Malaysian Hindus skewer themselves in penance rite

Kuala Lumpur, Feb1: The chant of prayers swelled to a climax as a priest pierced the tongue of pilgrim Uthaya Kumar with a slim, six-inch skewer in one of Malaysia's biggest Hindu festivals.

Kumar, a stocky 21-year-old, was among hundreds of thousands of ethnic Indians flocking to the Malaysian capital this week for the Thaipusam festival, which involves a steep climb to a hilltop temple to demonstrate their faith in a bid for divine favour.

He said he felt no pain when pierced with the miniature spear, a symbol of the Hindu god Murugan, to whom the cave temple is dedicated.

''No, I suffered nothing,'' Kumar said, attributing his self-control to divine grace secured by strict abstinence ahead of Thaipusam, a festival associated with penance and atonement.

''When you seek a vow from God you cannot shave, you have to abstain from alcohol, and you must eat vegetarian food,'' said Kumar, a bachelor who works as an administrative assistant with a firm in the nearby town of Shah Alam.

Authorities expect 1.5 million people to visit the temple in the Batu Caves complex of limestone caverns outside Kuala Lumpur this year, in a centuries-old tradition among Hindus of southern Indian origin that reaches its climax today.

At a river's edge nearby, devotees made offerings of bananas and coconuts, lighting incense sticks and taking cleansing showers before they began the ascent. Rows of barbers sat along the bank, shaving the hair from the heads of other penitents.

''People perform the penance for various reasons,'' said Subramaniam, the priest who pierced Kumar's tongue with the spear.

''Many times they want children. Many women pray for good husbands, and when they succeed, they come here.''

IMMUNE TO PAIN

The incessant chanting of prayer carries many devotees into a trance-like state that makes them immune to ordinary pain, said Subramaniam, who has assisted at the festival for 15 years.

Kumar carried on his head a pyramidal ''kavadi'', or ''burden'' in Tamil, a kind of portable wooden altar about four feet tall and weighing roughly 20 kg, from which hung pictures of Hindu gods, decorated with peacock feathers.

Kumar began his laborious ascent of the 272 steps to the hilltop cave at daybreak. He climbed steadily, pausing only briefly once or twice to catch his breath, marshal his energies, and adjust a strap around his waist that supported his burden.

His parents encouraged him with shouts of ''Vel, vel, shakti vel,'' urging him to take energy from thoughts of the god's spear.

It was the second of three years Kumar had vowed to perform the ritual, but he would not say what boon he was seeking. ''That is supposed to be kept secret until it is granted,'' he said.

Thaipusam, named for the Tamil month of Thai, is celebrated in the 10th month of the Hindu calendar, and marks the triumph of good over evil.

People from all walks of life offer prayers or give thanks to Lord Murugan, also known as Lord Subramaniam, who represents virtue, youth and power.

The festival has its roots in southern India where legend says a sage ordered a student to bring him two hills belonging to Lord Murugan. The god foiled the attempt, but rewarded the student for his devotion to the sage.

The skewers used to pierce the cheeks and tongue signify the weapon that Hindu scriptures say the Goddess Parvati gave to her son Murugan to subdue three evil demons and their followers.

While still observed in parts of south India, the festival finds fervent adherents among the ethnic Indian minority in mostly-Muslim Malaysia, which numbers about eight percent of a population of roughly 26 million.

Many devotees were bare-chested, and mortified themselves further by piercing their flesh with thin metal hooks from which hung small fruit, like limes, or little metal bells.

Several small children were among the pilgrims.

''With god's grace he will make it to the top,'' said Nades, 29, a taxi-driver accompanying his six-year old son, Suresh, as he carried a small pot of milk up the hill.

''Anyway, I will encourage him. And this way he will remember what it means to have faith.''

Reuters