Five-day auspicious and elaborate Mahakumbhabhishekham (consecration) ceremony at Sri Pasupathinath Temple in Bukit Padang neighborhood of Sabah’s capital Kota Kinabalu in East Malaysia will reportedly conclude on June eight.
It will be its third Mahakumbhabhishekham, which is held every 12 years. It will include five days of rituals by a team of 15 priests starting June four. Bathing of the kalasam of the temple tower by sacred water from India’s river Ganga, considered holy by Hindus, on June eight will be the supreme moment of the ceremonies, reports suggest.
According to reports, Temple completed some important renovations recently, which included building a new entrance tower. Dr K. Mathavan is Temple president while Siva Sri Muthukkumara is the head priest.
Distinguished Hindu statesman Rajan Zed, in a statement in Nevada (USA) today, commended the Hindu community in Sabah for keeping the traditions alive and said that it was important to pass on Hindu spirituality, concepts and traditions to coming generations amidst so many distractions in the consumerist society.
Quoting scriptures, Zed, who is President of Universal Society of Hinduism, suggested Sabah and worldwide Hindu community: conquer your passions and senses; meditate; keep your heart pure and full of love; seek higher knowledge; and realize Self which is deathless, source of all light and knows all.
Rajan Zed requested declaration of Thaipusam as a public holiday in Sabah enabling more community members to celebrate it together. According to reports, presently Thaipusam is a public holiday in Kuala Lumpur, Putrajaya, Kedah, Johor, Negeri Sembilan, Perak, Penang and Selangor.
One of Southeast Asia’s most vibrant economies, Malaysia is among the world’s biggest producers of rubber, timber and palm oil and offers dense rainforests, great beaches and excellent scenery. Lonely Planet has called it “multicultural buffet of Malay, Chinese and Indian flavours” and “safest, most stable and easiest to manage in Southeast Asia”. Besides Malay, English and Chinese; Tamil, Telugu and Malayalam are also major languages. Although Islam is the state religion, constitution guarantees freedom of religion. Major religions include Islam, Buddhism, Christianity, Hinduism (about 6.3%), Taoism, Confucianism and Sikhism. Tuanku Abdul Halim is Head of State while Dato’ Sri Mohammad Najib bin Tun Abdul Razak is Prime Minister.
Sabah, second largest of the 13 states, is located in Borneo Island and contains Mount Kinabalu, the highest mountain in South-East Asia. “It’s hard not to love this town”, comments Lonely Planet about Kota Kinabalu, a major fishing destination and one of the fastest growing cities of Malaysia. Abidin Madingkir is the Mayor.
Hinduism, oldest and third largest religion of the world, has about one billion adherents and moksh (liberation) is its ultimate goal.