GEORGE TOWN, MALAYSIA January 22, 2018 (The Sunday Daily): [HPI note: the Thaipusam festival in Penang is close to the same and more famous festival at Batu Caves in Kuala Lumpur.] More than 1.2 million Hindu devotees throughout the country and international tourists are expected to flock to the Arulmigu Balathandayuthapani Temple in Jalan Kebun Bunga here during the Thaipusam festival which falls on Jan 31. Temple chairman Datuk R. Subramaniam said crowds are expected to arrive early this year for Thaipusam celebration due to the lunar eclipse which will shorten the period of prayers as the temple will stop the prayers by 6 pm to make way for the astral occurrence. He added that the temple will still be opened for devotees to enter but they cannot offer prayers to Deities.
Subramaniam said in conjunction with the 232nd year of Thaipusam celebration, the temple would also be introducing its 45-ft by 45-ft specially sculptured arch on Jan 28, which will be officially opened as the main entrance for the temple three days before Thaipusam to allow the large crowd to enter. “We are expecting more kavadis and more milk carriers this year compared to last year when there were about 35,000 milk carriers and 460 kavadis,” he said, adding that more devotees were expected from the southern peninsula due the traditional way of celebrating Thaipusam in Penang.