KUALA LUMPUR – The iconic kavadi processions for the upcoming Thaipusam festival on January 18 will be prohibited nationwide, in line with the standard operating procedures set by the National Unity Ministry and the National Security Council, said minister Datuk Halimah Mohamed Sadique.
Announcing measures for the annual Hindu festivity, Halimah said among others, the Batu Caves Sri Subramaniar temple, where the largest celebrations take place, will restrict its devotee attendance to 6,000 adherents per day.
“The temple management will ensure that only twelve prayer sessions will be allowed from 5am to 5pm between January 16 to January 19, with the exception of 18 sessions on Thaipusam day (January 18).
“Each prayer ceremony will be set at 30 minutes, with not more than 500 people present,” she told reporters during a press conference on the new SOPs, today.
Also present was Human Resources Minister Datuk Seri M. Saravanan.
Despite the ban on kavadi processions, Halimah said the paal kudam (ceremonial milk pot), shower, and hair shaving rituals related to the Hindu festival will be allowed in accordance with strict SOPs set.
“Tonsuring must follow SOPs set for hair salons, wherein the barber must wear masks, aprons, and gloves at all times and towels must not be shared.
“Shower rituals on the other hand are only allowed at locations prepared beforehand by the temple management.”
She said each prayer ceremony will be followed by 30 minutes of sanitisation activities.
“All temples involved nationwide must submit their route layouts for the paal kudam rituals and chariot processions, as well as lists of participants to the police force,” she said, adding that only the temples’ respective management are permitted to take part in the activities.
For the chariot processions, Halimah said, there will be a different set number of stops and locations for each temple.
The Batu Caves Sri Subramaniar temple, for instance, will be allowed a maximum of 10 locations with only 100 followers.
In addition to the temple here, four other temples permitted to conduct large-scale celebrations, albeit with slightly differing SOPs, are the Arulmigu Balathandayuthapani and Nagarathar Thandayuthapani temples in George Town, Penang; the Kallumalai Sri Subramaniam Alayam temple in Ipoh, Perak; and the Sri Subramaniyar Thevasthana Paripalana Sabah temple in Sg Siput, Perak.
As for the issue of stalls, Halimah said that only stalls set up by the respective temple managements are allowed to operate during the festival.
“Temporary stalls, whether set inside or outside the temple compound, are strictly not allowed.
“It does not matter what form of stall it is, whether it is a tent or something else. It is not allowed.
“Handing out food and drinks is also not allowed for all temples,” she said.
Halimah added that temple workers must wear uniforms in order to differentiate themselves from others and that the temple management must constantly monitor SOPs during the celebration.
“Only those 18 and above and fully vaccinated are allowed to participate in the festival. They must follow the SOPs at all times by ensuring that they wear their masks, scan the QR code in the MySejahtera app, do temperature checks, and be socially distanced,” she added. – The Vibes, January 12, 2022
