DESPITE fears of the novel coronavirus, many devotees continue to throng Batu Caves in Selangor to celebrate Thaipusam. 

Thousands were seen making their way towards the 234-year-old temple since the wee hours of the morning.

The committee that manages the Sri Subramaniam Temple in Batu Caves is expecting more than a million Hindu devotees and tourists to visit the temple during the festival. 

As the celebrations got underway, only a handful of visitors were seen wearing face masks. 

There were also few tourists around to observe the devotees performing their prayers, such as carrying milk pots known as “palukodam” and kavadi. 

Devotee Prem Anandan, 47, and his family from Puchong, who visit the temple every year, decided to cut short their prayers this year.

“We heard about the virus and, as a precaution, we decided to quickly perform our prayers and leave.

“We usually stay longer, but not this year,” he told The Malaysian Insight. 

Malaysia has issued a travel ban on visitors from China’s Hubei province, including its capital, Wuhan, where the coronavirus was first detected last December. 

The Wuhan virus has so far killed 723 in China and infected more than 34,400 people in 27 countries.

Malaysia today confirmed its 16th case of infection, a 59-year-old woman from Wuhan, the epicentre of the outbreak, who had been holidaying in Johor Baru.

The country has also registered its first local transmission, a 40-year-old woman who contracted the virus from her brother in Selangor.

L. Jegathiswary, 46, said while devotees fear the virus, they have an obligation to perform their prayers. 

“We are afraid of the virus, but we have to come for Thaipusam. 

“We just hope nothing untoward will happen,” she said. 

Thaipusam commemorates the day when, according to Hindu belief, the goddess Pavarthi gave her son, Lord Muruga, a lance to kill demons.

Lord Muruga, also known as Lord Subramaniam, is the embodiment of Pavarthi’s power to vanquish evil and restore peace. – February 8, 2020.