Devotees take part in a Hindu religious procession to mark the Panguni Uthiram festival on April 5, 2023 in New Delhi, India
Tamilians living in the national capital alongside also gathered at various Tamil temples to mark one of their most important festivals, ‘Panguni Uthiram’.
On the occasion, many of the devotees who believed that their Lord Murugan (Kartikeya), the eldest son of Lord Shiva, had granted their wishes, pierced their tongues and faces, irrespective of gender or age, and walked the streets to commemorate and thank Him. Many men also pierced their backs with hooks, roped to vehicles and chariots. As they pulled the vehicles, other devotees cheered them on.

During the event, devotees walk from Mariyamman temple to Nizamuddin Periyyai, another temple in Jalvihar, a distance of 2 km. Throughout the march, They beat drums, chant, dance and make way for the other devotees who have pierced their bodies to walk behind them, while devotees with hook piercings on their back pulls vehicles and chariots that have images of lord Kartikeya on them.