What is being carried?
A Tamil calendar puts Thai Pusam on Friday 22 January 2027. The full moon is at 12:17 UT. At Palani, at Batu Caves, and in Tamil communities in Malaysia, Singapore, Mauritius and Sri Lanka, devotees of Murugan carry a kavadi because of a vow. The range is from a milk pot to a heavy frame. The piercing belongs to the person who undertook the fast.
This is not Magha Puja, the Theravada moon in February. The page takes no tour and no picture brief.