Batu Caves, Malaysia

The Batu Caves Temple, located fifteen kilometers north of Kuala Lumpur, the capital city of Malaysia, is the most important Hindu pilgrimage site in Southeast Asia. Dedicated to the Hindu deity Muruga, several million pilgrims visit the temple yearly.

Muruga, also known as Kartikeya, Skanda, and Subramaniyam, is the son of Shiva (the generator, protector, and destroyer of the universe) and Parvati (the Hindu goddess of fertility, love, and devotion), the younger brother of elephant-headed Ganesh, and a philosopher-warrior. The Tamil people of South India love him, and his shrines are found wherever they settle in Asia, particularly Sri Lanka, Malaysia, Indonesia, and Singapore. Muruga's iconography varies significantly, reflecting the variation in his legends. He is typically represented as an ever-youthful man, riding or near a peacock. Most icons show him with one head, but some show him with six heads, reflecting the legend surrounding his birth when six mothers - symbolizing the six stars of Pleiades - assisted with his birth. He is the chief of the army of the devas (benevolent supernatural beings) and is considered to be the embodiment of Shiva's light and wisdom. Devotees pray to him to overcome their obstacles, as he is the divine vanquisher of evil.

The Batu caves are part of a craggy limestone massif, estimated to be 400 million years old, known as Bukit Batu (meaning Rocky Hill), and their name derives from that of a nearby river known as Sungai Batu (meaning Rocky River). The caves once used as shelters by the Temuan people of the Orang Asli tribe and later by Chinese settlers excavating bat guano for fertilizer, became more widely known in the late 19th century after British colonial authorities and the American Naturalist William Hornaday recognized their scientific importance. In 1891, the Malaysian-Indian businessman K. Thamboosamy Pillai established the first temple dedicated to Muruga at the caves. He was inspired to do so because the entrance of the main cave resembled the shape of a lance, called a vel, given to Muruga by Parvati so he could destroy an evil demon named Soorapadman.

The vel, however, is not a mere weapon. The Vel goes by different names: Jnana Vel, the Vel that gives knowledge; Sakti Vel, the Vel that gives power and energy; Vetri Vel, the Vel that brings success; and Kadir Vel, the Vel that radiates the light of knowledge. Therefore, the lance has the power to destroy and also the power to create, protect, encourage and enlighten. Additionally, the form of the Vel represents different aspects of true knowledge. The long staff indicates that knowledge should be deep and not peripheral, the wider portion at the top represents the vastness of knowledge, and the pointed edge indicates that knowledge should be sharp and penetrating.

The Batu Caves Muruga temple is the scene of a great pilgrimage festival called Thaipusam each year. Thaipusam falls annually on the full moon day in the Tamil month of Thai, which occurs between January 14th and February 15th. This is when the moon moves through the zodiac period of Cancer, according to the Indian Calendar. The Thaipusam festival begins in Kuala Lumpur at the Sri Maha Mariamman temple (which was founded by K. Thamboosamy Pillai in 1873). Crowds converge at the Sri Maha Mariamman Temple and Batu Caves on the eve of Thaipusam. The statue of Muruga, which resides in the Maha Mariamman temple throughout the year, is bathed and elaborately decorated in the evening. The following day, it is placed in an ox-drawn chariot that winds through the city and then to the Temple Cave. The gleaming, elaborately lit silver chariot towers 21 feet above ground level. Devotees carry milk containers as offerings to Muruga, either by hand or on their shoulders, in carriers called kavadi. The kavadi are decorated with flowers and peacock feathers imported from India. Upon arriving at the Bukit Batu hill and bathing in the nearby Sungai Batu River, the devotees climb the 272 steps to the temple in the cave. Devotees carrying the kavadi use the wider center staircase while other worshippers and onlookers throng up and down the balustrades on either side. The Thaipusam festival attracts more than a million worshippers and tourists from within the country and abroad over three days of festivities.

At the base of the stairs stands a 140-foot (43-meter) statue of Muruga. Unveiled in January 2006, it took three years to construct, cost approximately $500,000, and is made of 250 tons of steel bar, 300 liters of gold paint, and 1550 cubic meters of concrete. It is the tallest Muruga statue in the world.

At the base of the hill are three other caves and a Hindu temple dedicated to the deities Venkatachalapathi and Alemalu. The three caves are known as the Valluvar Kottam, Art Gallery, and the Ramayana Cave, and they contain statues and murals depicting scenes from the Hindu epics, the Ramayana and the Mahabharata, and the lives of famous Tamil poets. Near the entrance of the Ramayana cave stands a 50-foot-tall statue of Hanuman, the devotee and servant of Rama. Venkatachalapathi, or Venkateswara, is a form of the Hindu god Vishnu, and his primary shrine is located in Tirumala, Southern India. Alamelu, also known as Padmavati, is a form of Lakshmi, the Hindu goddess of wealth and good fortune, and the consort of Venkatachalapathi.

The Batu Caves Temple, also called Batumalai Sri Muruga Perumal Kovil, is one of the ten most important shrines to Muruga; six are in India and four in Malaysia (Batu Caves, Tanneermalai temple in Penang, Sannasimalai temple in Malacca, and Kallumalai temple in Ipoh).

Batu Caves, Malaysia Gallery