THE Sri Mariamman Temple along Lebuh Queen, which was one of two centres of the Thaipusam celebrations that ended on Monday, Feb 9, is one of the oldest Hindu places of worship in George Town. Its history dates back to the early 19th century (read more about it here in iGeorgeTown and elsewhere, here, here and flickr here). For more on Thaipusam, the celebration of the birthday of Lord Murugan, youngest son of Shiva and Parvati, wiki here and elsewhere, here and here.

As in other Hindu temples, a host of deities in it are linked to ancient beliefs. In the slideshow here, we have featured:

• Shiva, a major Hindu god (seated, wiki here for more)
• Lakshmi, the goddess of wealth (wiki here)
• Murugan or Lord Subramaniam, god of war who symbolises bravery and courage (wiki here)
• Mariamman, goddess who nurtures and nurses; also prayed for fertility (wiki here)
• Ganesha who represents wisdom and intellect, and is regarded as a remover of obstacles (wiki here)
• The dancing Shiva with his consort

The Thaipusam festivities in Penang drew a record crowd of 800,000 to fulfil their vows. According to the NST Online report: "More than 800,000 Hindu devotees braved the blazing sun to fulfil their vows on the second day of Thaipusam today. It was a sight to behold as devotees carrying kavadi walked three kilometres along Jalan Air Terjun to the hilltop temple near the Botanical Gardens. Overseas tourists were enthralled by the act of penance - the devotees moving in a trance with their kavadi with hooks piercing their skin." Read here.

The following are three human interest stories carried in The Star newspaper recently:

• A celebration of devotion by Star production editor D Raj on his 30-year-old annual Thaipusam ritual. Read here.
• Devotee helps fulfil uncles's devotion rite, about a 37-year-old interior designer who performed a rare spiritual penance in Penang in conjunction with Thaipusam. Read here.
• Meet Kumar the kavadi maker, about a 26-year-old guy who inherited the trade from his grandfather. Read here.
• Journey of faith with interviews with people who are fulfilling their vows. Read here.

Click through pictures for slideshow.

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