On the full moon of the Tamil month of Thai, Hindu pilgrims from all over Malaysia converge on the limestone Batu Caves outside Kuala Lumpur — carrying pots of milk and kavadis decked with peacock feathers — for Thaipusam.
Photo: angys, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Malaysia’s entry in this atlas is Thaipusam, the Tamil Hindu festival held on the full moon of the month of Thai. Its focal point in Malaysia is the Batu Caves in Selangor, where Thaipusam has been celebrated since 1892; it is a public holiday in Kuala Lumpur, Putrajaya, Selangor, Johor, Negeri Sembilan, Penang and Perak.
தைப்பூசம் (Thaipusam)
After 48 days of preparation, barefoot devotees of Murugan bathe in the river and bring their vows to his shrine at the Batu Caves — pots of milk, or kavadis up to two metres tall decked with peacock feathers — to drumming and chanting that carries some into trance.
January – February 2027Approximate window