Kavadi

A bamboo yoke topped with semicircular splints of bamboo that is carried
on a devotee’s (bhakta) shoulders during certain festivals devoted to the god
Murugan. A kavadi is usually decorated with flowers, pictures, ribbons, and
other ornaments. A devotee carrying a
kavadi is inviting Murugan to descend
and rest upon it, bestowing his grace
through divine possession. Carrying a
kavadi is usually done to fulfill a vow
often made when asking Murugan for
some favor, such as healing or deliverance from other distress. This can be
360
Katyayana Smrti
an extremely strenuous rite: Fully
loaded kavadis sometimes weigh one
hundred pounds. The carriers sometimes secure the kavadis by using
metal hooks stuck into the flesh of
their backs and chests. Carrying the
kavadi is seen as an act of devotion
and can be found wherever the worship of Murugan is popular: in southern India, at Kataragama in Sri Lanka,
in Malaysia, and in South Africa.