Photo of the Day: Indian Malaysians Celebrate Hindu Festival | Asia Society

Photo of the Day: Indian Malaysians Celebrate Hindu Festival

January 20th, 2011

A Hindu devotee with his cheeks pierced performs religious rites near the Batu Caves before sunrise during the Thaipusam festival outside Kuala Lumpur on January 20, 2011.

The Hindu festival of Thaipusam, which commemorates the day when Goddess Pavarthi gave her son Lord Muruga an invincible lance with which he destroyed evil demons, is celebrated by some two million ethnic Indians in Malaysia. The main celebration is held at Batu Caves, where worshippers like the man above carry heavy structures called kavadis as they walk barefoot up the temple's 272 steps in a form of penance. (Saeed Khan /AFP/Getty Images)

hinduism
malaysia
india
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south asia
southeast asia

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Shreeya Sinha is an award-winning Journalist, Multimedia Producer and Social Media Editor for Asia Society. She was raised in Nigeria, Zimbabwe, Vietnam, Bangladesh, and India.