I visited the Batu Caves as part of a night tour. It took me 25 minutes to climb the 272 steps to the top, take some photos and a video, then come back down the 272 steps. In the time it took me to go up and down once, an old Chinese man (he must have been about 75) went up and down the steps three times.
The Batu caves lie 8 miles from the city, at the Northern edge of Kuala Lumpur, in the suburb of Gombak.
The caves, formed from limestone rock, were first noticed by American explorer William Hornaby in 1878. The caves had been used for years by indigenous Orang Asli people. 10 years after being discovered by Hornaby, Indian dignitaries persuaded British administrators that this was the ideal place to build a shrine for them to worship. Many devotees have come here to pray. The shine is dedicated to Lord Murugan, Hindu god of war, (he is also known as Lord Subramanium).
The shrine was later enlarged to include a shrine to Lord Ganesh, (Ganesh is the patron of art and sciences, and the remover of obstacles). It is always busy here with devotees and visitors.
The festival of Thaipusam is held here in January/February each year. This festival attracts over 1 million people.
A giant statue of Lord Murugan stands at the foot of 272 steps that lead up to the shrine. This statue, at 141ft, it is claimed to be the tallest statue in the world. At the top of the steps there is a 328ft high cave, other statues in the cave include Shiva, Ganesh and Durga. Religious scenes are also painted onto the walls.
There are a number of smaller temples around the site and macaques (monkeys) mingle amongst the crowds