SSC
Which Hindu festival, celebrated by Tamil communities in honour of Lord Murugan, is known for devotees carrying the 'kavadi'?
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Answer: Option A — Thaipusam
Detailed Solution
Thaipusam is a Hindu festival celebrated by Tamil communities in honour of Lord Murugan (also known as Kartikeya, Subramanya or Skanda), the son of Lord Shiva and Goddess Parvati. It is celebrated on the full moon day in the Tamil month of Thai (January-February), when the star Pusam (Pushya) is in the ascendant.
According to legend, on this day Goddess Parvati gave Lord Murugan a divine spear, called the "Vel", with which he defeated the demon Surapadman and his armies, who were troubling the gods. Thaipusam celebrates this victory of good over evil.
Thaipusam is known for the remarkable acts of devotion and penance performed by devotees. Many devotees fast for several days before the festival and then carry a "kavadi" (meaning "burden") to the temple of Murugan. A kavadi can be a simple wooden arch decorated with peacock feathers and flowers, carried on the shoulders, or a pot of milk (paal kudam) carried on the head. Some devotees pierce their skin, tongues or cheeks with small spears (vel) and hooks, as a sign of devotion and to fulfil vows. Devotees walk to the temple chanting "Vel Vel Muruga" and "Vetrivel Muruga".
In India, Thaipusam is celebrated with great devotion at the six abodes of Murugan (Arupadai Veedu) in Tamil Nadu, especially at Palani, Thiruchendur and Swamimalai. It is also celebrated on a very large scale outside India, especially at the Batu Caves near Kuala Lumpur in Malaysia, where more than a million devotees climb 272 steps to the cave temple, and in Singapore, Mauritius, Sri Lanka and other countries with Tamil communities. It is a public holiday in several states of Malaysia.
Why not the other options?
- ✗Onam is the harvest festival of Kerala.
- ✗Bihu is the festival of Assam.
- ✗Chhath is the festival of the Sun god in Bihar.
Quick tip
Remember: Thaipusam = Lord Murugan, the Vel, the kavadi, the month of Thai, Palani and the Batu Caves of Malaysia.
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Festivals & Fairs of India — Preparation
This question tests your understanding of Festivals & Fairs of India, a key topic in the General Knowledge section. The detailed solution above uses a step-by-step approach to show the reasoning, and where available, a shortcut that helps you solve similar questions in under 90 seconds during the actual exam.
This topic covers the religious, harvest, tribal and cultural festivals of India, the fairs (melas) held across the country, and the states, communities and seasons linked to them. It also includes festivals listed by UNESCO as intangible cultural heritage, such as Kumbh Mela and Durga Puja in Kolkata. Most questions ask which state celebrates a festival, which tribe it belongs to, or what event it marks. Harvest festivals are especially common: Pongal (Tamil Nadu), Onam (Kerala), Bihu (Assam), Lohri and Baisakhi (Punjab) and Nuakhai (Odisha). Fairs such as the Pushkar camel fair (Rajasthan) and the Sonepur cattle fair (Bihar) are also frequently tested. Revise festivals state by state. Practise the festivals and fairs questions below, written in the style of the general awareness sections of exams such as SSC, banking, railways, CUET GAT, MAH CET and CLAT. Each question comes with a detailed explanation that adds related facts, so every question helps you revise more than one point.