Panguni Uthiram, a Hindu festival similar in the way it is celebrated to the better known Thaipusam, is celebrated during the full moon in the Tamil month of Panguni (which falls in March or April). In Singapore, the tradition is observed at the Holy Tree Sri Balasubramaniar temple, a temple now at Yishun Industrial Park A with its origins in the British Naval Base. The original temple was located off Canberra Road and it was there that the festival was first celebrated at the temple in 1967.
The lively festival, which unfortunately music and singing has been disallowed (along the procession route), features both a procession of the Silver Chariot on the eve and a kavadi procession on the day itself. More on the festival and photographs from the previous festivals can be found at these links:
- Holy Tree Sri Balasubramaniar Temple History
- Colours of April: The Hindu festival of Panguni Uthiram (2014)
- The Silver Chariot return (2013)
- The sun rises on a Sembawang traditionn (2012)
- A lesser known Hindu festival with a kavadi procession: Panguni Uthiram (2011)
Filed under: Devotion, Events, Forgotten Places, Photography Series, Reminders of Yesterday, Sembawang, Singapore, Traditions
