Batu caves ,Malaysia

Batu Caves is one of Malaysia's most famous tourist and holy pilgrimage destinations. The Batu Caves are situated thirteen kilometers (seven miles) north of the capital of Malaysia- Kuala Lumpur. They are the sacred place for the Hindu's in Malaysia. 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. Batu Caves is said to be around 400 million years old .

We took a taxi to reach Batu caves. It took us longer than we had estimated we had started to doze. Then we saw a tall mountain ahead of us. There was a huge gathering of tourist buses, taxis and a lot of vendors selling flowers , coconuts and garlands . Located outside Batu Caves stands the 42.7 meter high - the world's tallest statue of Lord Subramanya / Murugan . The statue is said to have cost approximately 24 million Rupees and is made of concrete,steeland gold paint. Just behind are the 272 steps to Batu Caves.Climbing the steep flight of 272 steps with an angle of almost 30degrees is quite exhausting. And also the climate so humid that we were bathed in sweat by the time we reached the cave . Did I tell you that there were monkeys on the stairs and also inside the cave. Monkeys near a temple are not new to me so I was not surprised to see a few (actually I was quite happy to see the familiar creatures :))

The biggest is the Temple Cave which has a 100 m-high ceiling .The natural opening in the ceiling allows the Sun to lit up the Cave and creates a mystic aura. On the left is the Ramayana Cave where reminiscent scenes of Indian epic myths are artistically painted along its walls.Dripping of mineralized solutions and the deposition of calcium carbonate for thousands of years have created rock formations.Stalactites and the corresponding formation of Stalagmites on the floor underneath create intricate formations . They meet and fuse to create columns which look like pillars.


This massive limestone hill is also a popular spot for rock climbing.