6 days in Malaysia- 6/16- 6/21/2024

Day 3 -Inside Batu Caves-6/17/2024

As we stepped through the gate at the top of the stairs, it feels carefully placed rather than dominating. The gate is built directly into the limestone opening, anchored between the natural rock walls on either side. Metal bars and framing follow the uneven edges of the mountain, making it clear that the structure is meant to protect and guide visitors, not compete with the cave itself. The mountain still feels in control here, the gate simply marks the boundary between the outside world and the sacred interior.

Once you pass through, the sense of scale is overwhelming. The cave opens up suddenly into an enormous space, far larger than it appears from the outside.

This main space is known as the Temple Cave, and it functions as both a natural cavern and a place of worship. .

The floor is relatively open, allowing people to walk, gather, and pray.

 Scattered throughout are shrines and statues, placed respectfully against the rock walls, their colors standing out against the gray and brown stone

The ceiling rises high above, so high that you have to tilt your head to look at the top of the ceiling.

Shrines inside the cave.

From the Temple Cave, straight ahead is the upper shrine area, commonly referred to as the Sri Subramaniar Swamy Temple (Upper Temple).

From the main cave floor, a set of steep internal stairs leads upward to that orange-colored structure with many columns. 

Walking up to the upper Temple.

From the stairs leading to the upper temple, I looked down and this is the view of the Temple Cave below.

This upper temple is dedicated to Lord Murugan, the same deity represented by the giant golden statue outside. Being elevated within the cave gives it added spiritual significance—reaching it feels like a continuation of the pilgrimage, even after you’ve already climbed the 272 steps outside.

One of the most striking features is the large opening in the ceiling, a natural skylight that you can see all the way up to the top of the mountain.  Around the big opening at the top, the rock forms an irregular rim, jagged rather than smooth. Sunlight pours through this opening and washes down the stone, creating dramatic contrasts of light and shadow. Near the edges, plants and vines cling to the cliff, their roots gripping tiny cracks in the limestone. From below, they look delicate against the immense rock face, yet they soften the stone and bring life into the cavern.

From below, it looks like a jagged circle of light, where daylight pours in, illuminating parts of the cave floor.  The limestone walls are rough and deeply textured, marked by cracks, grooves, and layers that tell the story of millions of years of erosion. You can see where water once flowed with dark streaks running down the stone, and in some places the rock appears folded and rippled, as if frozen in motion. The surface is uneven and raw, reminding you that this space was shaped entirely by nature long before it became sacred to people.

The tall rocky mountain walls surrounding the large opening are impossible to ignore. They rise almost straight up, forming a natural vertical cathedral, far taller than any man-made structure inside the cave.

As we walked further we saw stalactites hanging from the ceiling, some thin and needle-like, others thicker and more sculptural.

One stalactite immediately draws your attention because it stands alone, separated from the clusters around it. Hanging straight down from the ceiling, it feels almost intentional, as if the cave itself placed it there to be noticed.  Unlike the rough, broken rock nearby, this lone stalactite is more defined and sculptural, shaped slowly by countless drops of mineral-rich water. Its surface is smooth in places and ridged in others, showing layers built up over thousands of years. Because it stands apart, your eyes naturally follow its length, from where it emerges from the dark ceiling down toward the open space below.

Some hang directly over pathways, adding to the sense of age and natural power. Their presence is a reminder that while the cave is now a spiritual space, it remains a living geological formation, still changing little by little.

Walking inside, surrounded by towering rock walls, shafts of light from above, and ancient stone formations overhead, the cave feels both sacred and primordial. It’s a place where nature’s timescale and human devotion meet, and the experience is as awe-inspiring as it is humbling.

We are now leaving the upper Temple going down the Temple cave.

The temple cave is cavernous and sunlight is  filtering in from the large opening of the entrance of the cave.

View from the top of the stairs looking down below.

As we begin walking back down the stairs, the height really sinks in.  From the top, the courtyard below looks suddenly far away, the people reduced to tiny moving dots.

At the top of the stairs, a monkey sits calmly, watching everything unfold. He isn’t scared at all, this is his territory. Perched with ease, he looks completely at home, as if he owns the place. Monkeys at Batu Caves are famously confident, used to crowds and cameras, casually observing visitors as they pass by.

We have now reached the bottom of the stairs.

NEXT... Day 4- Arrival in Penang