blending in with the sea of colours at Batu Caves where Thaipusam celebrations were under way.

But Syamsuroh Jamil also stood out, her excitement on full display, mainly because it was her first time experiencing Thaipusam firsthand.

Syamsuroh had been longing to visit Batu Caves after years of following the celebrations on social media.

“The celebrations attracted me so much. I just had to attend this year,” she told FMT.

Syamsuroh Jamil in her new saree at Batu Caves.

She woke up at 5am just to put on her saree – a skill she picked up by watching tutorials on YouTube. She had bought the saree just four days earlier.

It was also a first for a second-year medical student from Shah Alam, who only wanted to be known as Kadir.

Like Syamsuroh, he was dressed for the occasion, wearing a kurta and veshti which he had borrowed from a friend.

Kadir said he came to the Sri Subramaniar Swamy temple for the “drums, colour and songs”.

“It’s my first time and I was totally amazed.”

Meanwhile, Arnaud, a 27-year-old Belgian student from Tokyo, visiting Malaysia for the first time, said he learned about Thaipusam through a documentary.

Kadir in traditional attire at Batu Caves.

While the two-and-a-half-hour climb up the 272 crowded rainbow-coloured steps to the temple was tiring, it was well worth it, he said.

Arnaud was awed by the diversity he saw at Batu Caves.

“It’s like many countries all in one place.”

Miriam Benjamin and her best friend, who only wanted to be known as Sonia, from the US, said they woke up at 4.45am and spent five hours at the temple.

Miriam said while there was a lot of diversity in the US, she was amazed to see many turn up for a religious festival that was not Christmas.

“It’s amazing.” - FMT