GEORGE TOWN – The famous dual chariot procession bearing a statue of Lord Murugan during Thaipusam in Penang is most likely to be cancelled next month over Covid-19 fears.
The procession of the more than 100-year-old silver chariot and golden chariot is the highlight of the annual three-day Thaipusam celebration in the state.
Penang Hindu Endowment Board (PHEB) chairman P. Ramasamy said the state will hold a series of meetings to discuss how to manage Thaipusam amid the Covid-19 pandemic.
“Our priority is the safety of all devotees as chariots are the ones that pull in the crowd; once you have chariot procession, the crowd will be very difficult to control. We do not want the Thaipusam gathering to spark any new clusters,” he said.
Ramasamy, who is also Penang deputy chief minister II, said the PHEB will make a responsible decision in the interest of the public.
“We have yet to decide whether to have the chariot procession or not on Thaipusam. I don't want to preempt anything... we will conduct a series of meetings and let the health experts decide,” he said.
He said more detailed standard operating procedures (SOP) on the Thaipusam celebration will be out on the first week of January after discussions with the Health Department, National Security Council and police.
Ramasamy said if the authorities decide that there should be no chariot procession, no panthals and no kavadis, he hoped all devotees will accept it.
“The people, when it comes to religious matters, might get emotional but I just want to remind them to adhere to all the SOPs set by the authorities as it is in the interest of the public.”
Hindu devotees celebrate Thaipusam on the full moon day of the Tamil month of Thai. Next year, this falls on January 28.
Every year, thousands of devotees follow the chariots by foot along its 8km-long route before it reaches the Arulmigu Balathandayuthapani Temple and Nattukkottai Chettiar Temple in Jalan Kebun Bunga here during the Thaipusam festival.
Meanwhile, Arulmigu Balathandayuthapani Temple chairman Datuk R. Subramaniam said he believes the crowd will be smaller compared with previous years, when more than 1.2 million Hindu devotees, as well as foreign tourists, joined the festivities.
He said the people are aware that the Covid-19 pandemic is still raging and that they would put their health at risk if they fail to comply with SOPs.
“I think all devotees understand that we cannot celebrate as much, and that they will most likely only be allowed to do their prayers at the temple.”
Nevertheless, Subramaniam said the temple enforcement team has made preparations and is ready to control and manage the crowd during Thaipusam.
It is commonly believed that Thaipusam is the birthday of Lord Murugan, who received the divine vel (spear) from his mother, Parvati, used to vanquish the evil demon Soorapadman. – Bernama, December 22, 2020
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