No procession, but Thaipusam festival will proceed

Hindu devotees who wish to participate in the Thaipusam festival next month will have to abide by a host of stringent measures, including pre-booking time slots to enter the temple and using only pre-prepared offerings.

Unlike previous years, there will be no foot procession from the Sri Srinivasa Perumal Temple in Serangoon Road to Sri Thendayuthapani Temple in Tank Road during the festival on Jan 28, and activities will be conducted only in and around the latter temple, it was announced yesterday.

The two temples and the Hindu Endowments Board said in a joint statement that these restrictions are necessary in the light of the Covid-19 pandemic, and the decision to continue holding the festival was taken because of its historical significance.

During the festival, devotees typically fulfil their vows and carry paal kudams or milk pots, or kavadis, which are wooden or metal structures with milk offerings, into the Tank Road temple.

To prevent any potential outbreaks of Covid-19, the organisers will ban all forms of kavadis for the upcoming festival.

It is "impossible to maintain safe distancing" as a team is required to assemble and mount the kavadi on the carrier, said the organisers.

Kavadis that pierce the body - including the tongue, cheeks, arms or legs - involve too close a contact between individuals and go against safe distancing recommendations, said the organisers.

In addition, devotees who wish to carry paal kudams into the temple can use only pots that are pre-prepared by the temple. But the number of paal kudams available will be capped, and each devotee bearing a paal kudam can be accompanied by only one person.

The Sri Thendayuthapani Temple will also deny entry to devotees who have not pre-booked time slots and groups carrying musical instruments or any form of am-plification device.

Devotees will not be allowed to gather outside the temple and must follow a pathway assigned by the temple after they finish giving their offerings and prayers.

"All of the above measures are carried out for the safety and well-being of the devotees and their families," said the statement, adding that the organisers intend to accommodate as many devotees as possible without breaching safe management measures.

The elderly, the young and those who are physically challenged are encouraged to pray at home instead via a live stream of the Thaipusam prayer session.

Mr A. Sunderason, 32, said he would still head down to the temple on Thaipusam to pray and give offerings, as he believes the measures would help keep devotees safe.

"I think things will be a lot safer (with these measures), and I think people will manage to get their basic duty of praying done and get some enjoyment out of it," said Mr Sunderason, who runs a landscaping company.

But some are disappointed that the festival will be a much muted affair, without music and the usual crowd.

Mr Navind Kumar, 30, said he would prefer to celebrate the festival at home, given that the atmosphere at the temple would be vastly different.

"Maybe the Government can consider allowing bigger groups to gather so that more of us can celebrate the festival together," said Mr Navind, who owns a cleaning firm.

Devotees can make their online bookings on the Sri Thendayuthapani website from Jan 3. More details will be provided closer to the event date.