Parade of penance

By BOB MARRIOTT

The densely packed crowd ripples and surges like a vast human tide, trampling underfoot a carpet of litter on the potholed road. Incessant drumming combines with the noise of a million voices, pipes, trumpets, car horns and engines adding to the bedlam.

In a trance-like state, a kavadi carrier screams, the harsh, demented sound rising above the tumult. Stalls are doing a roaring trade, selling food and fruit, or bottles and tins of soft drink kept cool in iced water.

Standing knee-deep in hair, a barber plies his shears over a customer before applying foam and removing the stubble with a cut-throat razor. A queue of men, women and children wait in line as the newly shorn move away, smearing bright yellow saffron on their heads.

Preparations for the festival of Thaipusam, held at the Batu Caves near Kuala Lumpur, go on all around me before the break of dawn. The light from candles and incense-burners merges with lanterns and street lights to fall on a fascinating scene. Flower petals are sprinkled, prayers chanted and offerings of fruit and rice or flowers lie piled on the ground.

Half-naked men anoint each other with a greyish powder. I ask Ramanam, my Hindu guide, what the powder is.

"It is made from dung," he says. I frown, straining to hear above the din.

"Everything to do with the cow is sacred to Hindus. The cow-dung is thrown against a wall where it sticks and dries in the sun. Later it is scraped off and ground to the fine powder they are using today.

"Thaipusam is the journey to a righteous way of life, it signifies a man's responsibility to his loved ones and is a reminder to show that he has chosen the correct way to lead his life. This festival is all about penance and fulfilling your vows, and they have to do the prayers the way they are done in the temple.

"When you make a vow you have to do it properly, then God will be pleased with what you have done, so that every member of the group will be blessed. There is also fasting.

"Men, women and children can all take part in the procession, often carrying a small offering of flowers or fruit or perhaps a container of milk.

"It takes place every year between the 15th of January and the 15th of February, depending on the full moon."

I mention the kavadis - semi-circular structures decorated with coloured paper, tinsel, fresh flowers and fruits - some of which stand around 2m high.

"Ah yes, a kavadi can weigh more than 20 or even 30 pounds and many of them are decorated with hundreds of peacock feathers. You see it is said that Lord Marugan sits on a peacock throne."

The kavadi carriers are naked above the waist, and around each ankle have a leather band decorated with dozens of small bells. A group of followers helps in bringing them into a state of trance by turning and twirling their champion before an elder puts a thumb on the man's forehead and rocks him backwards and forwards.

The trance is brought on quickly. Hooks are inserted into the back, chest and upper arms in a pattern, usually with an apple or a lime suspended from the hook, or more often tiny silver containers of milk. Rows of pins are inserted into their forearms and some have pins in their face and forehead. A metal belt circles the waist to which are welded the metal rods that support the kavadi.

A man tethered by cords attached to the hooks in his back lunges forward, eyes rolling. His protruding tongue speared by a metal skewer, he appears to be bleeding profusely.

It's not blood though, but a powder called kunkumam.

Dark clouds massing overhead turn a vivid candyfloss-pink as the sun clears the horizon. A spectacular sunrise heralds a new day with the suddenness peculiar to the tropics. Daylight reveals more of the action in this stunning panorama.

The atmosphere is electric as the parade starts to move slowly forward, the noise swelling as the procession gathers momentum.

Supporters and helpers gather round their champion and the chanting grows louder. "Vel, vel, vel, vel, vel," they shout.

Carried forward on the human tidal wave, I kick my way through shattered coconuts, my legs and feet covered with sticky liquid.

The noise, the dust, the heat is overpowering, the spectacle hypnotic. Drumsticks fly faster than the eye can follow, discordant trumpets screech and warble. Eyes tingling from the smoke of burning incense, my cap is knocked to the ground by a whirling kavadi.

I scoop it from the mess of litter, crushed fruit and other detritus that lies unnoticed beneath countless thousands of feet.

Hemmed in, shoulder to shoulder, the crowd crushes in even tighter. My feet almost leave the ground and I am gasping for breath. Then suddenly there is room to move. A wild-eyed, bearded carrier is seated at rest, sweating profusely. The handlers are working on him like seconds in a prizefighter's corner.

The load is eased from his shoulders while eager fingers knead his neck and upper back while others massage his leg muscles. Water is poured over him, though none passes his lips. The kavadi is put back in place and he moves on down the corridor left through the densely packed crowd. His handler keeps the cords tight, hooks lifting flesh from bone as he struggles on, shifting his weight to alternate feet in a lumbering shuffle like a tethered bear. Exhaustion shows in his face.

Other carriers pass by, eyes rolling until the whites show, their teeth clenched or with tongue protruding, the skewer-like piercing quite obvious.

Stops become more frequent and the pace slows as we near the staircase. Two hundred and seventy-two steps still to climb in the gruelling heat before they can accomplish their vow. Only then will they kneel at the shrine where the tormenting hooks and needles are removed and their penance to Lord Marugan is complete.

I make my way slowly upwards. Sandals have been cast aside on almost every step, the marchers pushing on barefoot as they make their way to the shrine. Sweat runs into my eyes. I am breathless, my heart pounding as I make my way even higher. Glancing round I see a river of faces flowing down the slope, in the distance the high-rise buildings of the capital seem a world away.

Bodies are swarming behind me, anxious to enter the enormous cathedral-like caves that contain the shrine. Almost at my feet an elderly woman sinks to the ground, agony written on her face. Tears stream down her lined brown skin to mingle with the sweat that drips from her chin. Down on her knees with a scrawny arm extended, she pleads with others to help but they will only urge her on. She alone must make the effort.

On the rough cave wall above me, monkeys chatter and gesture, too overawed to beg from a crowd of this magnitude.

Dirty, dishevelled, sweaty and feeling totally shattered, I sit and rest, drinking deeply of warm water. Yet I am utterly elated. I know that I have just witnessed one of the greatest human spectacles on Earth.

Case notes

* When to go

The weather is invariably hot and humid year-round.

* Getting there

Malaysia Airways fly out of Auckland to Kuala Lumpur every day except Wednesday and Friday. Return economy class fares start from $1399, but specials are sometimes available.

* Getting around

Malaysia is a moderate Muslim country and Kuala Lumpur, the capital, is probably the safest city in Asia. Driving is on the left. The city is easy to get around, taxis are cheap and plentiful, and there is an ultra-modern train system, the Light Rail Transport (LRT). The service is cheap and spotlessly clean.

* What to do

There is a swinging night-life and the local people are colourful, friendly and helpful, with English widely spoken.

The many places of interest in Kuala Lumpur include the largest bird enclosure in Asia, a butterfly park and orchid gardens, the National Zoo and the National Museum.

The Batu Caves are amazing and there are a number of interesting mosques and temples.

The night markets, especially Chinatown, are full of interest and great bargains.

* Shopping

The world's tallest buildings, the Petronas Twin Towers, are coupled with the KLCC shopping complex, reckoned as the finest in Asia. Kuala Lumpur has taken over from Singapore and Hong Kong as the shopping basket of Asia and there are many enormous shopping centres and some excellent bargains in clothing, cameras and electrical goods.

* Eating out

Restaurant choice ranges from Western, Chinese and Japanese to Italian, French, Malay, Thai and Indian - plus all the usual fast-food outlets.

* Visa

A visa is not required for stays of fewer than 90 days by visitors from New Zealand, Australia, Britain, Canada, and the United States.

* Money

The exchange rate is about 1.8 Malaysian ringgits to the New Zealand dollar.

* Bob Marriott went to Malaysia at the invitation of Malaysia Airlines and the Malaysia Tourist Office