Batu Caves In Kuala Lumpur

History of Batu Caves:

According to its history, the caves were used by the local Temuan people as shelter and in 1860 it was the Chinese settlers that excavated guano for fertilizing their crops. The Limestone hills were recorded by the colonial officials Syers and Naturalist William Hornaday in 1878. The limestone formations are said to be as much as 400 million years old and it was the Vel shaped entrance of the main cave that inspired the Indian trader, K. Thamboosamy Pillai to install the idol of Lord Murugan in the now ‘Temple Cave’ in 1890. At the entrance of the Batu Caves Temple stands the 140 ft. statue of Lord Murugan, the tallest statue in the world dedicated to the deity, erected during the year of 2006. Batu Caves is now one of the major Hindu pilgrimage sites in the world.

Festival of Thaipusam:

The Batu Caves Temple is the main site of the annual Hindu festival of Thaipusam, a festival important to the Tamil population of Asia celebrated since 1892 at this holy site, attracting thousands of visitors every year. During this festival, some devotees choose to pierce their bodies in lieu of an act of penance. Though, the festival often held at the end of the January month, its procession begins one evening before the festival at the Sri Mariamman Temple in Kuala Lumpur City Centre. And, the entire celebration of this colorful event lasts for around eight hours.  

Batu Caves is a limestone formation of three major caves and a number of other smaller caves. Formatted around 400 million years ago by limestone formations, these caves are said to be an important religious landmark by the Hindus. This is amongst the top-notch attractions in Malaysia, especially for the Indian tourists.