Batu caves: From Kuala Lumpur to Tamil Nadu

Batu cave is dubbed as the religious and cultural center of Indians in Malaysia. Among the handful of temples located here, the shrine of Lord Muruga is the oldest and the most important one. This 113+ year old temple is located inside a cave on a limestone hill. It was established by K. Thamboosamy Pillay, an influential businessman from Tamil community.

Named after the River Sungai Batu flowing close to the hill, Batu cave is located at around 13km from Kuala Lumpur city. This place can be reached easily by taking the monorail Commuter Rail from KTM station at KL Sentral. After stepping out of the Batu Caves KTM Station, I felt like I have arrived at one of the temple cities in Tamil Nadu. The people and atmosphere at Batu caves will make your mind believe that you have time-travelled to Palani or Annamalai.  

The flight of stairs besides the iconic statue of Lord Muruga will take you to the main temple on the hill which is modest compared to its counterparts in Tamil Nadu.

Reviews about Batu caves have been mixed with some claiming the place to be chaotic while others experiencing spiritual extravaganza especially during Thaipusam festival. But, if you have fallen in love with this place, the next thing you gotta do is book a ticket to Tamil Nadu :-).

Visitor Info

Rail: Batu caves, KTM Komtur station

Entry: Free, wear non-revealing cloths

Duration of trip: 4 hours including journey time

Read more

Batu caves, Wikipedia