Shane loves animals and wanted to see wild monkeys. I took many photos of them when I visited Batu Caves five years ago for my baby niece’s Hindu blessing. I thought it was a brilliant idea to combine culture and animal adventure in one visit.
Batu Caves is popular with thousands of worshippers and tourists. During the annual religious Thaipusam festival, thousands of devotees make the pilgrimage to commemorate the day when Pavarthi, the Hindu Goddess gave her son Lord Murugan a spear called “Vel” to destroy evil demons. If you are truly interested in immersing into the rich diverse culture in Malaysia, witnessing Thaipusam festival in Batu Caves is something you shouldn’t miss out. We chose one of the quiet days to visit so we have more time to enjoy the temples, art works and most importantly the monkeys I promised Shane 😛
Batu Caves is located in Gombak district of Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. The city is notorious for its traffic jam so we made sure we were up very early to get on a Grab Car to avoid it. The night before, I made Shane cut bananas to smaller pieces so we can feed more monkeys. It was still dark when we arrived and there was no one about. Part of the road and some shrines leading to the caves have been closed for construction.
As the sun illuminated the sky, we walked to the temple at the base of the limestone hill. This Hindu temple and shrine are part of bigger temples in Batu Caves. A very impressive 50 foot tall green statue of the Monkey God, Hanuman stands at the entrance. A priest was about to lead the morning prayer and we stood respectfully at the corner watching a handful of devotees going about their ritual.
Afterwards we were ready to climb the 272 steps and feed the monkeys along the way. Every 20 steps (I think) was a landing area to rest my weary legs. We called out for the monkeys (okay…I called for the monkeys, which had Shane burst out laughing and probably scaring them) but none came. It was really irritating mind you because I had promised Shane the wild monkeys and talked so much about them. To this day, he still remind me about the monkeys. By the time we reached the top, I was a little winded from the exertion and lack of breakfast. However, the quiet morning scene as we walked into the cave was mesmerizing. It was a huge cave with several small ones. Sun light seeping through the cave opening above along with ringing of temple bells automatically made us whisper and walk quietly. We walked further into the interior of the cave and onto a smaller shrine and watched a priest busy preparing the milk shower rituals for the deities. He invited us to participate by offering milk and after a lengthy ceremony, we were blessed with ash on our foreheads. The priest came from India and couldn’t speak English nor Malay (national language of Malaysia) so we used sign language to convey our appreciation.
The walk down the steps were easier and still no monkeys. Shane decided to place pieces of banana on the railings and steps in hope they will show up eventually when we were gone. At least we hope so as it was not our intent to litter the place.
What to do before heading to Batu Caves:
- Plan your trip. Google online to see status of venue.
- For ladies, make sure not to wear shorts and tank top out of respect for the custom. I had a long sleeve shirt over my sleeveless blouse when entering the temple. No singlets for men, please.
- Travel around 10:30 am. This avoid the morning rush hour traffic and second work shift.
- Have a light breakfast prior to trip. I was hoping to have my breakfast in one of the restaurants available at the foot of the hill but didn’t consider they will be closed during the temple renovation.
- Take off your shoes when entering the temple on the base of the hill. It’s always good to carry a recycle bag (or plastic bag) so you can put your shoes in it.
…and YES! The monkeys were Real!
at least from my previous visit about 5 years ago.
