Penang: Thaipusam

I set my alarm for 4 this morning to catch the Thaipusam ceremonies but I didn’t really need to. The ongoing Chap Goh Meh fireworks had kept me up all night.

A large crowd of devotees had already formed in Little India by the time I got there, leaving me hard pressed to find a good spot to stand. I'm glad they held the event early in the morning because being in such a tightly packed area in the oppressive daytime heat would have been unbearable. Admittedly, it felt a little odd being one of the few foreigners there.


After a quick nap, I caught a bus out to the neighbouring town of Air Itam to check out the Kek Lok Si temple/gift shop complex. This place redefines the term "tourist trap." There are at least a dozen gift shops scattered around the complex. A third of the main worship hall is designated as shop space where, amongst the Buddhist literature and good luck charms, they sell old outdated WWE merchandise. I guess the Lord Buddha does indeed smell what The Rock is cooking.

If you can get around the blatant commercialism, the temple does offer a lot of things to see. I put on my "artiste" hat (metaphorically speaking, of course - I left the real one at home) and took a few shots of the place:





You'll find park benches marked with Buddha's teachings around the temple. You'll also find these:

...and gift shops everywhere:

It seems Buddha's fine with selling out though:

This lady from last week is still perched on her chair. I wonder if she's being punished for something: