THAIPUSAM: Pain & Devotion
By Marie-Suzanne Nunes
12 Feb 2009
The Experience:
It's early Sunday morning, February 8th 2009. With camera in hand, I walk toward the market place, the empowering smell of burning incense and increasing sound of the rhythmic drumming and chanting raises my anticipation to witness Thaipusam in Penang, Malaysia for the first time. As I approach the devotee, his supporters make a clear path for me to observe and record his pain and devotion. I feel grateful for their generosity but accept that after all the images will provide evidence of his vows and spirituality. The devotee and his supporters make it comfortable for me to photograph them. Some of the photographs capture the pain of piercing the skin with hooks on the back and sharpened vel skewers (or symbolic spears) through the cheeks and tongue. Devotees and penitents bear kavadis (burdens -see below), and many, especially men, increase the intensity of their penance by voluntarily piercing their bodies as an act of faith and atonement to honour Lord Murugan. I can hear the chant: "Vel Vel Murugun...","Vel Vel Murugun...", "Vel Vel Murugun..." - meaning "Eternal Beauty", which rings out loudly giving practitioners a mystical experience, perhaps allowing them to enter a trance to anaesthetize the pain. Do the entranced devotees feel pain during the mortification of their flesh? Does greater pain earn more merit with the gods? This surely is not for the faint-hearted! To my surprise, there is no blood, only clenched fists and faces as the piercings take place and a sense of calmness once the piercings have been completed.
The Meaning:
Thaipusam is an annual religious Hindu festival celebrated mostly by the Tamil community on the full moon in the Tamil month of Thai (Jan/Feb) to commemorate the victory of Lord Murugan, the Tamil God of war, over the demon, Tarakasuran. The festival is celebrated for three days, Pusam refering to a star that is at its highest point during the festival. A month before, the devotees go on a very strict vegetarian diet, called Satvik food, while continuously thinking of God, thus purifying their bodies for the great day of penance. Hindu Sages say that a devoted Hindu, who carries the kavadi or bears the ordeal of being pierced, will become more courageous, have better endurance and develop singleness of mind. After walking several kilometres to the temple, the devotee gets so intoxicated with love of God that his inner spiritual chamber is opened. This too ultimately leads to Para Bhakti - Supreme devotion. Throughout India, this celebration has now been banned except in the town of Palani in Tamilnadu State, Southern India. It is also still celebrated in Singapore, Mauritius and Malaysia at the Batu Caves in Kuala Lumpur and Nattukottai Chettiar Temple in Penang where it draws more than one hundred thousand pilgrims each year.
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kavadi: There are various types of kavadis during the ceremonial worship of Lord Murugan. The simplest entails carrying a pot of milk, but mortification of the flesh by piercing the skin, tongue and/or cheeks with vel skewers (or symbolic spears) is also common. The hooks pierce the back and are pulled by another walking behind the devotee.
5 responses
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fatima freitas said (16 Feb 2009):
Very good work, congratulations
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shang zheng gave props (18 Feb 2009):
voted. you have done well for Malaysia. is that in Penang ?
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Marie-Suzanne Nunes gave props (19 Feb 2009):
Yes it's in Penang.
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simone teixeira gave props (22 Mar 2009):
°º° wow - awesome report! congratulations. voted yeah
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The Areographers gave props (18 Nov 2009):
Great, this stuff is really interesting
