GEORGE TOWN: The famous dual chariot procession bearing the statue of Lord Murugan, held during Thaipusam in Penang, is most likely to be cancelled next year due to Covid-19.
The procession of the over 100-year-old silver chariot and the recent golden chariot is the highlight of the annual three-day Thaipusam celebration in the state.
Penang Hindu Endowment Board (PHEB) chairman Prof Dr P. Ramasamy said the state will have a series of meetings to discuss how to manage Thaipusam next year amid the coronavirus pandemic.
"Our priority is on the safety of all devotees as chariots are the ones that pull in the crowd. Once you have the chariot procession, the crowd will be very difficult to control. We do not want the Thaipusam gathering to spark off any new cluster," he told Bernama during an interview here.
Ramasamy, who is also the Penang Deputy Chief Minister II said the PHEB will make a careful decision in the interest of the larger public.
"We have yet to decide on whether to have a chariot procession or not on Thaipusam. I don't want to preempt anything... we will conduct a series of meetings and let the health experts decide," he said.
He said more detailed standard operating procedures (SOP) on Thaipusam celebration will be out in the first week of January after discussion with the Health Department, National Security Council and the Royal Malaysia Police.
Ramasamy said if the authorities decide that there should be no chariot procession, no panthals and no kavadis, he hopes all the devotees will abide by it.
"The people, when it comes to religious matters, might get very emotional, but I just want to remind them to adhere to all the SOPs set by the authorities as they are in the interest of the larger public," he said.
Hindu devotees celebrate Thaipusam on the full moon day of the Tamil month of 'Thai'. Next year, that date falls on Jan 28.
Every year, thousands of devotees follow the chariots by foot along its route of about 8km before it reaches the Arulmigu Balathandayuthapani Temple and Nattukkottai Chettiar Temple in Jalan Kebun Bunga here during the Thaipusam festival. - Bernama