The Thaipusam festival at the Batu Caves in Malaysia attracts more than a million people each year. The greatest offering to Lord Muruga is Kavadi. And don’t be surprised if you find foreigners taking Kavadi here. Australian Carl Vedivella Belle has been taking Kavadi for more than a decade. This year he will be joined by German Rainer Krieg, who took his first Kavadi in the 70s. Carl Vedivella Belle has a doctorate in Hindu religion and the topic is ‘ Thaipusam in Malaysia : A Hindu Festival Misunderstood?’ Carl Vedivella Belle is the vice-president of the Hindu Society of South Australia. He was also appointed Hindu Chaplain at Flinders University in Adelaide . So how was their experience while taking Kavadi? New Straits Times Malaysia reports Belle has carried the kavadi 15 times since 1982 and described the experience as "very spiritually transforming". For Krieg the experience "was out of this world". "When you’re in a...

This year (2015) it is the 125th year of Thaipusam celebrations at the Batu Caves . A silver chariot procession is held during the festival. The original silver chariot has undergone restoration this year. The official journey of the chariot is known as Vellotam. The journey is from Sri Subramaniar Swamy Temple in Batu Caves to the Sri Maha Mariamman Temple in Kuala Lumpur . The silver chariot carries the murti of Muruga and his consorts Valli and Devayani. The Star Online reports  In conjunction with the 125th year of celebrating Thaipusam at Batu Caves this year, the silver chariot underwent a RM 150,000 upgrade. It will make its maiden journey, called the vellotam, from the Sri Subramaniar Swamy Temple in Batu Caves to the Sri Maha Mariamman Temple in Kuala Lumpur on Jan 31 at 8pm.  The silver chariot carrying Lord Muruga and his consorts Valli and Theivanai will head back to Batu Caves on Feb 1 at 10pm for the Thaipusam fe...

Waterfall Hilltop Hindu Temple at Penang in Malaysia is believed to be the biggest Murugan Temple outside India . The temple is also known as Arulmigu Bala Thandayuthapani Temple or Arulmigu Sri Balathandayuthabani Kovil. The temple was opened to public on June 29, 2012 after Mahakumbhabhishakam ceremony. The temple is located above the old temple which was built in 1850. It was an important temple for Indian workers. The old small temple used to attract 700,000 people during Thaipusam festival. Space crunch and increasing number of devotees led to the construction the new elaborate Murugan Temple . Some facts about the new  Arulmigu   Bala   Thandayuthapani   Temple The temple is inspired by the Chola and Pallava temple in Tamil Nadu. The entire temple work was done by artisans from South India . The entire temple sits on a 70,000 sq ft land. Six pillars in the temple represents the six major Muruga Temples in Tamil Nad...

A book titled '52 Velli Sinthanai Manikal' or 'Virtuous Thoughts for 52 Fridays' has been compiled by Malaysia Hindu Sangam (MHS) to serve as a guideline in delivering sermons at temples all over Malaysia. The book lays stress on national unity, important teachings of Hinduism and community service. The topics for sermons in 52 Velli Sinthanai Manikal highlights universal human values advocated by all religions and the ones that were vital for enhancing the spirit of unity and togetherness. The book was complied in line with Prime Minister Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi's call that all religious institutions play a proactive role in strengthening national unity. "The prime minister's proposal that religious leaders help get the message across on unity through the Friday khutbah for Muslims and Sunday sermons for Christians is most appropriate. "In line with this, temples in the country are encouraged to use this book as a guideline in their...

Revathi, 29, a Malaysian woman was born to Indian Muslim parents, who converted from Hinduism to Islam. But Revathi was raised as a Hindu by her grandmother. She married Suresh Veerappan, a Hindu, in 2004 and they had a daughter in 2005. BUT the Malaysian law won’t permit Revathi to live as a Hindu. Because Malaysians who are born as Muslims are legally barred from changing religion. The marriage of Suresh and Revathi is not registered because under Malaysian law Suresh would have had to convert to Islam first. The trouble started when Revathi applied before a court to officially designate her as a Hindu. The authorities seized the couple's daughter and handed the child to Revathi's Muslim mother. Revathi was send to an Islamic rehabilitation center for six months. At the center Revathi was forced to recite Muslim prayers, wear Muslim dress and eat beef. Now authorities have released her from the rehabilitation center but have ordered her to live with her Muslim ...

Several Hindu temples have been demolished in Malaysia in the last couple of years and more than 50 temples have been served notice. Some of the temples are more than 100 years old. Most of the demolitions are taking place at the pretext of development and some even without proper government documents. Malaysia ’s Hindus make up close to eight percent of the country’s 26 million people. Islam is the dominant religion in Malaysia . Last week, The Hindu Rights Action Force, a coalition of 30 NGOs committed to the preservation of Hindu heritage in Malaysia , submitted a memorandum to the office of the country's solicitor general. In May, 2006, a march was held by Hindus when the 60-year-old Om Sri Siva Balakrishnan Muniswarar Temple in Mukim Setapak was demolished. All this is happening when the Constitution of Malaysia has provided with the freedom to practice any religion. It is estimated that there are more than 15,000 small and big Hindu temples in Malaysia and most of...

Sri Sundararaja Perumal Temple in Klang , Malaysia , achieved the ISO 9001:2000 certification for its quality in religious, cultural, and social services to Hindus. It is believed that the temple – which is about 100 years old and also known as Tirupati of Southeast Asia – is the first temple to get such a certification. The staronline reports Temple president S. Anandakrishnan said that with the ISO award, religious activities would be standardised to set a precedent for other Hindu temples.   “Other temples are not bound to follow our standard operating procedure (SOP), but we wanted to set a benchmark so that people will know we provide quality services,” he said. representational image of a clean Hindu temple   If an ‘ISO certificate’ can keep a temple premises clean and pollution free then it is well and good. It should be employed in India too as the outer premises of some temples in India are in pathetic condition.

Batik artist Rudaera believes in keeping a balance between materialism and spiritualism. Batik refers to a generic wax-resist dyeing technique used on fabric. Rudaera was trained to become a lawyer but ended up being a Batik artist and he finds peace and satisfaction in it. When people are not satisfied with their environment or surrounding or work, they start to travel. Rudaera ended up in India and to his luck he met, K. Haridasan, the head of an arts school in Kerala. He says to Staronline , Malaysia “Haridasan suggested that meditation was a good form of finding oneself – that it gives peace of mind for a person to think and contemplate,” he recalled. On returning to Malaysia he put to practice the wisdom he gained in India . This resulted in his first exhibition which was held in January 2005 at the Alliance Francaise, Malaysia . His 40 oil paintings were based on Indian tantric knowledge, and featured themes like “Essence of Earth”, “Da...