Celebrating Thaipusam at Batu Caves

Once a year, Batu Caves will see hundreds of thousands of devotees who will come to serve their penance in Batu Caves on Thaipusam Day. In 2006, there were approximately 1.5 million devotees and visitors who came, to one of the largest Thaipusam celebration in the world.

The Discovery

Batu Caves was discovered by an American Naturalist, William Hornaday in 1878. Although to the ‘orang asli’ (local tribes), the impenetrable jungle surrounding Kuala Lumpur is basically where they would hunt for their food and medicinal herbs, to most, the jungle remains an unbeaten track. During his hunting expedition around the same jungle, he noticed a strong stench. Intrigued by the strong smell, he had asked his guides, several local tribesmen known as the ‘Jakun’ and a Malay man, to lead him to the source of the smell. They led him to a cave, the source of the strong stench of guano, a cave where they have always used as a shelter.

Struck by the enormous magnitude of the cave, he compared the cave to the likes of a grand cathedral, with the gallery and gothic roof, and that of the end of the gallery, where the roof rose as high as 100 feet, to that of the St Peter’s Cathedral in Rome.

It was later turned into a place of worship, in 1891 by an influential descendent of Indian immigrant, K. Thambusamy Pillai, who installed the murti (Sacred Statue) of Sri Subramania Swamy in the Temple Cave.

Lord Murugan, The Emancipator

Thaipusam celebrates the birthday of Lord Murugan (Subramania), the youngest son of Shiva and Parvati, a manifestation of beauty, youth, masculinity, valour and vitality. It also celebrates the struggle between good and evil, the day Lord Murugan vanquished the evil demon Soorapadman with the Golden Vel (lance) that was given by his mother Parvati. It falls on the tenth month of the Tamil Hindu calendar, which is called Thai and the word Pusam refers to the star that is shining the brightest during that period.

The Day of Penance

Several years ago I was lucky enough to have witnessed the splendour of Thaipusam, on the eve of the actual day. It was quite an experience, to see all around you, devotees who, with the support of their family and friends, making the pilgrimage towards the Temple Cave, where they will fulfil their vows made for the year. You can see, sea of humans trudging up the steps to complete their vows and for some, to bear witness this magnificent annual event.

The procession of the jewelled chariot containing the statue of Lord Murugan would start early in the morning, as early as 4.00 am on the eve of Thaipusam. Devotees would walk from Sri Maha Mariamman Temple, which is located in the heart of Kuala Lumpur, where the Statue is kept throughout the year and would only be taken out during these few days. The Sri Maha Mariamman Temple is the first temple that was built in Kuala Lumpur in 1873. Indian immigrants who travel from their motherland would bring along with them the Divine Mother, Sri Maha Mariamman and her son Sri Subramania to be worshipped and prayed to, for protection, hence the name given to the temple, Sri Maha Mariamman. The walk would take approximately 8 hours to reach Batu Caves. Once there, the devotees would carry the Statue up the 272 steps to where it will then be placed at the Shrine.

In order to serve the penance and to be able to do their offering, the devotees would have to go through an act of cleansing, spiritually and physically. They would fast, recite prayers, abstain from carnal needs and lead simple life approximately 30 to 40 days prior to the actual day. The penance would take in the form of carrying kavadis (which literally would mean burden) which may be in the form of a pot of milk, mortification of the human flesh, by piercing the flesh with a vel skewer or the most spectacular would be the ‘Vel Kavadi’, which is basically an altar that has the Lord Murugan’s idol and a pot or a jug of milk. The kavadi would be placed atop of the devotee’s shoulder and chains that are dropped from the central body of the kavadi would be attached to the devotee by vels that are hooked on to their chest and back. The Vel Kavadi could be as tall as 2 metres.

On the eve of the Thaipusam, devotees who have made their vows, would walk along with the procession of the jewelled chariot of Lord Murugan from the Sri Maha Mariamman Temple to Batu Caves. Once they have reached Batu Caves, they would have to be bathed and cleansed by the priests (Swami) at the nearby river. Once cleansed, the devotees would be brought into a state of trance, so they can be lanced or skewered without feeling the pain.

Family and friends will guide the kavadi bearers up the 272 steps of Batu Caves to go to the Temple Cave, some using drum beats and flutes as a driving rhythm while others hear the shouts of ‘vel, vel, vetri vel’. Once they have reached the top, they would make their way in the Temple Cave towards the Shrine of Lord Murugan. Here the kavadi bearer will take the pot of milk and pour it over the Golden Vel, offering prayers to the Deity. Once they have completed this, the Swami or priest will sprinkle holy ashes over the vels and skewers that are attached to the chest and back. The kavadi will be lifted off the shoulder of the bearer after which the Swami will remove all the hooks and skewers, and bring the bearer out of his or her trance. With the vow fulfilled, elated faces can be seen among family members, friends and even on lookers.

The Attraction

Batu Caves has a series of chambers that are fascinating. At the foot of the stairs, there is the Art Gallery Cave where you will find an interesting gallery which showcases the statues and paintings of the Hindu Gods and Goddesses and the mythologies. There are also paintings that depict the epic of Ramayana.

The Temple Cave also known as the Cathedral Cave is the main gallery which houses the Shrine where Lord Murugan’s idol will be placed during Thaipusam. The limestone cavern is 400 metres in length and the height of the roof of the gallery is approximately 100 metres. This is where the American Naturalist who discovered the caves has compared it to St Peter’s Cathedral, colossal and full of majestic structures designed by Mother Nature.

Apart from that, for those who are caving enthusiasts, Batu Caves is also a good location to explore the beauty of the cave, to view the grandeur of the formation of stalagmites and stalactites and Mother Nature’s work of art. The two kilometre network of untouched chambers is also host to some of nature’s most unique eco-system. In order to visit the Dark Cave, visitors would have to seek permission and guidelines from Malaysian Nature Society (MNS). MNS also conduct educational and adventure tours to the Dark Caves and you would have to book in advance to guarantee a place in these tours.

The latest attraction to Batu Caves would be the statue of Lord Murugan, which stood as high as 42.7 metres tall. The statue which was revealed on 29 January 2006, cost RM2.5 million and is made of 1,550 cubic metres of concrete, 250 tonnes of steel bars and 300 litres of gold paint, brought in from Thailand. The statue which took 3 years to complete was built by 15 Indian sculptors.

Other attractions

Batu Caves may be known as a holy site for most people. The name Batu Caves is synonymous with the Thaipusam celebration, not only for people in Malaysia but to many people around the world as well. Though it is well known for this, Batu Caves is also known to rock climbing enthusiasts as a favourite spot as there are over 160 climbing routes.

Even though Thaipusam is celebrated once a year, Batu Caves is opened to receive over 3,500 to 5,000 tourists and visitors, daily. There will still be some prayers held daily at the temple, so tourists can also participate in some of the prayers or also pay respect to the

The place is serene, but visitors might also encounter some wild life as there is a large population of the long-tail macaque monkeys at the surrounding area. Visitors are allowed to buy some peanuts to feed these monkeys but are advised to practice caution as the monkeys can become aggressive.

How to get to Batu Caves

Batu Caves is located 13 kilometres North of Kuala Lumpur City Centre. You can drive to Batu Caves, an approximate half an hour to forty five minutes drive from the City Centre. You can also take a cab to Batu Caves or alternatively, you can take a bus no 11D from Bangkok Bank bust stop, which is behind the Central Market.


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Article Information
This article was written by Rozila Wong and was first published on 30 January 2007. This article is free for personal and commercial reproduction, with the following terms and conditions.
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