Amidst the last minute announcement of new SOPs by the government for the festival, which threw confusion and chaos amongst devotees as to what is allowed for the festival, Thaipusam 2022 kick-started in Kuala Lumpur last night with the silver chariot carrying the image of Lord Murugan and his consorts leaving the Sri Maha Mariammam temple in town for Batu Caves at around 10pm.
Whilst the crowd was less at the temple compared to pre-Covid times, it was still a sizeable crowd as many thronged to witness the event personally after being unable to do so last year. With restricted stoppages and less devotees offering archanais along the way, the chariot reached its destination in the wee hours of the morning today on 17 January.
Thaipusam falls on the 18th of January, and due to the last minute announcement of the rules by the government, there will be no kavadi carrying allowed at temples in Malaysia this year. However milk pots are allowed and hence it is expected the festival will be a little toned-down as compared to before the pandemic.
Happy Thaipusam 2022 to all!
