Batu Caves
A Limestone Cavern Temple Above Two Hundred And Seventy Two Painted Steps, And The Destination Of A Thaipusam Procession That Draws Over A Million People · Gombak, Selangor
A LIMESTONE MASSIF NORTH OF KUALA LUMPUR, HOLLOWED INTO CAVERNS, WITH A HINDU TEMPLE IN THE LARGEST OF THEM AND TWO HUNDRED AND SEVENTY-TWO STEPS UP TO IT. The steps were PAINTED IN BANDS OF COLOUR IN 2018 - which made the site instantly famous and drew serious criticism, because it was done without heritage approval. AT THE FOOT STANDS A FORTY-TWO-METRE GOLD STATUE OF LORD MURUGAN, the tallest anywhere. BUT THE REASON BATU CAVES MATTERS IS THAIPUSAM. OVER A MILLION PEOPLE COME - many walking through the night from Kuala Lumpur - AND DEVOTEES CARRY KAVADI, frames borne on the shoulders and ANCHORED BY SKEWERS AND HOOKS DRIVEN THROUGH THE SKIN, up those steps. It is among the largest Hindu gatherings outside India. On an ordinary Tuesday it is a cave with a temple and some extremely confident macaques. Go at opening, before the coaches and the heat on two hundred and seventy-two unshaded steps, cover shoulders and knees because the dress code is enforced, and carry nothing loose at all - the monkeys here work the crowd with real efficiency.
Batu Caves, Gombak, Selangor, Gombak, Selangor, Malaysia
OPEN DAILY FROM EARLY MORNING, FREE TO ENTER, and reached in about thirty minutes from central Kuala Lumpur on the KTM COMMUTER LINE, which terminates at the site. THE TEMPLE CAVE IS UP TWO HUNDRED AND SEVENTY-TWO STEPS and there is no lift. A DRESS CODE IS ENFORCED - shoulders and knees covered, sarongs available at the entrance for a small charge. THE DARK CAVE, a conservation area with its own guided tours, has opened and closed to visitors over the years; CHECK WHETHER IT IS RUNNING. THAIPUSAM, usually in JANUARY OR FEBRUARY, brings over a million people, closes roads, and is an all-night event - accommodation and transport need planning weeks ahead. THE MACAQUES ARE AGGRESSIVE AND ORGANISED: carry nothing loose, no food, no plastic bags.