HINDUS in the country celebrated Thaipusam today on a moderate scale in adherence to the strict standard operating procedure (SOP) set to curb the spread of Covid-19.

At the Sri Subramaniar Swamy Temple in Batu Caves, the focus of Hindus nationwide for the celebration every year, excitement was still very much in the air.

In addition to kavadi being banned, the number of devotees entering the temple grounds was limited to 9,000, while for the 18 sessions of prayer ceremonies, only 500 people are allowed to participate per session.

Also present at the temple today were Human Resources Minister M. Saravanan and National Unity Minister Halimah Mohamed Sadique, who observed the celebration.

In Selangor, the Subramaniar Swamy Temple in Batu Tiga, Shah Alam, is also a hotspot for Hindus from surrounding areas to conduct prayer ceremonies.

Temple volunteer R. Ravindran, 25, said people started visiting the house of worship as early as 7am and all complied with the SOP.

“However, we (volunteers) will still remind them to always abide by the SOP while in the temple, including only gathering with family members during prayers and shortening the period of their stay in the temple. This is to enable others to enter for prayers and maintain physical distancing,” he said when met by Bernama.

In Penang, Hindus started to throng the courtyard of the Thanneermalai Shree Balathandayuthapani Devasthanam Temple (Hilltop Temple) as early as 3am even though doors were only opened at 5am, in compliance with the set SOP.

Temple chairman R. Subramaniam said police controlled the early crowd, setting up checkpoints at the temple to ensure peace and SOP compliance during the celebration and limit the number of devotees in the temple.

“After going through the checkpoint, every devotee who enters is required to scan the MySejahtera application and check his body temperature. After that they have to queue up to a maximum of 150 individuals (in the group) before they can start to climb 513 steps to the top of the temple,” he said.

In Negri Sembilan, the Sri Balathandayuthapani Temple in Jalan Yamtuan, Seremban, which is usually crowded pre-pandemic, projected a different look this time.

Devotees were spotted at the temple since 8am to perform religious ceremonies.

Temple president R. Parameswaran said the number of visitors was capped at 200 at any one time from 7am to 12pm, with only prayers and the palkudam (milk pot) ritual allowed.

In Johor, checks at the Arulmigu Sri Balasubramaniar Temple in Skudai, Johor Baru found that devotees arrived as early as 7.30am with temple management members ensuring they underwent a body temperature check and scanned the MySejahtera application.

Temple chairman K.S. Balakrishnan said in total, an estimated 800 people performed the prayers and the milk pot ritual today, with only 50 individuals allowed to enter the temple grounds for an hour.

“As of noon today, a total of 300 people have visited the temple, with only 50 allowed to enter every hour. We have set up counters prior to this and all of them have registered with the temple management to attend prayers today,” he said, adding that a total of 50 temple management members are on duty to ensure SOP compliance with the help of police and People’s Volunteer Corps (Rela) personnel.

In Perak, about 2,000 Hindus came to celebrate Thaipusam at the Sri Subramaniar Temple, Gunung Cheroh, Ipoh, in stages, from 6.30am.

State temple president M. Vivekananda, when met, said that the celebration at the popular temple has been the focus of about 400,000 people every celebration with various religious rituals, chariot processions and kavadi carriers, but everything has changed since Covid hit the country almost two years ago.

“This time we are welcoming Thaipusam in moderation and in accordance with the government directive banning kavadi.

“Also, only 100 people can follow the chariot procession due to the pandemic,” he said.

In Malacca, only 500 people prayed at the Sri Subramaniar Devasthanam Temple, Batu Berendam, compared with 4,000 who usually attend the religious celebration pre-Covid.

Temple secretary S. Ravi Santharan said strict inspections were carried out by Rela personnel, including ensuring that devotees who wished to pray at the temple had completed their vaccination before being allowed to enter, while the praying duration was cut short. – Bernama, January 18, 2022.