Najib, Zahid attend Thaipusam celebration

KUALA LUMPUR: Worshippers, devotees and tourists thronged several temples in the country for the annual Thaipusam celebration which was held in a festive atmosphere.
The Sri Subramaniar Swamy Temple in Kuala Selangor had a special guest in Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Abdul Razak while Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi was the guest of honour at the Sri Subramaniar Swamy Temple at Batu Caves near here.
In Kuala Selangor, thousands of Hindu devotees thronged the temple since last night for prayers and to fulfil their vows.
Najib, who arrived at about 11am, was greeted by the chairman of the temple committee, T. Morgana Sundram. Also present was MIC president Datuk Seri Dr S. Subramaniam, Selangor Barisan Nasional chairman Tan Sri Noh Omar and Kuala Selangor MP Datuk Seri Dr Irmohizam Ibrahim.
The house of worship drew not only Hindus but also local and foreign tourists who wanted to experience the uniqueness of the Thaipusam celebration there compared to that in several other countries.
Worshippers and devotees Bernama met said they were pleasantly surprised to see the Prime Minister at the Thaipusam celebration in Kuala Selangor.
"I have been attending the Thaipusam celebration here for the past 10 years and this is the first time I have seen the Prime Minister here. We are all delighted over his presence," said M. Raj, 39.
At Batu Caves, Ahmad Zahid delivered the good news that the government would allocate RM2 million to the Sri Subramaniar Swamy Temple to develop a cultural complex for the Indian community.
Thaipusam is observed by Hindus all over the world in the month of "Thai" in the Tamil calendar to commemorate the act of Goddess Parvathi presenting the "vel" (lance) to her son Lord Muruga as an embodiment of her "shakti" or power to vanquish the evil Soorapadman and restore peace and well-being.
During Thaipusam, Hindus fulfil their vows by carrying well-decorated "kavadi" bearing pots of milk as an offering to Lord Muruga.
At Batu Caves, the devotees climbed the 272 steps leading up to a temple in a cave to make their offering and seek the blessings of Lord Muruga.
In Malaysia, Thaipusam is observed at several temples, including the Sri Arulmigu Balathandayuthabani Temple on a hill in Penang and the Sri Subramaniar Temple in Gunung Cheruh, Ipoh.
Thousands of kavadi bearers trudged the 512 steps up to the Sri Arulmigu Balathandayuthabani Temple in Jalan Kebun Bunga to fulfil their vows and receive the blessings of Lord Muruga.
The main roads to the temple became congested as early as 7am today as devotees, worshippers and tourists began to make their way there.
A check by Bernama showed that the fine weather also prompted people of all races to bring along their children to experience the uniqueness of the celebration.
In SEREMBAN, thousands of Hindu devotees marched 5.2km from the Sri Puthu Vinayagar Temple in Bukit Tembok along Jalan Rasah and Jalan Datuk Bandar Tunggal to the Sri Balathandayuthapani Temple in Jalan Kuil.
Some of the devotees carried kavadi and pots of milk to fulfil their vows, watched by members of the public and tourists.
Sri Balathandayuthapani Temple president Capt (Rtd) R. Parameswaran said about 3,000 Hindu devotees attended the celebration at the temple.
In JOHOR BARU, the Sultan of Johor, Sultan Ibrahim Almarhum Sultan Iskandar, visited the Sri Subramaniar Temple in Jalan Dato Esa where about 3,000 Hindus had gathered for the Thaipusam celebration.
Accompanied by his son, the Tunku Temenggong, Tunku Idris Iskandar, Sultan Ibrahim also had lunch with the people and handed over the temple's donation to 25 orphans of the Sri Ragavendra Association in Taman Kota Masai.
Johor Mentri Besar Datuk Seri Mohamed Khaled Nordin visited the Sri Subramaniar Paribalana Saba Temple in Masai where he donated RM100,000 to the temple committee for welfare activities.
Deputy Education Minister Datuk Chong Sin Woon, who attended the Thaipusam celebration at the Sri Subramaniar Bala Thandayuthapani Temple in Seremban, described the people in the country as most tolerant in ensuring an incident-free celebration for every religious festival.
In Alor Star, Kedah Mentri Besar Datuk Seri Ahmad Bashah Md Hanipah attended the Thaipusam celebration at the Sri Subramaniya Swamy Devasthanam in Jalan Kuala Ketil.
"Several days ago, I handed over an allocation of RM900,000 from the Prime Minister for temples and parent-teacher associations in the state, including RM50,000 for this temple," he said at the event.
In KANGAR, Perlis MIC chairman Vengadasamy Subramaniam said the Indian community in the state celebrated Thaipusam by visiting temples in Kedah, Penang, Perak and Batu Caves in Selangor because the expansion of the temple in Bukit Lagi had yet to be completed.
"Maybe next year, when the temple is ready, we can celebrate Thaipusam in Perlis," he said to Bernama. — Bernama