Batu Caves in short also referred as 10th Caves or Hill for Lord Muruga as there are six important holy shrines in India and four more in Malaysia. Located about 13km North of the city centre.
They consist of three main caves and a number of smaller ones. The caves are made of limestone and 400 meters long and 100 meter high. They were discovered in 1892.
The climb was made easy by a pile of angular rocks that over the years of wear and tear had chipped off the face cliff (40foot (12m)).
The Murugan statue was quite a project to build:
- Cost: approximately 392 830 US$
- Made of: 1550 cubic meters of concrete and 250 tonnes of steel bars
- Gold paint: 300 liters
Walk up the stairs and inside the cave, most probably you need less than an hour to explore everything there. And, not to forget to drink coconut on the way down.
The cave is one of the most popular Tamil shrines outside India, and is dedicated to Lord Murugan. It is the focal point of Hindu festival of Thaipusam in Malaysia. The Thaipusam festival. Every year, on Thaipusam, as many as 800,000 devotees and other visitors may throng the caves. As a form of penance or sacrifice, many of them carry kavadis (literally, “burden,” such as a pitcher or jug). These are large, brightly decorated frameworks, usually combined with various metal hooks and skewers which are used to pierce the skin, cheeks and tongue.
Batu Caves is easily reached by Komuter train from Port Klang Route, costing RM 2 for a one-way journey from KL Sentral.
0 Comments