This weekend we took the kids to Batu Caves – a Hindu shrine and series of caves/temples just outside of KL. We knew that the Hindu holiday, Thaipusam, was approaching on Thursday, January 20th, but had no idea of the magnitude of festivities in KL the weekend before! We’ve learned that Thaipusam honors the Hindu god, Lord Murugan, by offering him fruit and flowers of yellow/orange coloring. Some devotees shave their heads and their children’s heads, others carry decorated wooden or bamboo structures, called “kavadi” with hanging pails of milk, water, fruits and flowers to offer and even some of the most “devoted” pierce their bodies with hooks to pull heavy objects while smelling incense and entering into a trance with drumming and chanting. Well, we saw it all as we climbed the 300 stairs to Lord Murugan's temple with thousands of Hindu pilgrims...it was wild!
We have also since learned that Batu Caves is the site of the largest Thaipusam celebration in the world, attracting over a million people each year -- and we had no clue. Jonathan and I laughed that it was a more “Indian-experience” than we ever experienced in India! And amazingly, the kids took it all in stride and Addie even climbed up and down the 300 stairs without a peep!
And to cap off the day, we boarded the train back to Bangsar and realized a bit too late that we were in the wrong car (well at least two of us were!).
1 comment:
oh my word!!! how interesting! did you put abe in yellow on purpose? he looked like he fit right in. hope jonathan didn't get kicked off the train! :)
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