Peacock kavadi maker keeping tradition alive
LUMPUR: On Thaipusam day, Indian devotees, in yellow clothes and with bodies covered with the holy ash, would carry well-decorated ‘kavadi’ and bear pots of milk while walking towards the temple, enduring the pain to fulfil their vows.
The Tamil term ‘kavadi’ means a ‘burden’ or ‘load’, which is carried on the shoulders as a form of sacrifice to the Hindu god Lord Murugan, as an opportunity to offer their thanks when those vows are fulfilled by their deity.
Although there are many types of kavadi, kavadi maker Selvaraja Kaliyaperumal has pledged to only make ‘Mayil Kavadi’ (one made of peacock feathers) as a symbol to preserve the tradition because the peacock is believed to be the sacred vehicle of Lord Murugan.
The 54-year-old man’s love for constructing peacock kavadi has never wavered since he learned the art of kavadi-making from his late father, 25 years ago, and is now inherited by his two sons, S Teenesh, 27, and S Satish Raj, 25.
“Since those days, I only made kavadi made of peacock feathers because the original kavadi was from peacock feathers; besides, peacock kavadi is more beautiful and natural, compared with the artificial kavadi.
“Our main kavadi are for rentals for devotees in the Sri Subramaniar Swamy Temple, in Batu Caves, Selangor, where peacock kavadi have been famous in this temple for every Thaipusam celebration since those days,” he told Bernama.
The trio’s kavadis receive high demand every year, and a few orders come from overseas, including South Africa and Mauritius.
Meanwhile, Satish said to add more vibrancy to peacock feather kavadi, they would add some decorations with light-emitting diode (LED) lights to make it look more attractive, particularly at night.
“We imported the LED lights and peacock feathers from India. We used roughly 1,000 to 3,000 peacock feathers for one kavadi and around 10,000 peacock feathers for seven kavadis,” he said, adding that this year, kavadi rentals ranged from RM800 to RM1,300, depending on the size and design.
Apart from peacock kavadi, there are ‘Paal Kavadi’ (devotees carrying pots filled with fresh cow’s milk); ‘Panneer Kavadi’ (bearers carrying sanctified water or rose water); ‘Karambu Kavadi,’, usually performed by parents who have been blessed with a child and will carry him or her with sugar cane poles to express their gratitude; and ‘Pushpa Kavadi’ (flowers kavadi).
Thaipusam is observed by Hindus all over the world in the month of ‘Thai’ in the Tamil calendar, to commemorate the act of Goddess Parvati presenting the ‘vel’ (lance) to her son Lord Murugan, as an embodiment of her ‘shakti’ or power to vanquish the evil Soorapadman and restore peace and well-being.
Besides Batu Caves, Thaipusam, which falls on Jan 25 this year, is also celebrated in a big way at the Sri Arulmigu Balathandayuthabani Temple, located on a hill in Penang, and Arul Subramaniar Temple, close to the Cheruh limestone hills in Ipoh, Perak. — Bernama