10-ft pot in Batu Caves for Ponggal

Visitors to Batu Caves, Selangor, who are often awed by the huge statue of Lord Murugan have another big attraction-a 10ft pot in conjunction with the first Ponggal celebration.

Ravi Chandran Shanmugen, who came with his whole family was proud to be part of the first big celebration held at the famous limestone hill tourist spot.

“In the past 40 years, I have never seen such a big pot used for this Ponggal festival,” he said.

The event was officiated by MIC president Datuk Seri G. Palanivel.

"The 10ft pot can accommodate 18,500 litres of milk. We hope this will attract more visitors especially the younger generation to come and participate in the Ponggal celebration,” he said.

Ponggal, which translates to ‘boiling over’ is celebrated by the Tamil community in the middle of January. It marks the movement of the sun toward north or Uttarayan.

The celebration is usually held in home among family members but this year, the Tamil community are able to share the festivity at Batu Caves with enough milk supplies.

According to the temple committee spokesperson Vesnevathan Suphia, the pot will also be listed in the Malaysian Books Of Records for 2013.

He hoped the celebration will be held annually so that more people will excited to come and join in the festivities,” he said.