Batu Caves, in Malay it means the limestone cave. It is said to be around 400 million years old comprising of caves with its interior walls stretching almost to the sky, with birds flying high above and wild monkeys running up its rock-faced walls. In the past, indigenous people used the cave as transit shelters and Chinese settler's excavated guano to fertilise their vegetable patches, however, now it's famous for its Hindu shrines, rock climbing and caving.
Batu Caves attracts more than a million visitors yearly. The main attractions being the statue of Hindu deity Lord Murugan, the Rainbow stairs and the annual Thaipusam festival.
Lord Murugan stands at 42.7m high said to be the third tallest statue of a Hindu deity in the world. It stands guard at the foot of the rainbow stairs.
The rainbow stairs are one of the most photoshoot attraction at Batu Caves. These stairs initially were just wooden steps later replaced by concrete steps and in 2018 were painted in gorgeous rainbow colours. These stairs will take one into the Temple caves. Be aware that many monkeys walking on the steps too and you may be lucky to spot the macaques. Make sure to hold on loose objects as the cheeky monkeys can get into mischief with the visitors.
Annually, the Thaipusam Festival celebration takes place inside the Batu Caves attracting people far and wide to witness the procession. The event that sees extreme body piercings with needles, hooks and spears, and a procession where devotees in trance carry along a kavadi or physical burden as an offer to their god before they climb the rainbow painted steps to the temples inside the cave to receive blessings.
This year Thaipusam Festival celebrations inside the Batu Caves will not take place as usual on the 28th January 2021 due to COVID19.
Let's all dream now and travel later as Malaysia awaits you to be a part of this experience in near future.
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