Thaipusam bliss and blessings: the silver chariot returns

WHEN someone asks what makes living in this country special, it’s the fact that we get to explore the state of spiritual or philosophical clarity (of perception, reason and knowledge) sacred to a community when festivals are celebrated.

Such a juncture was made possible as we welcome Thaipusam, which began with its annual silver chariot procession – commonly taking place days prior to when the actual festival is celebrated to honour Lord Murugan.

Feel of familiarity

The atmosphere along Jalan Tun H.S. Lee in Kuala Lumpur two nights ago was certainly more vibrant – compared to the previous year – after the pandemic had crippled much of the world’s community-related affairs.

It was a wondrous moment to witness the ‘Utsava Murti’ of Lord Murugan and his two consorts (Valli and Deivanai) being carried out of the city's oldest Hindu temple, The Sri Mahamariamman Temple, onto a two-storey high chariot to be transported to Batu Caves.

The whole ordeal was precious to devotees, present at the time, as they subject themselves in hopes of experiencing ‘darsana’ – an auspicious sighting (either a glimpse or view) of the deity, as devotees approach or walk alongside the chariot.

Surely, such experiences can also occur among others at the brief stopovers located along the procession route.

“We feel so happy! Finally after two years of navigating the pandemic, we managed to see the chariot (up close),” shared Santhee Muthusamy, 49, who was together with her sister Suseela Letchumanan, 62, that night.

The two ladies live just around the area and have said that they were quite lucky to be granted the opportunity, given the strict SOP. 

They were among the few that were fortunate enough to stand near the temple before police had to close the pedestrian entry to maintain social distancing and control the crowd as best they could.

“We can’t follow the procession at every temple stop because we don’t have the necessary passes but it’s okay. We are still very much delighted,” expressed Santhee.

“We also plan to celebrate Thaipusam later than usual as we want the festivities to calm down first,” said Suseela, when asked about their celebration plans.

“We are quite mindful of the crowd because we don’t necessarily want to be part of a large gathering given the pandemic situation,” she noted.

“The protocols at Batu Caves are tight. I believe they would only allow per group (where the queue is quite long) to enter and fulfil vows, etc. So, at this time I don't think it’s feasible for us to go factoring in the waiting time among other things,” added Santhee.

A fringe of beliefs

Indeed, Malaysia has seen its number of traditional diaspora that shapes what the country and its identity is today.

Thaipusam, a tradition brought over by the South Indians back in the 18th century, is a custom that has already ingrained itself within the fabric of our culture, especially across the peninsula where residencies of the Hindu population are high.

In fact, given the diversity and multiculturalism that we are blessed with, the festival has since taken on an identity of its own that is highly regarded worldwide for its practice and belief.

Among the many tales of Lord Murugan or ‘Kartikeya’ (son of Krittika), one resonates brightly as we celebrate Thaipusam is ‘The Story of the Golden Mango’. 

The story begins when Lord Shiva together with his wife Goddess Parvathi was visited by Sage Narada (famous in Hindu traditions as a musical storyteller) at Mount Kailash. Both of their sons, Lord Ganesha and Lord Murugan were present.

Narada appeared to offer a gift of a golden mango to Lord Shiva, noting that it was more than just an ordinary fruit, and that it bore eternal knowledge and wisdom to whoever ate it.

As a loving husband, Shiva gave it to Parvathi and requested her to eat. As a loving mother, she opted to give the fruit to her children. Both with the idea that their sons wouldn’t mind sharing the fruit.

However, with a smirk on his face, Narada then pointed to say that the fruit has to be eaten by only one person. Shiva and his family were struggling to solve the problem, and finally thought of an idea of announcing a contest in which whoever first circles the world (three times) will receive the fruit.

Lord Murugan mounted his peacock to go around the world, while his brother, Lord Ganesha slowly made his way to his parents and started circling them three times. 

Confused, Shiva and Parvathi asked Ganesha what he was doing, with him replying, “You, my parents are my universe and my whole world. So, if I circle you, it means that I have circled the entire world”. 

Upon return from his own attempt at winning the contest, Murugan learned of Ganesha’s win and felt cheated. In anger, he renounced his family, fled and came to a spot away from his kin without a word.

Shiva and Parvathi eventually rushed to pacify Murugan to assure him that he is ‘Pazham Nee’ (translated as ‘You are the Fruit') and a bundle of wisdom at where he had settled, now known as Palani Hill (a mountain range in the southern Indian states of Kerala and Tamil Nadu).

This legend, which has been mirrored as tradition, represents a very important image of Tamil culture. It was shared by a policeman on duty who is also part of the community observing the celebration.

To some, the Thaipusam procession is a retelling of Lord Shiva and Goddess Parvathi pacifying Lord Murugan.

Even when the chariot reaches its final destination, the ceremony is not complete until the Utsava Murti is restored to the sanctum in its original state. The deity must be appeased through purification rituals that may take days.

Literature (be it fiction and non-fiction) itself has certainly helped us make sense of what it is to be human and help us understand and shape the world better. So learning this, there are certain morals that could be imbibed into us through stories of such, whether we want to believe it or not. – The Vibes, January 18, 2022

The Vibes wishes a blessed Thaipusam to those celebrating!