Malaysia Hindus to the temple near Kuala Lumpur to attend Thaipusam festival, said that corona virus can not be transmitted in "holy places".

Tens of thousands of people today flock to the Batu Caves temple complex on the outskirts of Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia to attend the annual Thaipusam festival, an occasion for them to pay homage to the god Murugan in Hinduism. Many people put on iron skewers and hooks to show their devotion, despite concerns about the new pandemic coronary pneumonia (nCoV) pneumonia.

Devotees go barefoot, climbing 272 steps to reach the temple with offerings, including bottles of milk that will then be smashed at the offering. Many people show their enthusiasm by carrying heavy metal structures on their shoulders, called "kavadis," with many metal pieces embedded in the flesh.

Others stabbed themselves in the face or attached many hooks and chains to their bodies as an act of penance.

The number of people who came to Batu Caves to attend the "corpse" festival this year was as crowded as in previous years, despite the risk of spreading nCoV. The majority of festival participants do not wear masks, only a few take precautions against viruses.

Navindran Arumugam, a Hindu, said he was worried about nCoV, but he was not afraid of spreading the disease in the "holy place".

Before the Thaipusam festival, devotees pray daily, abstain from sex and fast for weeks. Nearly all 32 million Malays are Muslims. Murugan is highly revered in southern India and the Tamil community in Southeast Asia.

Epidemic pneumonia caused by nCoV caused from Wuhan City, Hubei Province, China. The epidemic has now spread to 26 countries and territories around the world, leaving at least 724 people dead and more than 34,000 infected. Malaysia currently has 16 confirmed cases of nCoV infection, mostly Chinese tourists.