BATU CAVES
The Batu Caves are a very popular Hindu shrine and one of the most popular outside of India. A large set of stairs leads up to the caves and a giant golden statue of Murugan is to the right of the stairs, The statue is the world's tallest of Murugan.
Formed from limestone, the caves are thought to be some 400 million years old. The largest cave known as temple cave is decorated with many different Hindu statues and shrines. The 292 concrete steps have replaced the original wooden steps that were built in 1920.
The caves rise 100 meters above the ground and the walk up the stairs can be precarious when busy, especially with people jumping out of the way of the monkeys that roam the area. When we visited there were buckets of sand that visitors were able to carry up to aid in repairs and construction.
Some of the undeveloped caves on the site are home to many different types of bats and there are signs describing what species live in the caves. Tours can be booked to explore these caves. The dark caves are relatively untouched in order to preserve the caves ecology.
Be aware of the monkeys especially with small children as they are territorial and have been known to bite.
Head right through Temple Cave to read the other side and gaze up at the clear sky that pokes through an open section. The caves are a nice trip to spend a couple of hours exploring at most.
