Batu Caves

Introduction

Batu Caves

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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 kilometres north of the city centre.

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 (30 metres) 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 three 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.

In addition to the main temple cave, at the bottom of the steps by the pond are two caves packed full of Hindu statues and paintings, now known as Cave Villa. There is an entry charge.

Opening Hours

The Batu Caves are open from 7:00am to 7:00pm.

Cost

Entry to the temple cave is free.
Entry to Cave Villa is about RM15.

Getting There

By Train

KTM Komuter train takes you to the caves on the Batu Caves – Port Klang line. An adult single fare is RM4.80 from KL Sentral to Batu Caves. The journey from KL Sentral to Batu Caves takes about 30 minutes and trains run on a frequency of 15 to 30 minutes.

If you are in the vicinity of Central Market (Pasar Seni) and Chinatown (Petaling Street), you can also take the KTM Komuter train from the nearby old Kuala Lumpur Railway Station (not to be mistaken with the new KL Sentral), which is a 10-minute walk away (across the Klang River) from the Pasar Seni LRT station. An adult single fare is RM4.80.

By Car

Batu Caves is located at the northern section of the Middle Ring Road II [28]. 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

There are two RapidKL bus routes which go to Batu Caves.

Note: Only selected stops mentioned below. "..." indicates several other stops in between.

• U6: [START] Medan Pasar (at HSBC, behind Central Market) – ... – Sogo (shopping centre, Jalan Dang Wangi) – ... – Sime Darby – Hospital Pusrawi (Jalan Ipoh) – ... – Kompleks Mutiara (Jalan Ipoh) – ... – Mercedes Benz (Jalan Perusahaan) [press the bell after this stop] – APM [get off at this stop] – Wisma UMNO [get off here if you missed the earlier stop] – ... – Taman Jasa Utama [END]
• U10: [START] Lebuh Pudu bus hub (at Pasar Seni LRT station) – ... – HSBC (Medan Pasar) – ... – Sogo (shopping centre, Jalan Dang Wangi) – ... – Sime Darby – Hospital Pusrawi (Jalan Ipoh) – ... – Esso (petrol station at opposite side of the road, Jalan Sentul) – Tyre shop (Jalan Sri Batu Caves 5) [get off at this stop] – Tamil Nesan – ... – Pinggiran Batu Caves [END]

This journey crosses three zones, and a single fare is RM2.50. When paying the bus fare, you may ask the driver to inform you of your stop so that you don't miss it.

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 RM20 under normal traffic condition, or around RM25 on moderately heavy 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.