Click to enlarge
After visiting the iconic Petronas Twin Towers, our next destination were the Batu Caves. Located 13 kms north of KL, this destination is one of the most important Hindu shrines outside India. The highlight here is a 43 meter tall Lord Murugun statue painted in gold, the tallest in the world.I have found Kuala Lumpur a city of contrast and Batu Caves is no different. Fighting between the natural and the man-made, the caves remains a popular attraction for the localities and the tourists alike.
The Batu Caves is a limestone formed cave which dates back to around 400 million years old! Yes, it's that old. It wasn't a place of worship until the 1800s. It's a point of focus on the Thaipusam festival in late January/February where pilgrims all over the world, kavadi bearers with skewers in their flesh carry milk on their shoulders to offer to Lord Murugun (the god of war), climbing 272 steep steps up to the temple cave.
As we proceeded to the stairs, we were greeted with a flock of pigeons who didn't seem to bother about human interaction. People clicked photographs around them as they posed with a certain charm.
So many pigeons!
We then proceeded to the stairs and the entrance looked something like this,
Look at the details.
The climb consists of 272 steep steps, marked for your convenience painted blue and red.
Climbing the stairs
In your way, you'll find enough monkeys to distract you, fearless of humans. They'll climb with you, descend down or worse, steal your food items! It is very important to take care of your belongings, especially food items or a plastic bag. Maybe they associate plastic bag with food. I have seen these monkeys attacking visitors and snatching away their food or drinks. BEWARE!But she seems harmless though :)
I found these monkeys on the way down from the #batucaves in #malaysia. This has to be the best picture I have ever taken purely because of the emotions depicted in the picture. It symbolises motherhood and pure love, the way how the mama monkey clings to her little one. #kl #kualalumpur #kuala_lumpur #kualalumpurmalaysia #kualalumpurinstagram #monkeys #motherhood #travelbug #travel #nature #animals #igersmalaya #igers #lonelyplanet #love #instatravel #green #forestA photo posted by Sakshi Raina (@capturesunshyne) on Jul 12, 2015 at 9:41pm PDT
After dodging from a lot of monkeys, clicking some photographs and smiling at the strangers indicating that the pain is mutual, we reached the top and the view from their was incredible!
The view up from the 272 steep steps of #batucaves. #travelgram #igersmalaya #igers #instatravel #instagramhub #travel #kl #kualalumpur #kuala_lumpur #kualalumpurmalaysia #kualalumpurinstagram #malaysiaA photo posted by Sakshi Raina (@capturesunshyne) on Jul 13, 2015 at 5:57am PDT
We reached the temple cave! The interior was huge. There were temples which carried on their religious ceremonies and monkeys who seemed to care only about food.
The interiors of the temple cave
Focusing on details...
The interiors of a #Hindu #temple in the temple cave of #batucaves #kl #kualalumpur #kuala_lumpur #malaysia #kualalumpurmalaysia #kualalumpurinstagram #travel #travelgram #travelbug #igers #igersmalayaA photo posted by Sakshi Raina (@capturesunshyne) on Jul 13, 2015 at 8:16pm PDT
At the top, we were greeted with an amazing scene of the limestone caves.
The #limestone #caves at the #batucaves #kl #kualalumpur #kuala_lumpur #kualalumpurmalaysia #kualalumpurinstagram #instatravel #instagramhub #travel #travelbug #travelgram #malaysia #igers #igersmalayaA photo posted by Sakshi Raina (@capturesunshyne) on Jul 13, 2015 at 10:27pm PDT
This view of the sunshine filtering in the cave was one of the most beautiful view that I have ever seen. I can pretty much stare at this view all day.
The beautiful view up from the #batucaves. You need to climb over 272 steps to get here but it's worth it. #kl #kualalumpur #kuala_lumpur #malaysia #caves #sunlight #green #nature #travelA photo posted by Sakshi Raina (@capturesunshyne) on Jul 11, 2015 at 8:45pm PDT
While walking back you can also find the dark caves somewhere around the 200th step. Also known as the cave of life, it takes you on a guided tour which will educate you about the limestone formed caves and the rarest species of flora and fauna present there.
It's not tough to see why Batu Caves is such a popular tourist attraction in KL. Being just 13 kms away, it provides you a complete different experience than the steel clad buildings in the heart of the city. The beauty of the limestone is worth climbing those steps!
Ticket Prices:
Batu Caves requires no tickets. Anybody can enter.
Dark Caves tickets:
RM 35 -Adult
RM 25- Child
Timings (Dark caves):
Closed on Mondays
Tuesday- Friday: 10:00 am- 5:00 pm
Saturday-Sunday: 10:30 am-5:30 pm
How to get there?
Batu caves is well connected to monorails from the city. If you seek comfort, you can always take a taxi. Just make sure to go on a metered taxis or else they can cheat you.
---
Are you liking the #kldiaries series? They are quite long than my normal posts because I want to share my photographs with you. The world through my eyes :)
I would love some constructive feedback on the series so far as it would be on the blog all this July.
Share with someone who is going on a KL trip or bookmark it for future reference!
Follow me on: Twitter | Facebook | Google+ | Bloglovin | Instagram
