A Walk to Batu Caves

Our first activity in Malaysia is a half-day trip to Batu Caves. This sacred destination is located in Selangor, approximately 20-minute ride from Kuala Lumpur. 

Armed with my day trip essentials, we went to Batu Caves via taxi from KLCC (Kuala Lumpur Convention Center). Along the highway of Selangor, I could see the biggest Hindu deity statue I've ever seen in my entire life. It was striking in gold, and yes it's awesome!

The towering statue of Lord Murugan, the Hindu God of War.  It stands 42.7 meters,
made up of 250 tonnes of steel bars, 300 liters of gold paint and 1550 cubic meters of concrete.
It costs 24 million rupees.    

    
The golden statue of Lord Murugan welcomes tourists, visitors and Hindu worshipers at the entrance of Batu Caves. I couldn't help but seriously stared at this Hindu icon. It's really fascinating in size, and the details are so intricate.

At the foot Lord Murugan's statue are colorful Hindu temples, where our faithful Hindu brothers and sisters revered and worshiped Gods.     

Ladies wore  "sari", a traditional Indian clothing for women. 

I spotted an aged woman washing her feet and hands before she entered the temple.

The highlight of this activity is the 272 steps up to the caves. While trudging uphill, I was glad to meet a Hindu family who came from a Mundan cermony. They were very friendly and even allowed me take a photo of their little ones.

The 272 leg-burning steps to the caves. Put your stamina to the test

I am such a kid at heart. I wanted to hug her but I was pretty shy to do so :)

(A lot of) Monkeys frolic on the area. In Hinduism, a monkey symbolizes various aspects. For one, it's symbolizes "attachment" which is called desire in the mind. Two, animals are believed to possess divinity of the soul.   

Suggestion: Please don't play with monkeys. They can be very crappy. 

Batu Caves consists of three (3) big caves. The main cave (or the temple cave), the one we entered into, houses various Hindu shrines. It was indeed interesting to see various Hindu icons which I only see on the pages of books and magazines.

Things you need to consider before visiting Batu Caves:

- Free admission.

- Some areas are pretty smelly due to bat deposits (urine).

- Bring water.

- Beware of crappy monkeys.

- Try exploring the Dark Cave and Art Gallery Cave.

- Pay due respect. Batu Caves is a pilgrim for our Hindu brothers and sisters. Be conscious of your words and deeds. Stay quiet. Don't throw your own filth.

- Thaipusam, the annual festival which pays homage to Lord Murugan is usually held on January.

How to get there:

Via KTM Komuter (train) via Batu Caves Port Klang Route at RM2.

Via taxi. For convenience, you might want to arrange a tour with the taxi driver like what we did. For three destinations (Batu Caves, Istana Negara and Beryls Chocolate Factory), we paid RM200 (divided by 5 persons). Not bad.

Religion is a subject that I avoid diggin' into. It's very complex, very profound. Although I've witnessed Hindu practices and things that I didn't understand, I am glad I didn't put this activity to rest. My respect goes out to our Hindu brothers and sisters...