Kovil Sri Maha Mariamman - Fire Walkers on the pit

The heat was already unbearable from where I was standing, thus I couldn't possibly imagine how people would be walking barefoot across those hot coals. Yet later on, men, both young and old would be doing exactly that without skin peeling off their soles

Entourage for a Hindu Goddess

Looking at the tiny umbrella and elaborate flower structure on a sedan from the back, one might be inclined to think that they were in Bali rather than Penang.

In the run up to the actual firewalking event, the Goddess was taken on a walkabout to invite and escort a bigger entourage back to the temple grounds

Firewalking festival - amazing scenes from Tanjung Bungah

If not for the banner proclaiming the firewalking event, I would have thought that I had walked right smack into a mini Thaipusam street carnival.

Still, I almost fainted when I turned around and saw this man wielding a huge blade / sickle with a lime at the tip