Batu Caves, Kuala Lumpur

The Indian Shrines of Batu caves, near Kuala lumpur.

Batu Caves is a limestone hill to the north of Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia which has a series of caves and cave temples. It takes its name from the Sungai Batu or Batu River, which flows past the hill. Batu Caves is also the name of the nearby village.

The 'Orang Asli' (local aboriginal tribes called Jakun) had been aware of the caves for a long time. However, they became famous only after it was discovered by the American Naturalist, William Hornaday in 1878. Of the various cave temples that comprise the site, the largest and best known is the Temple or Cathedral Cave, so named because it houses several Hindu shrines beneath its 100 m vaulted ceiling. These serve as the focus of the Hindu community's yearly Thaipusam festival. There are 272 steps that a visitor has to climb in order to access the temple at the summit of the hill, The climb is very difficult in the sweltering heat -- and to keep you company are the macaque monkey which GRAB anything out of your hand and can be aggressive if they do not get their banana or choc bar --- these animals cannot be hurt as they belong to the priests on the lower Indian temple who supply food to the altar in the open altar of which the monkeys take as their own. With me climbing the steps was an Indian couple with their little boy, we entered the massive cavern and the couple and child went to an Indian altar where an Indian priest bare chested with long long hair and a large moustachio spoke to the parent of the child who prayed to the God and present gifts and the priest took the child who was crying with fear of this old man, Who in turn smiled said some prayer's and put a mark of paint on the child's forehead, and blessed the child.