Millions of devout Hindu worshippers have stabbed and pierced themselves as a show of extreme devotion at the Thaipusam festival in Asia.
People in countries such as India, Malaysia and Singapore came together in temples to partake in the painful acts to give thanks to one of their Gods, Lord Murugan, a son of Shiva.
Although pulling skewers through their cheeks and attaching elaborate contraptions with hooks may look like unnecessary pain, Hindus believe that observing the strict rituals and prayers will cleanse them of their sins and misdeeds.
Devotees can be seen carrying milk pots to seek forgiveness whilst some will carry a kavadi, an elaborate contraption attached via strings hooks and screws into the carriers’ skin that signfies a burden.
Meanwhile, limes, which are hung from hooks on the wearers’ backs, represent protection by the deities.
Participants often prepare for the festival by fasting for 48 hours and engaging in prayer to cleanse themselves.
Celebrated on the full moon in the Tamil month of Thai the event also marks the day Hindu Goddess Parvati gave her son a lance to defeat the evil demon Soorapadam.
Sometimes stretching to three or four days, it was first celebrated at the Batu Caves in 1888, and is one of the largest and most significant Hindu public displays.
