Batu Caves

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Interior of Batu Caves

Batu Caves is a limestone hill in the Gombak district, north of Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia which has a series of caves and cave temples. It takes its name from the Sungai Batu or Batu River, which flows past the hill. Batu Caves is also the name of the nearby village.

1 Discovery
2 Temples
3 Undeveloped caves
4 Developments
5 References
6 See also
7 External links

[edit] Discovery

Batu Caves is said to have been discovered by K. Thamboosamy an Indian trader in the 1800s. The 'Orang Asli' (local aboriginal tribes called Jakun) had been aware of the caves for a long time. However, they became famous only after it was discovered by the American Naturalist, William Hornaday in 1878.

Icons carried in procession during Thaipusam at Batu Caves.

[edit] Temples

The first cave temple was established in 1891, and wooden steps up to the Temple Cave were built in 1920. Of the various cave temples that comprise the site, the largest and best known is the Temple or Cathedral Cave, so named because it houses several Hindu shrines beneath its 100 m vaulted ceiling.

A 42.7m high statue of Lord Murugan was unveiled in Jan 2006, having taken 3 years to construct.

There are 272 steps that a visitor has to climb in order to access the temple at the summit of the hill. Many of the shrines relate the story of Lord Murugan's victory over Soorapadam. An audio tour is available to visitors. At the base of the hill are two more cave temples, Art Gallery Cave and Museum Cave, both of which are full of Hindu statues and paintings.

The site serves as the focus of the Hindu community's yearly Thaipusam (Tamil : தைபூசம்) festival. A procession begins at the Sri Mahamariamman Temple, KL and lasts eight hours. In 2006, the festival attracted more than 1.5 million pilgrims, making it one of the largest gatherings in history.^[1]

Temple outside of the Batu Caves.

[edit] Undeveloped caves

There are various undeveloped caves which contain a diverse range of cave fauna, including some unique species, such as Liphistiidae spiders and Eonycteris fruit bats.

The site is also well known for its numerous macaque monkeys, which visitors feed — sometimes involuntarily.

A little below the Temple Cave is the Dark Cave, a two-kilometer network of relatively untouched caverns. In order to maintain the cave's ecology, access is restricted. A private company is running tours to the caves.