As part of Thaipusam celebrations, men carry kavadis to honour Lord Murgan, the destroyer of evil. Kavadis exist in various forms, and the one depicted in this postcard is a simpler version that takes on the shape of a hawker's storehouse, a wooden arch carried on the shoulder with two baskets on each end; the baskets contain offerings such as rice and milk for the Lord. This man is also pierced with a skewer - known as 'vels', or symbolic spears - through the tongue, another common practice during the festival.
