POOJA

The 3 main events in a yearly THAIPUSAM in Tawau Town, Sabah
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POOJA	KAVADI PROCESSION	CHARIOT PROCESSION
Pūjā ( Pooja, पूजा) (Sanskrit: reverence, honour, adoration, or worship) A religious ritual performed by Hindus as an offering to various deities, distinguished persons, or special guests.	In a Kavadi procession, there are 3 category of Kavadi carried by devotees: 1) Heavy weight Kavadi 2) Medium weight Kavadi 3) Basic weight Kavadi	Chariot (Temple Car) is used to carry representations of a Hindu god on festival days, when many people pull the cart.

Image Above : An ethnic Chinese Kavadi carrier has his tongue pierced for the Kavadi Procession during Thaipusam 2014 Tawau 17th January 2014 Morning

In a Kavadi Procession, there are two types of Kavadi carries by Hindu devotees: the Heavy Weight Altar and the Light Weight Offerings.

Types of Kavadi:

1- Vel Kavadi - An altar which is portable.

Could reach up to two meters tall, decorated with peacock feathers and attached to a devotee. The devotee's body is pierced with Vels on the chest, back or tongue. The above image is a Vel Kavadi.

Devotees enter a trance, feel no pain, do not bleed from their wounds and have no scars left behind.

Some extreme masochistic practices have been criticized as dangerous and contrary to the spirit and intention of Hinduism.

2- Pal Kavadi - Offerings to God.

Not all Kavadi Carrier involve extreme physical endurance. Most devotees carry a brass jug of milk (Pal Kavadi) on their heads while others carry small pots with offerings for their deity. Carriers of Pal Kavadi do not increase physical burden by body piercing with Vels.

Kavadi Bearers

Kavadi Bearers

9:28AM - A young Hindu devotee in the process of having his face pierced through with a 1 meter X 0.5cm skewer.

9:27AM - A devotee has his body pierced with hooks in addition to a skewer through his cheeks.

9:22AM An elderly female Hindu devotee with her cheeks pierced through with a heavy size skewer on an soul cleansing pilgrimage to THIRUMURUGAN TEMPLE in Tawau

Devotees who dared to subdue the flesh, was accompanied by their family members or friends. They encouraged, supported, cheer with loud speakers chanting out Indian spiritual songs and a team of drummers beating drums and chanting divine songs.

KAVADI PROCESSION in Tawau Town
There are two forms of KAVADIS :
1- in the form of Paal Kudam (milk pots) as offerings to god or
2- in the form of physical endurance by piercing the cheeks, tongue, or skin on the body with hooks and Vel skewers.

These two forms of KAVADIES is illustrated in the above image of a Hindu group in Tawau Town during the 3 kilometers KAVADI Procession in THAIPUSAM 2014
More striking forms of Kavadi involve piercing the cheeks, chest, back, or tongue with skewers and with hooks embedded in the flesh.

See the man in blue in front - he has a Vel skewers pierce through his cheeks. It is not a big needle, its a steel bar of 0.5 cm diameter and 1 meter in length!!! As if this does not caused enough pain, he has another 8 steel hooks hooked on his back, each hook tide to a string 2 meters long and hold by an assistant behind him.

Those with a low pain tolerance carry flower- and feather- embellished wooden bars on their shoulders. See the last man at the last.

Ladies usually carry a pot of milk. See the two ladies in front.

Every one in the Kavadi Procession are bare footed. Under the tropical sun, the road surface can be burning hot, so there are a couple of devotee specially in charge of carrying a bucket of water pouring water to their feet.
Thaipusam is one of the most magnificent religious festivals celebrated in Malaysia.