Batu Caves is one of Malaysia's most famous tourist destinations especially for the colourful Thaipusam festival. This attracts up to 1,000,000 devotees and spectators; the highlight is seeing devotees in a trance carry kavadi, a metal frame attached to the body(body piercing extreme).
Other devotees may have their tongues and cheeks pierced with spikes. Some spikes are more like long rods, ten or twelve feet long and as thick as a man's thumb. These are forced through his cheeks and he walks along holding the rod in his teeth, supported on both sides by his hands.
Devotees prepare themselves spiritually with extensive prayer and fasting before performing acts of penance or thanksgiving like carrying a kavadi.
Hindus celebrate Thaipusam on the tenth month of their calendar. It coincides with the full moon at the end of January and beginning of February 'Thai' is the Hindu month which falls between January 15 to February 15 and 'Pusam' refers to a star which is at its brightest during the period of this festival.
Strange things happen in this world and this is for sure one of the very strange stuff. The festival for Taipusam - body piercing extreme - in happen every year and has a lot of surprise.
