A little bit of learning. Batu Caves is located in Gombak, Selangor, Malaysia, approximately 13 kilometers from the city of KL. This is one of the most popular and iconic tourist spots in Kuala Lumpur. It's name is taken from the Sungai Batu (Batu River), which flows past the hill. It consists of 3 main caves and a number of smaller ones, and these are made up of limestones. The cave is said to be dedicated to Lord Murugan and is the focal point of Hindu festival of Thaipusam in Malaysia. The Taipusam Festival is a celebration for the son of Shiva and the becoming "one" of Pusan and Brihaspati stars (yeah, I don't understand it either but that is the story behind the caves haha). When they celebrate this festival, as many as 800,000 devotees flock the caves, some of them doing some form of penance, such as piercing their skin with metal hooks or skewers, carrying pitchers or jug towards the top of the caves. This festival is held in the tenth month of the Hindu calendar, which is mostly during the end of January.
Once you step out of the train station, Batu Caves is just a bit of a walk away. Look for the parking lot and then head towards it, the entrance is just near. Or just look for the really huge green bird-like statue and go towards it, you won't miss it at all.
We were already snapping pictures like crazy and we were just at the entrance, we weren't even at the caves itself. It was just such a feast in the eyes, all the huge statues, the little statues depicting Hindu culture, lots of very colourful designs all around. It was a bit overwhelming, you don't know which one to take pictures next haha, so we just snapped away.
So there are three main caves in the Batu Caves temple complex, and a couple of few smaller ones. One of the caves, called the Ramayana Cave, is located near the Hanuman statue and near the side entrance of the place. The Ramayana Cave depicts the story of Rama in a chronicle manner along the irregular walls of the cave. However, we weren't able to go inside as there were a few people praying and we did not want to disturb them.
As you trudged on, you would be passing a lot of stores selling some souvenirs but I think they are more expensive compared to the ones being sold at the city center so just avoid them. Going further ahead, you will pass by a place with a huge pond and lots of koi's in it. This is the Cave Villa or the Art Gallery and Museum Caves. There is an entrance fee for this, RM15 (169php) for non-Malaysians, and RM7 (79php) for Malaysians. According to it's website, it has plenty of attractions, such as the huge koi pond (I think this is the only one you can see and not pay the entrance fee), a restaurant, reptile galore, art galleries consisting of Hindu paintings and statues, and there is, apparently, an audio tour if you opt to get one. We didn't enter the Cave Villa as several blogs stated that the condition of the place is not like before, and it's not as beautiful as it was advertised. We did get to see the pond though.
As you get nearer and nearer the caves, you would finally see the huge statue of Lord Murugan. In front of the statue is a huge space with lots of pigeons all around. You can feed them, take pictures with them, or chase them, whatever you like haha. We opted to chase them and take pictures. Also, across it are several Hindu restaurants if you want to eat and take a breather.
After you've had your fair share of pigeon playing, just turn around, and there it is. The huge Lord Murugan Statue. It has been recognized as the "World's Tallest Murugan Statue". It has a height of 42.7 meters or 140 feet. It is not made of gold (I really thought it was) but instead painted with a gold paint. This is one of the reasons why tourists flock to Batu Caves, to see this amazing statue.
Of course, the Batu Caves tour does not end with picture taking with Lord Murugan. You still have to climb the stairs going up to the Temple Cave and the main Batu Caves itself. Specifically, 272 steps of stairs. It is high, and very tiring, very hot, but it will be all worth it once you get to the top and see the view and the caves. The stairs are a bit narrow and steep, so be very careful, and just hold on to the railings if you feel a bit out of breath. Also, another important note, all around the caves are the Macaque Monkeys. There are a lot of them. They're basically harmless, unless, they see something they want to snatch from you, such as a water bottle, foods, sometimes even cameras. So hold on to your belongings very tightly or keep them inside your bags. Also, do take note that once a monkey reaches for something from your hand, just let it go, there has been some blog reports that states that if you don't let go of the item they want, they might bite you. So yeah, monkey bites should not be a part of your travel itinerary.
There is another cave located just before the Temple Cave. This is called the Dark Cave located at step #200. By the way, the steps have numbers on it so you would know how many steps you've already taken. Anyway, the Dark Cave is one of the main caves located at Batu Caves. It is a 2km long passageway in which you would see a diverse range of cave faunas, various cave formations, such as stalactite, stalagmite, etc. It is also home to the rarest spider in the world, the Trapdoor spider (Liphistius batuensis). You can opt to enter and tour there, which lasts approximately 45minutes but it does have an entrance fee of RM35 (395php). Opening hours of the Dark Cave are Tuesday to Friday 10am to 5pm, and on Saturdays and Sundays, it is 10:30am to 5:30pm. So we opted not to go inside as well, but if you do have time and the extra cash, don't miss out on this cave. A lot of blogs says that it is very worth it to go inside.
The climb was a bit tiring, especially for us who are sedentary human beings haha. But once you've reached the top and you look at the view from there, every tired bone in your body would just come alive and get excited once again.
And again, the tour does not end there! There are still some caves to explore inside. So, after a bit of a rest on top (there is a bench there), we trudged on inside the Temple Cave. At the top sits the main deity, Sri Murugan, however when we were there, he was nowhere in sight and there was a small construction going on at the entrance of the cave. Once inside the cave, you would see a very high vaulted ceiling, with a height of 100meters, and all around the caves are various rock formations which are very beautiful.
The inside is a bit dark, but at the far end, there is a hole in the ceiling wherein light passes through and it was very beautiful and serene. Also at the far end, there is a small temple area where people are praying and offering some fruits and vegetables, and there is also another set of stairway going up again, which is the area of the upper cave where the Valli Davanai Temple is located. For me, this small set of stairway are more tiring to climb up to because it's very steep and narrow. And these are where most of the monkeys are hanging out.
Once you go up the second set of stairs, you would be greeted once again with a lot of beautiful rock formation, as well as the last temple in the caves, the Valli Davanai Temple. And of course, some monkeys are also there. One even attempted to rob the temple of its fruit offerings, cheeky monkey! You can pray inside the temple, I think you just have to give some offering before going inside.
We spent around 30 minutes inside the caves before going back down the 272 steps of stairs. By the way, near the entrance of the cave are numerous stores selling souvenir items. Do not buy from them as the price is steeper then the ones in the city center. The walk down wasn't boring as well since there where a lot of statues and views all around so remember to look around and take pictures if you can. I'm just going to dump a number of pictures here so you would see what I was talking about.
Batu Caves is a must to visit place if you are in Kuala Lumpur. It's free, it's very accessible, and you can learn a lot about the Hindu culture, their beliefs and traditions. It's a bit of a touristy spot since it's very famous, but, still, it possesses a kind of charm that would make you want to go back here again and again. And if you do go here, spend around 2-3 hours in the vicinity, take it slow, don't rush, because there are a lot of things to see in this place. With regards to taking tours, we don't think it's mandatory because it's quite easy to tour by yourself around the place. So, yeah, two thumbs up for Batu Caves!
OTHER WAYS TO GET TO BATU CAVES:
By Public Bus: (convenient if your hotel or you are near the Sentul Timur-Ampang LRT Lines)
- Take the LRT line of Sentul Timur to Ampang and get off Plaza Rakyat Station
- From there, go to the Bankok Bank Terminal (Near the Puduraya Terminus)
- Take the 11/11D Bus going to Batu Caves
- Take the LRT line of Sentul Timur to Ampang and get of Titiwangsa Station
- From there, take the U6 Bus going to Batu Caves
From Batu Caves, we hopped on back to the KTM Komuter and set off to go to Merdeka Square!
USEFUL WEBSITES:
Batu Caves
Cave Villa Website
Dark Caves Website
Read more:
The Ultimate Kuala Lumpur-Singapore Vacation Leave: Preparation Phase
The Ultimate Kuala Lumpur-Singapore Vacation Leave: Arrival At KL
The Ultimate Kuala Lumpur-Singapore Vacation Leave: Getting Lost at KL Sentral
The Ultimate Kuala Lumpur-Singapore Vacation Leave: First Glimpse of the Petronas Twin Towers
The Ultimate Kuala Lumpur-Singapore Vacation Leave: Food Trip Galore at Jalan Alor
The Ultimate Kuala Lumpur-Singapore Vacation Leave: First Breakfast at KL and How to Go to Batu Caves
The Ultimate Kuala Lumpur-Singapore Vacation Leave: Strolling Around Merdeka Square
The Ultimate Kuala Lumpur-Singapore Vacation Leave: Central Market Food Trip
The Ultimate Kuala Lumpur-Singapore Vacation Leave: Getting to know Putrajaya
The Ultimate Kuala Lumpur-Singapore Vacation Leave: Climbing the Kuala Lumpur Tower
The Ultimate Kuala Lumpur-Singapore Vacation Leave: Bye Malaysia, Hello Singapore!
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