Hindu devotees put on wince-inducing displays of devotion as they take part in the Thaipusam festival.
Paticipants, largely drawn from the Tamil community, pray and fast before taking part in a procession. Along the way, they engage in devotional acts such as piercing their tongues, cheeks and skin with skewers and barbs. The painful ritual is performed to request help from the Hindu god Murugan.
The event is held on the day of the full moon in the Tamil month of Thai (January/February).
A Malaysian Hindu devotee with his cheeks pierced with a skewer waits to perform a pilgrimage to the sacred Batu Caves temple during the Thaipusam festival in which devotees subject themselves to painful rituals in a demonstration of faith and penanceReutersA Hindu devotee has his back pierced with hooks and weighed down with limes before starting his pilgrimage to the sacred Batu Caves temple during the Thaipusam festival in MalaysiaReutersA devotee has his tongue pierced during Thaipusam festival in SingaporeReutersA Hindu devotee prays near a river, before a pilgrimage to the sacred Batu Caves TempleReutersDevotees are pictured into the sacred Batu Caves Temple during last year's Thaipusam festivalReutersTourists take photos of a devotee pulling a chariot with hooks pierced into his back during the Thaipusam festival in SingaporeReutersA devotee who had his back pierced prepares to carry a milk jug during Thaipusam festival in SingaporeReutersDevotees carry milk jugs during Thaipusam festival in SingaporeReutersA Malaysian Hindu devotee has his cheeks pierced with a skewer in a demonstration of faithReutersA man pours milk over his body before visiting the Batu Caves TempleReutersHindu devotees have their backs pierced and hooked with limes before their pilgrimage to the Batu Caves TempleReutersA Hindu devotee, his face painted blue, prepares to embark on a pilgrimage to Batu Caves Temple in MalaysiaReuters
