Thaipusam is celebrated by Hindus on the full moon day in the Thai month of the Tamil calendar, which is in January or February.
Also known as Thaipooyam or Thaippooyam in Malayalam, it is a festival to mark the birth of Lord Murugan, the youngest son of Lord Shiva and Goddess Parvati.
The festival also marked an occasion when Parvati gave Murugan a vel (lance) so he could vanquish the evil demon Soorapadman.
Hindu devotees in Malaysia celebrated Thaipusam on 8th Feb 2009 to mark the birth of Lord Murugan by going to several temples in the country.
The chanting of “vel, vel” rose above Batu Caves as an estimated 1.2 million Hindu devotees and visitors thronged the Sri Subramaniar Swamy Temple for Thaipusam 2009.
Here are some amazing photos of the celebration of Thaipusam.
Image credit: SJ Photography
Image credit: kiki-la-la
Image credit: xiangxi
Image credit: xiangxi
Image credit: xiangxi