PETALING JAYA: Devotees have started to fulfil their vows ahead of the Thaipusam celebration that will take place next weekend.

They were seen performing their rituals of paal kodam (milk offerings) and bearing kavadi at Batu Caves in Selangor yesterday.

Batu Caves Sri Maha Mariamman Temple Devasthanam trustee Datuk N. Sivakumar said the devotees had started their rituals earlier to avoid the expected crowd that would fill up the temple from this coming Friday to Sunday.

“These early devotees have been performing paal kodam and offering their prayers as early as during the Chinese New Year and school holidays.

“Some of them wanted to avoid the crowd during the festival itself,” he said.

With the easing of Covid-19 rules, a bigger crowd is expected to throng the temple grounds just as traders, too, will be making a return for the festival.

Sivakumar estimated a turnout of about two million people throughout the event until Feb 15.

He said the temple had extended its operation hours to allow devotees to conduct their rituals as early as 4am until midnight during weekends.

“Traders who were not allowed to operate last year due to Covid-19 restrictions will also return to the temple compound.

“Preparations will start from Monday,” he said.

The last time traders were allowed to operate during the festival was in early 2020, just before the start of the pandemic and subsequent lockdown.

Thaipusam will be celebrated by Hindu devotees in Malaysia on Feb 5.