Batu Caves

Batu Caves, complex of limestone grottoes in Peninsular Malaysia. The caves are one of the country’s biggest tourist attractions and are a place of pilgrimage for Tamil Hindus. They are named for the Sungai Batu (Batu River), which flows nearby, and are located 7 miles (13 km) north of Kuala Lumpur, the capital of Malaysia.

The caves were little-known except to local residents until 1878, when the American naturalist William Temple Hornaday revealed their existence to the wider world. K. Thamboosamy Pillay, a leader of the Tamil Hindu community in Malaya (as the region was then called), built a temple within the caves in 1891. It is said that he took inspiration from the similarity in shape of the cave entrance to the tip of the vel, or spear, traditionally wielded by the deity Murugan. Thaipusam, the Tamil Hindu festival devoted to Murugan, was first celebrated on the site in 1892 and is now a major event that attracts hundreds of thousands of pilgrims annually.

The Batu Caves are located within a high limestone outcropping. A colossal gold-painted statue of Murugan, made from reinforced concrete and 140 feet (42.7 metres) in height, stands near the base of a flight of 272 steps. As visitors climb the steps, they are frequently accosted by macaques begging aggressively for food. At the top of the steps is the entrance to the largest cave, called Cathedral Cave or Temple Cave. Within it is the largest of several temples on the site. At a lower level on the flight of steps is Dark Cave, which is sometimes closed to visitors. Other caves lie still closer to the base of the steps. Ramayana Cave has an entrance marked with a statue of the monkey god Hanuman, hero of the Indian epic poem Ramayana. The cave itself is lined with dioramas depicting scenes from the epic. The Cave Villa, which includes Art Gallery Cave and Museum Cave, features more paintings and statues.