BATU CAVES Gombak District Selangor

Lets say this was my first taste of MALAYSIA TRULY ASIA.It was the first ever destination I tried.From the hotel, to the office of Travel Guard Chartis (which I will about later) and then here.It was in the afternoon of Friday,our first day in the KL Blogger Challenge where I was still undecided where to go.

While the other bloggers went off to different locations,I decided to give KL a chance.I wanted to get to know the city more first before going somewhere else.My friend Ryan's co-worker (Edson),who is also a Filipino who works at Chartis gave me a ride to Setiawangsa LRT station  which is just a few stations away to Gombak where BATU CAVES is located.Contrary to popular belief, Batu Caves is already outside KL.Gombak district is approximately 13kilometers North and is already part of the state of Selangor.

 
 BATU CAVES Gombak District Selangor

I was really surprised at how accessible the place is.I took the taxi from Gombak Station for 8.50RM.Once at the drop off,which is just along the highway,the gate to Batu Caves already greeted me.From there,I could already see the imposing yellow statue which is the trademark of Batu Caves.In the photo that i posted on Facebook,I accidentally said it's a Giant Buddha.Good thing one of my friends who live in Penang,Doc Gelo of http://docgelo.com/ immediately sent me a message for the correction.the Giant Statue is LORD MURUGAN, the Hindu God. :)

 
 
THE CLIMB

Batu Cave is dedicated to LORD MURUGAN and this shrine one of the most popular Hindu Shrine outside India.The limestone forming Batu Caves is said to be around 400 million years old. Some of the cave entrances were used as shelters by the indigenous Temuan people (a tribe of Oranf Asli) SOURCE:

To get to the main chamber,one has to climb 272 steps.It's called the Cathedral Cave.It was around 2pm when I got here so you can imagine the effort of getting up there.Good thing I brought with me a bottle of mineral water I was able to climb all those steps without getting dehydrated.lols

 

 THE VIEW

The view of course is good. I stopped occasionally along the steps and made I appreciate the view.Looking down,seeing the crowd trying to find their way up,and the buildings of the surrounding area even as far as downtown KL, and looking up,marveling at the limestone formations on the mouth of the cave.

 
 
  
 
 




INSIDE THE MAIN CHAMBER

The main chamber is BIG--at a height of around 100meter at most.I was surprised though to see that the cave floor is cemented.It was my first time to see a cave with its base cemented and I  didn't know how to feel at first.I guess I am so used with caves in the Philippines being untouched.

Managed to find an old picture of Batu Caves. Click here:

  
 

 
THE RELIGIOUS RITES

Then again,I realized,this is a Shrine.That means,not only sightseeing tourists like me go here but thousands upon thousands of devotees as well,not just within Malaysian but from other countries too.I heard that in the early years,the 272 steps were even made of wood.I imagine that it could be risky then if indeed thousands of people flood the place at the same time.:)

During my visit,I was lucky to witness a particular ritual I don't know what they call.I was able to take a video of it but haven't really uploaded it yet so I guess it will just follow.Will update this entry soon.

 
 

THE DARK CHAMBERS

There is another chamber on the lower left side of the main chamber (left if you are facing the main chamber) They call it the DARK CAVE and I noticed that this is the chamber which they have maintained in terms of its natural state.Upon approaching the chamber,I noticed the bad smell of animal excrement typical of caves.It says on the signboard that an entrance fee is required if one wants to avail of the educational tour which lasts for three hours at the price of RM35 for adults and RM25 for children.I decided not to try it.I feel like reserving this the next time I return to Malaysia as I really want to take my wife on a tour here.:)

THE OUTLYING TEMPLES

 

 

HOW I GOT HERE

I took the Rapid KL train otherwise known as Kelana-Jaya Line/Pink Line.Rates differ based on which station you are coming from.I boarded Setiawangsa so it took me only around RM0.90. But I had to take the taxi at Gombak to Batu Caves.The taxi driver i first talked to said it's gonna cost me RM10 but I refused.I found one who agreed to use the meter and it took me RM8.65 to get there.

I found out later on that a new extension of the KTM Comuter (red-line) Port Klang-Batu Cave can now take you directly to Batu Caves.It opened in 2010.Talk about accessibility.As I always said, tourism=accessibility.Malaysia is #1 on that.:)

 

The BATU CAVES Gombak District Selangor is a famous tourist attraction I highly recommend to those who visit Kuala Lumpur.It's an interesting place to learn about the Hindu culture,marvel at the shrines and the Hindu statues and the faith itself.No entrance fee is required  so it's really cheap to go here.Of course there are shops near the plaza at the base of the hill where one can buy basic necessities or mementos.There are also some make shift stalls where traditional Indian ornaments and snacks are sold.

This is part of the KL Blogger Challenge courtesy of Airphil Express and Tourism Malaysia.

Airphil Express now flies to Kulala Lumpur three times a week.

 

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here's to the official Facebook page:

https://www.facebook.com/pages/Batu-Caves-Thaipusam/321109150467