Murti’s face looked very tense, his

Murti’s face looked very tense, his clenched fists showing white knuckles as his cheeks were about to be pierced with a long iron rod.

However, the 19-year-old youth expressed no pain as the trident-shaped metal spike was driven through both sides of his face by a priest in the ritual of Maha Puja Panguni Uthiram in Sei Semayam, Deli Serdang regency, North Sumatra on March 22.

No blood was shed from Murti’s penetrated cheeks. The same was true when the priest stuck dozens of fishhooks into his body following the cheek perforation, with no apparent injuries or blood.

Murti said he was participating in the Panguni Uthiram ritual for the first time. His participation in the Hindu festival was meant to fulfill a nazar (vow) he had made.

“My vow was that after finishing vocational high school, I would take part in the Panguni Uthiram. Today I’m fulfilling that vow,” Murti told The Jakarta Post moments before the ritual was held at Shri Maha Murugan Temple in Sei Semayam.

Hundreds of members of the ethnic Indian Tamil group were involved in the religious celebration at Shri Maha Murugan.

After dining together, they paraded the image of Lord Murugan on foot to a riverbank 2 kilometers from the temple for the body-piercing ritual. Among the Tamil youths enduring the perforation were Murti and another boy .

Murti said he was taking part in the ritual with the consent of his parents. Although he admitted his apprehension about the body piercing, he had to keep his vow, otherwise he would be even more anxious over the consequences of an unfulfilled pledge.

“Nazar is like a debt, which must be settled, otherwise it will impose a burden on my life,” added Murti, hoping that by fulfilling his school-completion vow he could secure a suitable job.

Like Murti, 16-year-old , a junior high school graduate, had a strong reason for his vow. He had suffered from hematuria for five days and had promised to take part in the Panguni Uthiram after recovery.

“This is my third ritual. Since then I’ve had no more hematuria complaints,” said , who claimed he had no fear of undergoing the perforation having grown accustomed to it.

He revealed that before the ritual he had been fasting for 17 days and sleeping at the temple. During the period, his right hand had been tied with a kanggeno, or turmeric rhizome bracelet, to ward off evil influences.

“We were allowed to eat rice and vegetables and also drink, but no fish or blood-containing meat was consumed while fasting,” said , referring to the requirements applied to all ritual participants.

A Tamil community figure in Deli Serdang, Mansur, who is a Muslim, pointed out that the Panguni Uthiram tradition was not only limited to Hindus but was also appropriate for other believers.

Mansur said the ritual had originated in India and developed by citizens of Tamil descent in Indonesia. According to him, it has existed in Indonesia since 1880, when the Shri Thendayudabani Temple was built by what was known as the “Cettiaya” community from India in Lubuk Pakam, Deli Serdang.

However, Mansur said, this celebration came to a halt in the New Order era and was revived in 1999. Today the ritual is annually organized at several Tamil temples in North Sumatra.

“Panguni Uthiram is commemorated to mark the glory of Lord Murugan,” said Mansur, describing the ritual also as a means of safeguarding men against all kinds of evil and helping youths, mostly involved in the activity, avoid drug abuse and gambling

Hasil (Bahasa Indonesia) 1:

Murti wajahnya tampak sangat tegang, dia mengepalkan tinju menampilkan buku-buku putih saat pipinya hendak ditikam dengan tongkat besi panjang.Namun, pemuda berusia 19 tahun menyatakan tidak ada rasa sakit seperti lonjakan logam berbentuk trident didorong melalui kedua sisi wajahnya oleh seorang imam di upacara Puja Maha Panguni Uthiram di Sei Semayam, Kabupaten Deli Serdang, Sumatera Utara pada 22 Maret.Tidak ada darah yang tertumpah dari Murti merambah pipi. Sama adalah benar ketika imam terjebak puluhan fishhooks tubuhnya mengikuti perforasi pipi, tanpa jelas cedera atau darah.Murti mengatakan ia ikut serta dalam upacara Panguni Uthiram untuk pertama kalinya. Partisipasinya dalam Hindu festival itu dimaksudkan untuk memenuhi nazar (sumpah) yang dibuatnya."Kaul saya adalah bahwa setelah menyelesaikan sekolah menengah kejuruan, aku akan mengambil bagian dalam Panguni Uthiram. Hari ini saya memenuhi sumpah itu,"Murti mengatakan kepada The Jakarta Post saat sebelum upacara diadakan di Shri Maha Murugan kuil di Sei Semayam.Ratusan anggota suku India Tamil terlibat dalam perayaan keagamaan di Shri Maha Murugan.Setelah bersantap bersama-sama, mereka diarak gambar Tuhan Murugan berjalan kaki ke Sungai 2 kilometer dari Candi untuk menusuk tubuh ritual. Di antara Tamil pemuda abadi perforasi adalah Murti dan laki-laki lain.Murti mengatakan ia mengambil bagian dalam ritual dengan persetujuan dari orangtuanya. Meskipun dia mengakui ketakutan-nya tentang menusuk tubuh, ia harus tetap sumpahnya, sebaliknya dia akan bahkan lebih cemas atas konsekuensi dari janji yang tak terpenuhi."Nazar adalah seperti hutang, yang harus diselesaikan, jika tidak akan memaksakan beban pada hidup saya," ditambahkan Murti, berharap bahwa dengan memenuhi sumpahnya penyelesaian sekolah ia bisa memperoleh pekerjaan yang cocok.Seperti Murti, 16 tahun, setelah lulus SMP, punya alasan yang kuat untuk sumpahnya. Dia telah menderita dari hematuria selama lima hari dan telah berjanji untuk mengambil bagian dalam Panguni Uthiram setelah pemulihan."Ini adalah ritual ketiga saya. Sejak itu saya sudah tidak ada keluhan hematuria yang lain,"kata, yang diklaim ia tidak takut akan mengalami perforasi setelah tumbuh terbiasa dengan hal itu.Ia menyatakan bahwa sebelum upacara dia telah berpuasa selama 17 hari dan tidur di Bait Suci. Selama periode, tangan kanannya telah terikat dengan kanggeno, atau kunyit rimpang gelang, untuk menangkal pengaruh-pengaruh jahat."Kami diizinkan untuk makan nasi dan sayuran dan minuman, tetapi tidak ikan atau daging yang mengandung darah dikonsumsi saat berpuasa," mengatakan, mengacu pada persyaratan yang berlaku untuk semua peserta upacara.Sosok komunitas Tamil di Deli Serdang, Mansur, yang adalah seorang Muslim, menunjukkan bahwa tradisi Panguni Uthiram adalah tidak hanya terbatas Hindu tapi itu juga tepat bagi orang percaya yang lain.Mansur mengatakan ritual berasal dari India dan dikembangkan oleh warga keturunan Tamil di Indonesia. Menurutnya, ada di Indonesia sejak tahun 1880, Kapan Shri Thendayudabani candi ini dibangun oleh apa yang dikenal sebagai "Cettiaya" masyarakat dari India di Lubuk Pakam, Deli Serdang.Namun, perayaan ini Mansur berkata, datang berhenti di era orde baru dan dihidupkan kembali pada tahun 1999. Hari upacara setiap tahunnya diselenggarakan di beberapa candi Tamil di Sumatera Utara."Panguni Uthiram diperingati untuk menandai kemuliaan Tuhan Murugan," kata Mansur, menggambarkan ritual juga sebagai sarana untuk melindungi orang terhadap semua jenis kejahatan dan membantu pemuda, sebagian besar terlibat dalam kegiatan, menghindari penyalahgunaan narkoba dan perjudian