Thaipusam, Batu Caves, Malaysia.

Each year, around the world, the Tamil Hindu community celebrates the festival of Thaipusam. The celebrations mark the occasion when the Hindu Mother Goddess Parvati gave the god Murugan a divine spear (vel). In Malaysia, the point of pilgramage are the Batu Caves, a limestone formation not far from the capital, Kuala Lumpur.

The festival starts in the early hours of the morning of Thaipusam, when a procession leaves the Sri Mahamariamman Temple in Kuala Lumpur for the cave complex. Celebrants carry offerings for Lord Murugan which can range from a small container of milk to a heavy burden called a kavadi, that the devotee carries on their shoulders or pulls using hooks attached to the skin of their backs.

Those who carry kavadis or practice self-mortification (such as having vel skewers pierced through their tongues or cheeks) enter trances with the aid of priests.

Devotees have their heads shaved and bathe in the nearby Rocky River before starting the climb up the 272-step staircase to the caves with their offerings. Celebrants believe that taking part in the festival and observing its rituals will help them to remain healthy and clear them of karmic debt.