Batu Caves

Introduction

Batu Caves, one of the highlights in Kuala Lumpur and also a must-see in Malaysia, is a series of caves on a limestone hill located in the Gombak district in Selangor, 14 km north of the city centre.

Batu Caves

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Local aboriginal tribe, the Jakun, had been aware for a long time of the caves. However, it was only after the discovery by the intrepid American Naturalist, William Temple Hornaday (1854-1937), in 1878 that the caves started to become famous. He was attracted to the caves by a strong odour, said to be a mixture of guano and durian, while he was out hunting one day.

Awestruck by the caves he discovered, he described his find:

We found ourselves in a grand cathedral. We walked along a grand gallery with clean and level floor, perpendicular walls and gothic roof, like the nave of a cathedral, 50 feet (15.2 metres) wide and 60 feet (18.3 metres) high. At the far end, the roof rose in a great round dome 90 or 100 feet high perfectly resembling St. Peter's in Rome.^[1]

It did become a place for worship later.

In 1891, Hindu devotees established a temple in the grand cathedral discovered by Hornaday. The cave became a shrine for Lord Murugan, a Hindu deity popular among the Tamils. Since then, Hindu devotees started making pilgrimages to the caves, climbing up the jagged rocks to the temple cave about 50 metres above the ground.

Batu Caves

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In 1920, wooden steps were built to the cave temple. These were later replaced with concrete ones that can be seen today. There are altogether 272 steps leading up to the temple cave.

After 3 years of construction, a statue of Lord Murugan was unveiled in January 2006 in conjunction with the annual Thaipusam festival. At the height of 42.7 metres, it is believed to be the tallest Lord Murugan statue in the world.

Thaipusam is a Hindu festival celebrating the birthday of Lord Murugan. This event usually falls at the end of January. Hindu devotees will offer kavadi to the Lord as a purpose to turn away a misfortune. To be a kavadi bearer, one has to go through prayer and fasting to cleanse themselves. Kavadi bearers also have to perform rituals at the time of assuming the kavadi and at the time of offering it to Lord Murugan. There are many kinds of kavadi (burdens). It varies from as simple as carrying a pot of milk to mortification of skins by piercing the skin, cheeks, or/and tongue with vel skewers.^[2]

Two days before the actual date of this festival, a procession will begin at Sri Mahamariamman Temple, the oldest temple in Kuala Lumpur, located next to Chinatown in the heart of the city. This procession involves a pair of horses pulling a silver chariot carrying the statuettes of Lord Murugan and his consorts, Valli and Teivayanni, from the temple to Batu Caves for the celebration.

Thaipusam Festival

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Every year, this festival alone attracts over a million Hindu devotees and thousands of visitors to Batu Caves for the celebration.

Opening Hours

0700 hrs - 1900 hrs

Cost

Entry to the temple cave is free.

Getting There

By Train

Train: The existing railroad beside the caves is currently being upgraded for the extension of the KTM commuter train service from Sentul. Once completed, visitors will be able to travel from KL Sentral to the caves. Service is expected to commence in mid-2009.

Monorail: The KL Monorail starts from KL Sentral and runs through Bukit Bintang and Chow Kit terminating at the Titiwangsa terminal. The end-to-end journey takes about 20 minutes and the maximum fare is RM2.50 one way. At Titiwangsa, change to RapidKL bus route U6 which will take you right to the caves. Inform the bus driver of your destination so that he will know in advance to stop for you in case you missed pressing the bell. The fare is RM2 and is a day pass for all trunk routes (U-prefix routes). Keep the ticket for the return journey.

By Car

Batu Caves is located at the northern section of the Middle Ring Road II. If you're coming from the city centre, drive along Jalan Sultan Ismail (westbound) right to the end (map) and turn into Jalan Kuching (northbound towards Kepong). Drive along the road and you will pass the Duta roundabout (map) and Kepong roundabout (map), connecting to Jalan Ipoh. Two kilometres ahead is a Tesco Extra hypermarket on your left. Keep to the left for about 500 metres and you will be exiting the road up a ramp on the left into a huge roundabout (map), take the third exit (eastbound) and then keep to your left. The cave is just 1 km ahead and the Lord Murugan statue is visible from afar.

By Bus

From KL city centre, take the RapidKL City Shuttle bus to the Titiwangsa terminal. The city shuttle routes that go to Titiwangsa terminal are:

• B101 from KL Sentral
• B102 from Bukit Bintang
• B103 from Bukit Bintang via KLCC bus hub (at Petronas Twin Towers)
• B114 from KLCC (at Petronas Twin Towers) - ask the driver before boarding as bus from and to Titiwangsa for this route runs through the same road in front of the twin towers.

The fare for city shuttle is RM2 and it is a day pass that allows you to board on any city shuttle routes (B-prefix routes).

At the Titiwangsa terminal, change to RapidKL bus route U6. This bus will stop at the entrance to Batu Caves. Inform the bus driver of your destination so that you do not miss the stop at the caves. The fare is RM2 and like the city shuttle, the ticket is a day pass for all trunk routes (U-prefix routes).

Remember to keep both the RapidKL bus tickets for the return journey. All you have to do is to show it to the the bus driver upon boarding.

By Taxi

Just ask for Batu Caves and the driver will know where to take you. From the city centre, the trip should not cost more than RM15 under normal traffic condition, or not more than RM20 if there's traffic jam.

Eat

Restaurants serving Indian food are available. However, like in any other popular touristy places, the prices are usually higher than normal.

Drink

Fresh coconuts can be seen outside the shops and restaurants. After the climb down from the caves, order a coconut, sit back, and enjoy the cool and refreshing coconut water on a hot day. It should not cost you more than RM3 for a coconut. Ask for the price before ordering.