First time Kuching kavadi bearer seeks to fulfil vows, demonstrate thanks for answered prayers

KUCHING (Jan 23): Krisnen Balaram is looking forward to this year’s Thaipusam celebration, which falls on Thursday.

The 22-year-old will serve as a kavadi bearer for the first time during the Hindu festival, which is held in honour of Hindu deity Lord Murugan.

For Thaipusam, male devotees play a central role carrying the kavadi, which are often big and heavy structures, on their shoulders during the procession as a form of penance and to fulfil vows made to Lord Murugan.

The kavadi, which means burden in Tamil, is a ceremonial offering, featuring a wooden or metal structure adorned with various decorations, flowers, and peacock feathers.

“I decided to take part as a kavadi bearer in Thaipusam this year to fulfil the vows I made to Lord Murugan and as a form of gratitude for my prayers, which were answered,” Balaram told The Borneo Post.

To prepare himself for the ritual, he said physical and spiritual challenges were involved as these are believed to purify devotees and strengthen their connection with the deity during Thaipusam.

“Devotees often undergo a period of fasting and abstinence as a form of spiritual purification. This practice helps us to focus our minds and bodies on the religious significance of Thaipusam.

“For me, I have been on a vegetarian diet for almost two weeks. Many kavadi bearers also choose to abstain from smoking and drinking alcohol as part of their pre-Thaipusam rituals,” he explained.

Balaram will be among the many devotees joining the Kuching procession for this year’s Thaipusam.

The procession will begin at 6am at the Sri Maha Mariamman Temple, Jalan Rock here.

Also joining the procession will be Balaram’s cousin Rajaram Muttapah, who has been carrying a kavadi for Thaipusam over the past 13 years.

“We do it for ‘sadhana’, which is a spiritual practice carried out to conquer ego, anger, lust, greed, and hatred.

“Carrying the kavadi helps us surrender these sins, something we have learnt to achieve year after year,” he explained.

The 29-year-old said to prepare himself, he would often begin conditioning his mind and body weeks before Thaipusam by fasting or having simple vegetarian meals, practising celibacy, and abstaining from creature comforts such as sleeping on a bed.

“My preparation also includes obtaining a kavadi from a traditional craftsman or even designing my own where personal details are often added to each kavadi to express my belief and personal relationship with my God.

“I will also pray every day with the chanting of the name of Lord Murugan and on the eve of Thaipusam, I will do the ‘kavadi pooja’ (prayer) at home before I fulfil my vows to Lord Murugan,” he said.

During Thaipusam, another popular offering is the ‘paal kudam’, which means to carry milk (paal) in a vessel in the form of a pot (kudam).

The milk pots are usually adorned with decorations and may contain offerings such as milk or other sacred substances.

Sri Maha Mariamman Temple Association Kuching committee member Kamala Raman said devotees often balance the milk pots on their heads as a traditional and symbolic practice.

“The ‘paal kudam’ is a form of offering to Lord Murugan, where we seek for his blessings.

“The act of carrying milk pots symbolises our gratitude, humility, and willingness to make offerings to the deity,” she said, noting that this practice is another way for devotees to engage in acts of devotion and to fulfil their vows during Thaipusam.

The 64-year-old has never missed carrying the ‘paal kudam’ during Thaipusam processions over the last 52 years.

“I was sick when I was 12 and I would always pray to the Lord to give me strength and good health.

“I find that I’ve been blessed ever since, and my life has been going smoothly. Carrying the ‘paal kudam’ allows me to show my gratitude, dedication, and devotion to Lord Murugan,” she said.

Like kavadi bearers, devotees who carry the ‘paal kudam’ also observe periods of fasting and purification, said Kamala.

“For me, I will fast for 48 days and will adhere to a vegetarian diet to prepare myself for spiritual practices and to engage in Thaipusam with a cleansed body and mind,” she said.

Sri Maha Mariamman Temple kurukkal (priest) Nagendra Suthaharan said for Hindus, particularly within the context of Thaipusam and devotion to Lord Murugan, there is a belief that worshipping the deity can help devotees in various ways, including seeking relief from karmic debts, misfortunes, and problems in their lives.

“Devotees often turn to Lord Murugan with the hope that their acts of penance, prayers, and offerings will help mitigate past karmic influences and bring about positive changes in their lives,” he said.

He said for this year’s Thaipusam, the temple will be celebrating the festival on a small scale and according to the ‘balaalayam’ worship, which is the consecration of a temporary shrine or sanctum, while the main temple is undergoing renovation.

“The deities from our main temple have been temporarily moved to the Balaalayam so that devotees can continue their worship without interruption,” he explained.

The Sri Maha Mariamman Temple has been undergoing renovations and is expected to be completed this year.

Once completed, it is set to have the highest ‘Raja Gopuram’ or monumental entrance tower in Borneo.

Suthaharan said upon the completion of renovation works at the temple, a consecration ceremony known as ‘kumbhabhishekam’ will be carried out, after which the next Thaipusam will be celebrated in a grand manner with a flag hoisting ceremony.

“We are really grateful to the Sarawak government, especially Premier Datuk Patinggi Tan Sri Abang Johari Tun Openg and the Unit for Other Religions (Unifor) under Deputy Premier Datuk Amar Douglas Uggah Embas for their continuous support and assistance, especially in terms of funding the renovation works for our temple,” he added.

The Thaipusam procession route will start at Sri Maha Mariamman Temple at Jalan Rock, then proceed to Laman Bong Chin and Lorong Batu before returning to the temple.

Deputy Premier Dato Sri Dr Sim Kui Hian and Kuching South mayor Datuk Wee Hong Seng are among guests of honour expected to attend the vibrant festival.