Thaipusam Hindu festival

!Kaggen · 19th September 2009, 01:18 PM

I watched a National Geographic feature on this festival the other day and was intrigued.

I found this 3 part documentary on youtube about the festival.

part 1
part 2
part 3

and this website with nice pictures

http://www.squidoo.com/thaipusan

Apparently some devotees put themselves into a trance with the help of others chanting before the piercings in order that they do not feel the pain and others forgo the trance to get the full pain experience.
On the Nat. Geo. program they follow a student and a businessman. The businessman goes into a trance and has his cheeks pierced and carries a 90 pound sculpture on his shoulders for 5 hours through the streets before ascending the 272 stairs to the temple at Batu caves. The student just gets hooks with weights implanted in his back. Must be about 50 or more and then also a cheek piercing. The businessman kept a very calm and focused expression throughout the event except for looking a bit tired.
The student however looked crazier and crazier the longer the event went on until when he got to the temple stairs his eyes were huge and his pupils massively dilated and was acting like a wild thing.
It appears that this experience of intense pain for such a long time would have released excessive amounts of adrenaline until a "spiritual" feeling was achieved. This is very obvious in the student. As he collapsed with exhaustion and became unconscious for a short time after the hooks and piercings were removed. A sign of adrenaline fatigue. The businessman was also tired, but this could be expected from carrying 90 pounds for 5 hours.
It certainly seems like a possible explanation for the origin of much religion. Simply pain which leads to excess adrenaline and the resulting alternate state of consciousness. Of course observers would see the show as a sign of divine intervention.

Started me thinking about Christianity, crucifixion and the concept of mortification of the flesh.

Any further thoughts?

19th September 2009, 01:18 PM	#1
!Kaggen Graduate Poster Join Date: Jul 2009 Location: Home Posts: 1,181	Thaipusam Hindu festival I watched a National Geographic feature on this festival the other day and was intrigued. I found this 3 part documentary on youtube about the festival. part 1 part 2 part 3 and this website with nice pictures http://www.squidoo.com/thaipusan Apparently some devotees put themselves into a trance with the help of others chanting before the piercings in order that they do not feel the pain and others forgo the trance to get the full pain experience. On the Nat. Geo. program they follow a student and a businessman. The businessman goes into a trance and has his cheeks pierced and carries a 90 pound sculpture on his shoulders for 5 hours through the streets before ascending the 272 stairs to the temple at Batu caves. The student just gets hooks with weights implanted in his back. Must be about 50 or more and then also a cheek piercing. The businessman kept a very calm and focused expression throughout the event except for looking a bit tired. The student however looked crazier and crazier the longer the event went on until when he got to the temple stairs his eyes were huge and his pupils massively dilated and was acting like a wild thing. It appears that this experience of intense pain for such a long time would have released excessive amounts of adrenaline until a "spiritual" feeling was achieved. This is very obvious in the student. As he collapsed with exhaustion and became unconscious for a short time after the hooks and piercings were removed. A sign of adrenaline fatigue. The businessman was also tired, but this could be expected from carrying 90 pounds for 5 hours. It certainly seems like a possible explanation for the origin of much religion. Simply pain which leads to excess adrenaline and the resulting alternate state of consciousness. Of course observers would see the show as a sign of divine intervention. Started me thinking about Christianity, crucifixion and the concept of mortification of the flesh. Any further thoughts?
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