Batu caves Malaysia. Hindu priests have used these caves as temples 🙏 since their discovery in 1878 by William Hornaday. Crowds of Hindus visit the caves in January/February for the spectacular Thaipusam festival, when devout Hindus skewer portable shrines to their bodies and carry them all the way from central KL. They contain a large number of beautiful and fascinating statues of the Hindu Gods. 272 stairs lead up to the cave.
The limestone forming Batu Caves is said to be about 400 million years old. Some of the cave entrances were used as shelters by the indigenous Temuan people. K. Thamboosamy Pillai, an Indian Tamil trader, promoted Batu Caves as a place of worship. He was inspired by the main cave's vel-shaped entrance and was inspired to dedicate a temple inside the caves to Lord Murugan. In 1890, in what is today known as the Temple Cave, Pillai, who also founded the Sri Mahamariamman Temple in Kuala Lumpur, installed the statue of Sri Murugan Swami. The festival of Thaipusam has been celebrated there since 1892 in the Tamil month of Thai (which falls in late January/early February).
The Batu Caves temple complex is made up of three major caves and a few smaller caves that rise nearly 100 meters above the ground. The oldest, known as Cathedral Cave or Temple Cave, features ornate Hindu shrines and a very high ceiling. Visitors must climb a steep flight of 272 steps to reach it.
Two more cave temples, Art Gallery Cave and Museum Cave, are situated at the foot of the hill and are both packed with Hindu statues and paintings. This complex was refurbished and opened in 2008 as the Cave Villa. The story of Lord Murugan's victory over the demon Soorapadman is revealed in several shrines.
The Sri Maha Mariamman Temple Devasthanam, which also controls the Sri Mahamariamman Temple in Kuala Lumpur and the Kortumalai Pillaiyar Temple, is in charge of the Batu Malai Sri Murugan Temple. It also plays the role of the Government of Malaysia's Hindu Religious Consultant in deciding the Hindu annual calendar.
Since there are six important holy shrines in India and four more in Malaysia, Batu Caves is also known as the 10th Caves or Hill for Lord Muruga. Kallumalai Temple in Ipoh, Tanneermalai Temple in Penang, and Sannasimalai Temple in Malacca are the other three temples in Malaysia.