THE Sri Subramaniar Swamy Temple in Batu Caves, Selangor, will be mobilising more than 1,000 volunteers during Thaipusam on Tuesday to ensure compliance with public health orders.

Temple committee honorary secretary C. Sethupathy said about half of the volunteers are members of the public while the remaining 500 are committee members and temple goers.

“These volunteers will assist in ensuring social distancing by the devotees and visitors, scanning of the MySejahtera QR code before entering the cave temple and adherence to the other SOP,” he added.

Sethupathy said the temple, renowned for the world’s largest Lord Murugan statue, which stands 42.7m tall, was making the final preparations for the religious celebration, including tightening the rules to curb the spread of Covid-19.

He said online registration was required of the devotees who would be carrying the “paal koodam”, or milk pots, to smoothen the procession without compromising on the health rules.

Thaipusam is celebrated by Hindus throughout the world in the month of ‘Thai’, the 10th month in the Tamil calendar, to commemorate Lord Murugan’s victory over the evil Soorapadman to return mankind to peace and prosperity.

During the Thaipusam celebration, the Hindu devotees fulfil their vows by carrying milk pots as well as ‘kavadi’ up the flight of 272 steps to the cave temple.   

Sethupathy said the Thaipusam celebration will start on Sunday with the silver chariot procession carrying the idols of Lord Murugan and his two wives, goddesses Valli and Devi Theivanai from the Sri Maha Mariamman Temple in Jalan Tun H.S. Lee to Batu Caves. The chariot will start off at 10 pm and arrive at 10am the next day.

The return procession from Batu Caves will start at 4pm on Jan 9 and arrival at the Sri Maha Mariamman temple late at night the same day with both processions involving only 70 members of the temple’s management while members of the public are not allowed to attend. 

Yesterday, National Unity Minister Halimah Mohamed Sadique announced that the “paal koodam” devotions, prayers and chariot procession were allowed but without the kavadi this year.

Daily visitors to the Sri Subramaniar Swamy Temple, Batu Caves must not exceed 6,000 while only 100 people may perform  the carrying of milk pots. Each prayer session is limited to 30 minutes and must be followed by sanitation.

Thaipusam is also celebrated on a big scale at the Sri Arulmigu Balathandayuthabani Temple in Penang and Arul Subramaniar Temple in Ipoh. – Bernama, January 14, 2022.