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Thanaraj getting ready to perform kavadi attam.
KOTA KINABALU (Feb 5): A policeman has shared his first time performing the sacred kavadi attam procession during the Thaipusam celebration at the Sri Subramaniar temple, Lok Kawi, on Sunday.
Thanaraj A/L Thiagarajen, 30, had decided to carry out the ceremony after fulfilling a life goal recently, which he would rather not disclose.
Hailing from Johor Bahru after stepping foot in Sabah seven years ago, he explained that the procession is his way of showing gratitude to the gods.
“It’s like fulfilling ‘nazar’ (an Islamic vow to carry out an act once certain conditions are met). You pray to the gods that there are things to be done and after noting that achievement, you perform this ritual to fulfil your prayers,” said the bachelor.
He said before one performs the procession they must first prepare themselves. This includes adhering to a strict vegetarian diet for 48 days and only sleeping on the floor to condition the body.
After his preparation period, at around 6am on Sunday near the Sri Subramaniar temple, a large crowd had gathered around Thanaraj to witness him fulfilling the procession.
The kavadi – a large contraption weighing 20 to 30 kilograms and decorated with peacock feathers – was perched on top of his shoulders, to be carried by him in a pilgrimage to the temple.
Carrying the kavadi is seen as an offering to Indian deity Lord Muruga and symbolizes the devotee carrying their burdens as they dance and process throughout the ceremony.
Thanaraj was accompanied by hundreds of devotees along his pilgrimage route, where many of them were seen carrying paal kudam.
Translating to milk offering that is usually contained in a pot, paal kudam is carried on a devotee’s head as an offering to Lord Muruga, and is often seen during Thaipusam celebrations.
The priest will then use the milk to perform paal abhishegam, an act of worship that involves pouring the sacred substance over the idol of the deity while chanting mantras.
The ritual carries the meaning of Lord Muruga accepting the milk as an acknowledgement to the devotee’s prayer.
Thanaraj, who also participated in paal kudam, additionally had 51 small pots containing thineeru (ash powder) pierced into his flesh and hanging from his skin for the abhishegham ritual.
Another part of his worship ceremony included him having a steel skewer known as alagu pierced through his cheek as a form of penance for the deity.
“In Tamil, alagu means beautiful. It’s something that makes you more beautiful. The piercing hurt a little but it will heal,” he explained.
Thanaraj, when performing kavadi attam, was dancing in what seemed to be a trance-like state as he carried his offerings to the deity.
Many members of the public had opined that the participating devotees had to be in a state of trance to withstand pain from the piercings and carrying the heavy kavadi.
However, he denied being in a such a state during the burden dance.
“For me, I do not go into a trance when performing kavadi. I just pray. I have friends and family around me to help and cheer me on,” he said.
When entering the sacred place of worship at the end of his pilgrimage, devotees around him were repeatedly chanting ‘vel’ as a sign of devotion to Lord Muruga.
The vel is said to be a weapon handed down to the deity by his mother, the goddess Parvati, to defeat the evil forces of asura Surapadma.
After completing his pilgrimage and performing the paal abhishegam ritual, Thanaraj had fulfilled the hours-long procession and the kavadi was dismantled.
“In all my years of living, I have never thought that I would be able to perform kavadi attam. I feel very blessed,” he concluded before enjoying the rest of the celebration.
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