Akar Nusa
Before dawn, near Kuala Lumpur. A long line of people, many carrying offerings, moves toward a limestone hill. A drum sets the pace. Ahead, a tall golden figure stands at the foot of the steps.
The story
Thaipusam is a Tamil Hindu festival. Its name joins the Tamil month of Thai with the star Pusam, since it falls on the first full moon of Thai when the Pusam star is in place. It marks the victory of the god Murugan over the demon Surapadman, won with a vel, a spear given to him by his mother, Parvati.
Devotees take vows and prepare by praying, eating vegetarian food, fasting and keeping to a clean way of life. On the day, some carry a kavadi, a burden carried as an offering, often with pots of milk. Some also pierce their skin as a sign of devotion. In 2026 Thaipusam fell on Sunday, 1 February.
In Malaysia the festival is linked most closely to the Batu Caves near Kuala Lumpur, where thousands gather. A temple to Murugan sits in the largest cave. The temple was completed in 1891, and a Tamil trader named K. Thamboosamy helped to promote the site as a place of worship. The yearly Thaipusam celebrations began there in 1892. Wooden steps were put in around 1920, and 272 concrete steps followed in 1940. A gold-painted statue of Murugan, 42.7 metres tall, was unveiled in January 2006.
The limestone of the hill is more than 400 million years old, though the caves themselves are much younger, perhaps 60 to 120 million years. Penang has another major Thaipusam centre, the Arulmigu Balathandayuthapani Temple. Thaipusam is a state holiday in several Malaysian states, including Kuala Lumpur, Penang and Selangor.
Thaipusam is a state holiday in several Malaysian states. It is also a national holiday in Mauritius, and Tamil Nadu declared it a public holiday in 2021. The festival is old and it is kept in many countries, wherever Tamil communities have settled.
Where you can still see it today
- Batu Caves, Selangor: the steps, the cave temple and the golden Murugan.
- Penang's Arulmigu Balathandayuthapani Temple, a major site for the festival.
- The festival itself, held each year in the Tamil month of Thai. Many visitors of all communities come to watch with respect.
If you visit, dress modestly, follow the signs and ask before taking close photographs of devotees.
What DNA can tell, and what it cannot
DNA cannot tell the story of a festival. Faith is a matter of belief, family and practice. This page has no mother-line or father-line tie, and we have not made one up.
The Tamil community in Malaysia has its own history of migration, and our region estimate may point a Malaysian we have tested toward South Asia. A region estimate cannot say whether someone is Tamil, Hindu or a devotee. DNA does not decide race, religion or any legal status.
