Batu Caves are a sacred place of the Malaysian Hindus, located a mere 14km from the heart of Kuala Lumpur. It takes less than half an hour for you to get to Batu Caves from a hotel in Kuala Lumpur City, including the popular Aloft Kuala Lumpur Sentral. This ease of access has made the Batu Caves all the more crowded for it is a place of worship like no other, and people from all across the globe come here to pay their respects and/or to witness the structure.
The Batu Caves are a collection of limestone structures, comprising of three larger ones and several smaller ones. The largest are about 400m in length and has a ceiling about 100m high. Discovered in 1892, and then transformed into the religious significance it has now, you have to climb 272 steps to arrive at the mouth of the caves. On your way to the top, you will be greeted by monkeys who would chatter at you, asking if you happened to buy some peanuts or a few bananas from the shops below, that have been put up specifically to provide snacks for the monkeys.
Every year, in the month of January, i.e. the tenth month of the Hindu calendar, over 800,000 people come to the Batu Caves for Thaipusam Festival. A festival dedicated to Subramaniam, the son of Shiva, attaining the status of Pusan, Thaipusam Festival includes a procession where the devotees engage in carrying “kavadi” – burdens – and inflicting self-pain in the form of hooks and skewers that pierce the skin. These activities are done to either repent for their sins or to seek favour from the Gods.
Whether you visit Batu Caves during Thaipusam Festival or not, there is plenty to see here. If you are tolerant of large crowds and wishes to witness a cultural procession, the roots of which extend far back on history, then Thaipusam Festival would be the best time to visit Batu Caves. But if all you seek is to witness this amazing construction of nature that has transformed into a place of utmost importance in Hindu culture, then you can visit here all year round.
Roland Lefevre is a travel writer who specializes in creating features on leisure as well as business travel destinations across the globe.
