Batu Caves

I visited the Batu Caves temple somewhere this year. Never had I visited there before. I did pass by the site many times though, the over bearing statue of Lord Murugan watching cars drive by on the highway. 

Adorned in gold and holding a spear, the statue is one of the biggest I have ever seen. Well, maybe the Sleeping Buddha statue in Penang  is bigger but then he is lying down. 

I went at noon, then the sun was at its fiercest. Going up the stairs, I was drenched in sweat. I had to stop half way to catch a breath. I stopped once. Watching other tourists stop more, was a small win for me.

It was quite a view from top of the stairs. The highways and the hills that make the Titiwangsa.  It is a dizzying feel, looking the stares down, as it is quite steep. I counted 265 steps from the bottom but the official count stated that it has 272 steps. It was not too tiring though. I was able to continue the trek into the insides of the cave. 

At the top of the stairs, as I went into the cave, statues of different gods welcome visitors inside. Some tourists were seen to he carrying bricks from the bottom of the stairs, helping out in the massive renovation that was taking place inside the cave.

I think many people came here to see why others came here, which is why I came. It is something though. I wonder who in the first place came and decided to build temples and statues here.

There were not too many bats, though some were seen hanging at the darker sides of the cave. Well, I haven't been into too many caves in my lifetime and it was quite surreal inside. I wanted to light a cigarette to get a feel of the things there but the warning signs said not to and I don't want to disrespect the religious ones there. Nowadays, everyone is so sensitive about what they want to believe, or not.
Including me.

Many of the foreign tourists proceeded to get the blessings from the main guy in the temple. Some gave money.

Coming down is scarier as I face the steep stairs down face on. All in all , I spent around an hour at Batu Caves. Beside the entrance fee and the bottled mineral water, I didn't spend much there. The climb was good for the knees. I went on a weekday so it wasn't packed and gave me the personal area I needed. The foreign  tourists' enthusiasm had somehow rubbed in to me initially and their excitedness at everything there made me looked differently to things what otherwise would be mundane.