Thirty degrees and very sunny, throngs of people of all nationalities gather at a temple to start the awesome annual pilgramage to honour Lord Muruga cries of vel vel, which mean spear spear, as brightly coloured processions pass us and the crowd now snake up the road up the hill, barefoot devotees, leaving all thoughts behind to be in the present of this awesome celebratory walk, into temples passing and stopping to look at the many dieties Shiva Krishna Ganesh to marvel at the years of splendour in keeping these temples pristine and to feel the awesome Pagan presence inside the reverence the peace, having powdered ash between your eyes, giving a donation, seeing many peoples in brightly coloured saris and the loud colourful brash music as the crowd sways with the relentless rythm and care is taken not to stand on the many smashed coconut shells the shimmering sun kissing us all as we move up the two hundred or so steps to the the top of the Waterfall Temple where the milk that is carried by many devotees will be poured out over the God Lord Muruga, many Hindus are carrying Kavadis huge frames around their bodies and dancing in the searing heat on the streets, walking up the steps we are in the thousands and the sun is now high in the sky, we make our way up to the huge bell that resounds and we all get a chance to ring it three times it is heavy and metal and antique, it sound clear it peals out strongly, the air has allsorts of scents and smells in it, and the brightly coloured saris the women are wearing light up the crowds their jewellery glittering bangles and beautiful bhindis on the forehead everyone has made a special effort to be here to be part of this, and there are those in the crowd that have taken in penance and for the sake of Karma to pierce parts of their bodies having metal spears through each side of the lips the forehead the tongue and having large hooks in their backs covered in red and white ash there is no blood it s all peaceful they walk on in a trancelike state and some pull ropes held onto other men through the hooks, some have spikes through their ankles and this Hindu Festival of Thaipussam has been going on all over Penang and Kuala Lumpur in Malaysia for years it has to be seen to be believed its magic holds you its strength in numbers its welcome it turns no one away, and there is such a feeling of unity of togetherness I was proud to be a part of it and for me a 5 ft 9 blonde lady wearing a pink and gold Sari with a set of sparkly bracelets and a bhindi on my head[ a present from my boyfriends Mum], and My boyfriend and his Dad and Cousin an our friends from Thailand all took these steps walked barefoot and joined the devotees pilgramage, and the Dieties on Chariots and all the beautifully decorated floats on the way back the party will go on now for a couple of days and then die away, and the reminders that will be left will be a few coconut shells, the wild monkeys making the most of them, and some beautiful painted flowers representing chakra centres on the roads fading with the midday sun in the tropical balmy Malaysian heat.
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