This post contains a couple fairly graphic images. If human blood makes you uneasy, you may want to skip it.
It’s a continuation of the post “Thaipusam: Masochistic Mayhem,” which I suggest reading first if you haven’t done so already.
The Thaipusam festival lasts several days and nights, taking place at the Batu Caves about 13km from Kuala Lumpur. I first arrived around 11pm, by which time the crowds were already out in full force.
As far as I could tell I was the only tourist there – or at least the only Caucasian – amongst millions and millions of Indians.
The gate to the main festival area.
As the festival seemed to be divided into several distinct areas, I decided to explore them one at a time.
First was the main “inside” section right at the base of the cave; it contained all the booths and stalls characteristic of most festivals I’ve been to, selling everything from cotton candy and soda to doormats and haircuts.
Then of course there were the caves themselves; an absolutely enormous chasm atop 272 near-vertical steps, guarded by the world’s largest statue of Murugan.
An ascent to the caves marks the end of the festival’s long procession and the stopping point for its thousands of faithful devotees.
I watched as they’d make their way up the steps – exhausted, sweaty, and bleeding – before finally being awakened from their trances.
But of course the real spectacle of Thaipusam – and the reason I came all this way – was the procession itself.
People with spears through their mouths, hooks tearing at their flesh, and thick tridents going straight through their tongues carry big portable shrines, no two quite alike.
I know I’ve said this already – but it was truly one of the strangest and most interesting things I’d seen in my life. And trust me, I’ve seen a lot.
The route of the procession, seen from the main road to Kuala Lumpur.
On the first night of Thaipusam I stayed until around 2am, when the crowds finally started to wear me down – some areas were so busy that it literally felt like I’d be crushed by the millions of Indians shoving about.
So after catching a short concert and fireworks display in the shadow of towering Murugan, I decided to pack it up and get rested for tomorrow.
And I’m so glad I did – because shortly after returning the following afternoon, I really hit the jackpot.
Well today, I found where the trances begin.
This is where I first got to witness the descent into madness described in my previous post – human zombies screaming and writhing as they sink farther and farther from reality.
I ended up spending nearly 5 hours in this one little area, photographing and videoing, joining various groups for a bit of the procession and returning to once again marvel at the insanity around me.
I didn’t head home until 7pm when the sky suddenly became overcast and rain started to fall. It wasn’t all that intense, but in tropical climates like this I’ve learned that even a single drop of means it’s time to start running; clear skies can transform into torrential downpours in barely the blink of an eye.
In the tropics, sudden appearance of black clouds = SEEK SHELTER NOW.
Note: These posts are behind realtime; the above took place on January 19th and January 20th.
That is incredible…I know you are one to “do as the Romans do”, but I am glad you didnt join in…Safe travels!
Definitely bigger than the Vegetarian Festival, although it seems to be far wilder in Phuket.
Justin! This is amazing… great shots.