Photos: Thaipusam processions held in Malaysia, India ahead of lunar eclipse

Ahead of today's total lunar eclipse, Hindu devotees across Malaysia, Singapore, India, Sri Lanka celebrated the annual Thaipusam festival, with many piercing their skin with hooks and skewers to show devotion to the deity Murugan.

Updated on: Jan 31, 2018 4:48 PM IST

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A boy walks over embers as he takes part in the Thaipusam festival in Chennai. Hundreds of thousands of Hindus across Malaysia, Singapore, India and Sri Lanka celebrated the annual festival, with many piercing their skin with hooks and skewers to show devotion to the deity Murugan. (P. Ravikumar / REUTERS)

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Devotees climb the steps to Batu Caves during the Thaipusam festival in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Thaipusam marks the day when the goddess Parvathi gave her son Murugan a powerful lance to fight demons. It is observed mainly in countries with a significant ethnic Tamil population. (Lai Seng Sin / REUTERS)

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An Ethnic-Malaysian Hindu devotee (C) dances as she makes her way towards the Batu caves temple. (Manan Vatsyayana / AFP)

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A devotee (C) is tied with ropes, hooked to his back as he dances in penance during Thaipusam celebrations in Kuala Lumpur. (Manan Vatsyayana / AFP)

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A devotee performs a ritual bath during the festival in Malaysia. Thousands thronged the Batu Caves on the outskirts of the capital in the early hours, walking barefoot up the 272 steps towards the site’s limestone hilltop shrine. (Sadiq Asyraf / AP)

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As many as 40,000 people attended this year’s procession in Singapore, ahead of a total lunar eclipse on Wednesday night. (Roslan Rahman / AFP)

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A man carries a “kavadi” balancing milk pots as offerings on his shoulder as he proceeds towards a temple in Kuala Lumpur. (Manan Vatsyayana / AFP)

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A devotee with hooks pierced into his back participates in the Thaipusam procession in Kuala Lumpur. (Lai Seng Sin / REUTERS)

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A devotee cleans himself with milk during the festival at Batu Caves. (Sadiq Asyraf / AP)

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With the eclipse is taking place from 6:51 pm to 11:11 pm this year, the procession - which lasted about 24 hours in past years - had been cut short as temples close after sunset in Singapore. (Manan Vatsyayana / AFP)