The traditional Thaipusam procession in Penang, Malaysia, will be led once again by a century-old silver chariot, symbolizing the rich Hindu tradition passed down through generations. The chariot, built in India and shipped to Penang in 1894, undergoes yearly refurbishing and cleaning. This year's celebration will also feature the procession of a golden chariot carrying Lord Murugan's sacred spear, adding to the vibrancy of the festivities.
GEORGE TOWN: The silver chariot carrying the statue of Lord Murugan is set to keep intact a rich, 131-year-old tradition by leading the traditional Thaipusam procession on Feb 11, thus symbolising the grandeur of Hindu tradition that has been passed down for centuries from India to other countries with a significant Hindu diaspora like Malaysia.
"We also replaced the broken lights and previously we planned to change to light-emitting diode lights to decorate the chariot, but they were not bright enough, so we kept the incandescent lights so that it would be brighter, especially at night,” he said in an exclusive interview with Bernama at the Veedu Kovil Temple here recently.
He said the use of bulls in the chariot procession was a tradition in honour of"Nandi", the sacred bull considered to be the protector of the family of Lord Shiva in Hindu tradition. Lord Murugan is the son of Lord Shiva. For the return journey, he said the silver chariot will depart from the Nattukottai Chettiar Temple between 6.30pm and 7pm on Feb 12 and will arrive at the Nagarathar Kovil Veedu Temple before 8am on Feb 13.
While the kavadi-bearing devotees are spectacularly entrancing for western tourists in the silver chariot procession, Penang Thaipusam features the procession of two chariots.
THAIPUSAM LORD MURUGAN TRADITION SILVER CHARIOT PENANG
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