Hundreds of thousands of Hindus are celebrating the annual Thaipusam festival which sees devotees carrying offerings to places of worship and piercing their skin with hooks and skewers to show devotion to Murugan.

Hindu devotees climb the steps to Batu Caves during Thaipusam in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, January 21, 2019.
Hindu devotees climb the steps to Batu Caves during Thaipusam in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, January 21, 2019. (Reuters)

Hindu devotees are celebrating the festival of Thaipusam, seeking divine blessings with offerings ranging from piercing their bodies with hooks and spears to carrying large floats on a pilgrimage to the Batu Cave temple near the Malaysian capital.

The cave is one of the most popular Tamil shrines outside India, and is dedicated to Hindu god Murugan, and is the focal point of the Thaipusam festival.

Hindu devotees carry milk pots on their heads as they gather at a shrine in Batu Caves during Thaipusam in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, January 21, 2019.
Hindu devotees carry milk pots on their heads as they gather at a shrine in Batu Caves during Thaipusam in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, January 21, 2019. (Reuters)

The festival is observed on the day of the full moon during the Tamil calendar month of Thai, and celebrated in honour of Murugan.

A devotee's arm is pierced during the Thaipusam festival in Singapore, January 21, 2019.
A devotee's arm is pierced during the Thaipusam festival in Singapore, January 21, 2019. (Reuters)

It is celebrated in a number of countries including Malaysia, Singapore, Mauritius, Sri Lanka and South Africa.

Ethnic Indians form close to seven percent of multiracial Malaysia's population.

A Hindu devotee with milk jugs hung on hooks pierced into his back participates in a procession during Thaipusam at Batu Caves in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, January 21, 2019.
A Hindu devotee with milk jugs hung on hooks pierced into his back participates in a procession during Thaipusam at Batu Caves in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, January 21, 2019. (Reuters)

"It's amazing, I think a lot of Malaysian don't understand devotion towards god so they should experience Thaipusam and try to understand what devotion means to Hindu," said 27-year-old visitor Aishah Abdullah in Kuala Lumpur.

A Hindu devotee gets his cheeks pierced during Thaipusam at Batu Caves in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, January 21, 2019.
A Hindu devotee gets his cheeks pierced during Thaipusam at Batu Caves in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, January 21, 2019. (Reuters)

The date of Thaipusam changes every year and is based on the full moon day in the month of Thai in the Hindu calendar. 

A devotee's back is hooked to a chariot during the Thaipusam festival in Singapore, January 21, 2019.
A devotee's back is hooked to a chariot during the Thaipusam festival in Singapore, January 21, 2019. (Reuters)
A devotee has his tongue pierced during the Thaipusam festival in Singapore, January 21, 2019.
A devotee has his tongue pierced during the Thaipusam festival in Singapore, January 21, 2019. (Reuters)
Source: TRTWorld and agencies