Batu Caves

Batu Caves are ancient limestone caves that are approximately 400 million years old. This area is considered a great shrine for Hindu residents, which is located outside India. The caves are located near the capital of Malaysia, in a city called Kuala Lumpur.

The Batu caves were formed in the middle of a tropical forest, in the middle of limestone caves, which formed a whole network here. They were discovered to mankind in 1878. The caves got their name in honor of the Sungai Batu River flowing here.

At the very hill where the Batu caves are located, there is a huge statue that was erected in honor of the god Murugan– the youngest heir of Shiva. This sculpture stands 43 meters tall, and its construction took place over the course of three years. About 550 cubic meters of concrete mortar were used to create it, as well as a large number of different beams and at least 300 liters of golden paint.

It is known that the Thaipusam festival, which is banned in India itself, takes place annually in the Batu caves. It is visited by about 1.5 million pilgrims. This celebration is associated with the presentation of gifts to Murugan, which are carried in a very interesting way – by attaching fishing gear to his body.

The entire underground space of the caves consists of three halls, as well as several slightly smaller rooms. The most famous part of the cave complex is considered to be the Temple Cave, which can be approached by passing the famous staircase, which has 272 steps. All the numerous pilgrims know this staircase very well, as well as the number of steps in it. A little further, or rather below, is the so-called dark Cave, which consists of a whole complex of chambers, the length of which is close to 2 km. The cave is decorated with century-old stalactites. It also houses a cave called the Art Gallery, which is famous for its statues and various wall paintings that depict Hindu mythology.

Tourists are usually very pleased with the local monkeys that accompany guests along the stairs on the way to the main cave. These long-tailed animals like to pose for the camera, which causes joyful emotions among tourists. Local merchants have opened a whole business selling food to visitors to feed monkeys. But you should not feed the animals, otherwise they will not leave you alone and will bother you all the way to the cave. You can also often see macaques trying to steal some things from tourists, so you need to behave extremely cautiously so as not to provoke them to aggression.

The local area also lures rock climbers, who are happy to conquer the 150-meter peaks of the hills. There are about 170 routes of varying difficulty for climbers, including for beginners.

And finally, a tip: if you are an ordinary tourist, then you should not buy wreaths at the entrance to the cave, which are sold for pilgrims. Respect other people's religion.