For this last day I already had to go back to Kuala Lumpur, which was done by a short taxi ride, which I shared with my friend Tony who was returning to Singapore, this time for 15 RM, to the bus terminal. The fares change between the outward and return journeys also for buses…who knows why…
I took a bus that went directly to LCCT, Kuala Lumpur airport, not because my flight was going to follow after, but because I wasn't going to lug my bag around, since I wasn't leaving right away and wanted to visit the Batu Caves.
The deposit cost me relatively expensive, 38 RM, but hey, at least I was leaving light for the bus (and I still took advantage of the free Air Asia skybus).
Getting to Batu Caves
From KL Sentral, I took the KTM again, they built a station at the foot of the mountain where the caves are, so very easy to access and inexpensive since the ticket is 4 RM return.
Batu Caves, an important pilgrimage center
These famous caves are located 14 km north of the city and have become a major pilgrimage site for Hindus. They are also the largest Hindu sanctuary outside India. It is the gathering point during the great Hindu festival of Thaipusam in Malaysia, which attracts up to 1,5 million devotees.
The caves today dedicated to the cult of Murugan (God of war and the youngest son of Shiva, one of the Hindu Gods of the Trinity) have not always been so and have only been so since the end of the 1878th century. First exploited by Chinese peasants who extracted guano there, the caves were popularized after they were recorded by an American naturalist in XNUMX. And it was an Indian trader who, inspired by the shape of the entrance to the main cave, wanted to dedicate a temple here to Muragan.
The imposing statue that adorns its entrance, next to the stairs, measures no less than 42,7m and is impressive when you arrive in front of it.
Here is a little guided tour in photos:
