Batu caves will always be that famous place in Malaysia when it comes to Thaipusam.
Recently another Thaipusam hotspot in Penang targeted 1.5 million devotees visiting the temple. Click HERE to read. Whereas the expected number of devotees to visit Batu Caves this year is predicted to be an extra hundred thousand compared to Penang.
According to New Straits Times, The Batu Caves Sri Subramaniar Swamy Temple committee has placed high precautions on the safety and well-being of the 1.6 million worshippers that are to visit the temple. Adding to it the Thaipusam programme is scheduled to be a four-day event that will begin on Friday (3 February 2023).
Thaipusam is a national public holiday and moreover, it falls on a Sunday this year. Despite it being a Hindu celebration, this short break attracts a huge number of people from all over Malaysia and foreigners.
“Temple committee was getting a lot of logistical support from various agencies from both the government sector and non-governmental organisations (NGOs).
In regards to safety, logistical preparations for the celebration had reached 90 percent. The committee is getting help from the Kuala Lumpur City Hall, police, Fire and Rescue Department, Health Ministry, Tenaga Nasional Bhd, Telekom Malaysia Bhd, Keretapi Tanah Melayu Bhd, and Malaysian Red Crescent” said The temple committee’s secretary, C. Sethupathy to New Straits Times.
The temple committee is mobilising more than 500 volunteers, including members of the temple’s youth groups and NGOs, to assist and safeguard people at different times and locations.
Volunteers responsibilities :
- Managing a large number of devotees
- Helping with logistics
- Managing the area’s cleanliness
- Assisting the priest to pour devotees’ milk offerings over the statue of Lord Murugan in the upper cave temple
Some devotees, who were aware of the large crowds had showed up at the temple early in order to fulfill their vows in peace during the Chinese New Year holiday and weekend.
Sethupathy also shared that a procession of silver chariots carrying statues of Lord Murugan and his two wives, the goddesses Valli and Devi Theivanai, would move from the Sri Maha Mariamman Temple in Jalan Tun H.S. Lee to Batu Caves on Friday.
The procession would begin at 10 pm and arrive at 3 pm on Saturday at Batu Caves. The return journey of the chariot procession from Batu Caves back to the Sri Maha Mariamman Temple is expected to be from 3.30 pm to 11.59 pm on Monday.
Make sure to have your mask on at all times and practice social distancing while fulfilling your vows. Have a safe and blessed Thaipusam this 2023.
Source: (1)
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