Continuing on photo series on the Thaipusam festival which is coming up on the 17th of January in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Here are more photos from when I attended the festival in 2012.

Young ladies carry pots of milk as offerings to the central shrine located in the massive limestone cave

Thaipusam is a Hindu festival that is held each year during the full moon in the tenth month of the Hindu calendar – Thai – falling from mid-January to mid-February in the Gregorian calendar. This year Thaipusam will take place on Friday, the 17th of January which is coming up in a few days. The best place to experience the Thaipusam festival is in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

At this spectacular festival, which sees about 1.5 million people attend, pilgrims pierce themselves as part of a spiritual discipline. The miracle is there is no blood or hole from these piercings. Definitely put it on your list of festivals to attend.

Over the next few days I’ll share photos from the Thaipusam festival which I attended in 2012. Enjoy!

Pilgrims bathe by the river before beginning their journey up the caves. Unfortunately many of them are not too conscious of the environment leaving piles of plastic everywhere and in the river as well.

A pilgrim showers by the river before embarking on his journey.

Thousands of people make their way up the stairs at the famed Batu Caves in Kuala Lumpur.

On January 27th the annual Thaipusam festival took place in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Each year over a million Hindus gather at Batu Caves on the outskirts of the country’s capital city. It’s a Hindu festival dedicated to the deity Muruga and is held once a year during the Tamil month of Thai. Hindus of all ages pilgrimage here from around the country and overseas to offer their love to Muruga. Some perform tapas (penance). The performance of tapas helps to develop willpower and remold the subconscious allowing for the superconscious to flow through. Some of the form of penance involves various forms of piercing the body.

Here are some images from the Thaipusam festival I attended last year at Batu Caves, Malaysia.

A devotees takes a shower before beginning his journey up the stairs at Batu Caves.

Men and women of all ages come to offer their love to the Hindu deity Muruga.

Some devotees perform penance by piercing themselves. Miraculously there is no sign of blood or marks of the piercing.