Temple Cave

Batu Caves


Centrepiece of the Batu Caves complex and one of Malaysia's most photographed sights, Temple Cave sits atop 272 colourful steps populated by scampering macaque monkeys. Actually two enormous caverns connected by 56 steps, it is guarded by a 42.7m statue of Lord Murugan erected in 2006. The cavern has been a Hindu shrine since K Thambusamy Pillai, founder of KL's Sri Mahamariamman Temple, placed a statue of Lord Murugan here in 1890.

Inside the first cavern, at the top of the stairs, Murugan’s six abodes are carved into the walls. The second (upper) cavern holds the temple of Sri Valli Deivanai, Murugan’s wife. Murugan, son of Shiva and the Hindu god of war, is widely worshipped in Hindu Tamil communities.

Hugely popular with visitors, Temple Cave is seldom a tranquil experience, especially during the annual Festival of Thaipusam, when hundreds of thousands of pilgrims converge here.

Transportation

  • train: Batu Caves

Lonely Planet's must-see attractions

Nearby Batu Caves attractions

1. Batu Caves

0.06 MILES

Just 13km north of Kuala Lumpur rise the iconic Batu Caves, a Malaysian national treasure, Hindu pilgrimage site and wildlife-conservation zone. Behind a…

2. Ramayana Cave

0.09 MILES

No cave at Batu is more spectacularly embellished than Ramayana Cave, which boasts psychedelic dioramas of the Indian epic 'Ramayana'. Pass the green, 15m…

3. Forest Research Institute Malaysia

3.3 MILES

A fresh green haven in easy reach of Kuala Lumpur, the 545-hectare Forest Research Institute Malaysia (FRIM) is an active centre of forest management…

4. FRIM Research Gallery

3.36 MILES

The exhibits are a little dense and hard to navigate, but there are some interesting displays here explaining several forest types found in Malaysia,…

5. P Ramlee Memorial

3.45 MILES

The brief life of P Ramlee, the charismatic singer, actor and movie director who was Malaysia's biggest star in the 1950s, is chronicled at this small…

6. Sentul West

3.72 MILES

The industrial and natural heritage of an old railway depot and workshop has been transformed into this park surrounding upmarket condos. A chunk of it is…

7. Maha Kaliamman Temple

3.79 MILES

You might find a Hindu ceremony being performed at this small temple beneath the LRT tracks at Sentul Timur.

8. Anthi Eeswaran Temple

3.81 MILES

Enshrining a Shiva lingam brought from India, this Hindu temple was built in 1937 and has one of the largest goporums (towers) in Southeast Asia. The…

  • placement: superzone
  • path: Destinations/POIs/superzone
  • possible size: [970, 250], [970, 90], [728, 90], [1, 1],
  • targeting:
    {
      "url": "malaysia/batu-caves/attractions/temple-cave/a/poi-sig/1520326/1317174",
      "destination": "Batu-Caves",
      "continent": "Asia",
      "country": "Malaysia",
      "region": "Batu-Caves",
      "position": "superzone"
    }