The Batu Caves are a series of limestone caves, inside which is a temple dedicated to the Hindu deity Murugan.
Pilgrims from all over the world visit the temple year-round, but the real crowds gather in late January or early February each year for the festival of Thaipusam. Over 1.5 million people attend the celebrations here, but not all participate in the full ritual, the Kavadi, which is an act of physical endurance and pain through which pilgrims aim to have Murugan grant their wishes.After days of fasting, purification and prayer, the pilgrims gather at a different temple about 15km away from Batu caves. There they will shave their heads before taking up their burden. Some carry heavy loads or offerings to Murugan, but the most devout will also pierce their tongues with giant needles and have barbs driven into their backs. Thus burdened they take the 8-hour journey to the caves. The temple and shrines within are reached by climbing 272 steps up the hillside.
The stairs, incidentally, are overrun with monkeys. Not cute little photogenic monkeys; wild, dirty, thieving ones. Vijay made us leave all food and bags in the van in case they decided we were a one-stop snack shop, and also urged us not to "caress" the monkeys. Point taken.
I didn't have a heavy load or a needle through my tongue, but it was still going to be hard work climbing those stairs in the heat. I looked at the giant golden statue of Murugan at the base of the stairs; he looked down at me smugly. He wasn't going to beat me that easily, I decided, and off I went.
It wasn't too bad, actually. Some of the way up was shaded by trees. If it hadn't been for the heat, and the monkeys making a mockery of my sweaty efforts by sprinting up and down the steps at lightning speeds, it would have been easy. I took the excuse of a photo break with 50 steps to go before making the final ascent.
All sorts of people were climbing the steps below me. There were the bona fide pilgrims, some with their shaved heads painted gold and silver, many carrying offerings of milk or food for the god at the top. There were the Hindu faithful in traditional Indian dress (although one woman was climbing the steps in her sari and a pair of stilettoes - madness). And there were tourists of every description, speaking every language under the sun.
There was a welcome surprise when I reached the top of the steps - a steady shower of drips from the mouth of the cave to cool me down. Whoever sculpted the statue sitting there had shown admirable forethought - they'd given their creation an umbrella as protection.Inside, to be honest, was a little bit of a let down. There were the usual shops selling devotional items and tacky tourist stuff. One of the shrines at the entrance had been removed as that part of the cave was undergoing maintenance, although I couldn't complain as it was yet another fertility shrine and I wasn't after any assistance in that area.
The caves themselves are pretty impressive. They're huge and cavernous, with attractive rock formations. But the cave floor is covered in litter and filled with formations of rails, fitted to keep the queues of faithful in order at Thaipusam. Along the sides are smaller shrines at which you can stop off and pay your respects to minor deities.The main temple is at the back of the caves, up (gulp) a few more flights of stairs. Here the scenery is even more breathtaking - the cave is open to the sky and you can look up at the forest around the outside. The temple itself is small, not ostentatious. There was a priest, dressed in a sort of sarong, performing a rite on some pilgrims there; as I watched he finished up and disappeared inside.
On my way back down, refreshed by the comparative cool of the caves, it was easier to take in the antics of the monkeys. They were absolutely everywhere and capable of moving at lightning speeds.One sat atop a stone ball on the staircase, drinking the bottle of milk it held with three paws. A mother and her baby were trawling through piles of litter for a feed. Eventually they hit the jackpot - a chip packet, which the mother waved triumphantly as she scarpered, her baby on her back.
It was hard to photograph them, they were moving so fast, so I was pleased when one monkey halted on the stone balustrade. As I snapped away I realised it was relieving itself… copiously. And the stream was running straight and true down the handrail. I called out to the others not to touch ANYTHING and hoped people were looking out below.At the base of the steps a shopkeeper was shouting and brandishing a broom at a monkey that had made off with some of his goods. They really were vicious little beasties. I saw one tourist making her child lure monkeys with lollies so she could get a picture - bad move. When the lollies were gone, the monkeys wanted more and started grabbing at the little girl's pockets.
After we'd made it back down and refreshed with some well-deserved cold drinks, it was back to the lap of luxury for us - the Ritz-Carlton in KL. As we drove away, one image stayed in my mind: a frail little woman, white-haired and bent with age, surrounded by a solicitous crowd of relatives as she struggled her way up the steps. The last I saw she'd made it up about 40 steps before sinking down for a breather. I hope she made it in the end.
Amy Williams travelled to Malaysia courtesy of Malaysia Airlines and Tourism Malaysia.
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