Batu Caves – Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

May 4, 2009 in Asia

Kuala Lumpur is a popular travel destination. Many of the travelers visit the place for its attracting culture mixed with modern technology. The most attractive place in Kuala Lumpur is the Batu Caves.

Batu caves are the ancient religious Hindu holy place and one of the popular tourist attractions in Malaysia. The name is derived from the name of a nearby river known as Sungai Batu, Rocky River in the Malay Language, the National Language of Malaysia. It is not only famous for the holy place but also supports a variety of exotic wildlife.

Location of the Batu Caves
Batu Caves is located about 12 km north at Gombak district, Selangor, at Kuala Lumpur which is the capital of Malaysia. It is located close to the main highways leading to the northern parts and the eastern coast of Peninsular Malaysia. There is 272-step concrete staircase leading to the temple cave. The stairway is divided into steps which each lead to a landing. The main cave holds a shrine of Lord Subramaniam, who is considered as lord Shiva’s son. A cave gallery is located at the foot of the caves which features clay collectibles and painting which depicts various scenes from Hindu mythology.

History of the Caves:
This temple is said to be around 400 million years old. Some of the cave entrances were used as shelters by the indigenous Temuan people, one of the nomadic tribes.

As early as 1860, Chinese settlers began excavating guano for fertilizing their vegetable patches. But however, they became famous only after the limestone hills were recorded by colonial authorities including Daly and Syers as well as American Naturalist, William Hornaday in 1878 and it was promoted as a place of worship by K. Thamboosamy Pillai, an Indian trader who was inspired by the ‘vel’-shaped entrance of the main cave and has dedicated a temple to Lord Muruga within the caves. And In 1891, Pillai, who also founded the Sri Mahamariamman Temple, Kuala Lumpur, installed the murti of Sri Subramania Swamy in what is today known as the Temple Cave. Since 1892, at this temple the Thaipusam festival (Thai is considered as one of the Tamil which falls in late January/early February) has become the grand celebration at Batu caves.

In 1920, Wooden steps up to the Temple Cave were built and have since been replaced by 272 concrete steps.

Outside Batu Caves, we found the world’s tallest statue of Murugan which is standing at 42.7 meter(140.09 ft) high, which costs approximately Rupees 24 million, which is made up of  1550 cubic metres of concrete, 250 tonnes of steel bars and 300 litres of gold paint brought from neighboring Thailand.

Tourist Attractions
Throughout the year, the Temple Caves attract between 3,000 to 5,000 people daily. Batu Caves is a famous tourist destination especially during Thaipusam festival. This event attracts many devotees and spectators who come to watch devotees in a trance carrying kavadi, a metal frame attached to the body. There are also milk kavadi.

Accommodations
You will find many accommodations serving the tourists. You will find within reasonable rates. You can also enjoy the view monkeys.