By Lakshmi:

Who?  If you are visiting Kuala Lumpur and have a half day to spare to visit a Hindu temple ensconced among limestone rock formations.

What? Batu Caves is located about 13 kilometres from Kuala Lumpur.

How? We did a half day excursion with a local tour company.  Many of them including Viator offer half day tours which may combine visits to a pewter factory, a Chinese temple or other local attractions.

The Viator tour costs from $34.66 per person and more details can be found here.

http://www.viator.com/tours/Kuala-Lumpur/Batu-Caves-and-Temple-Tour-from-Kuala-Lumpur/d335-3705KUL11

You can also take the train directly from KL central to the caves, which is a very economical option.

Why?  As a Hindu, it is not surprising that during our trip to KL, a visit to Batu Caves was a must do on our list.  We had heard that it was a century old temple dedicated to Lord Murugan and it was unlike any other temple that we might have visited.  That was enough information for us to sign up for an afternoon tour.  After partaking in a heavy, scrumptious lunch, we got in our mini bus enroute to the shrine.

Upon arriving at the ordained spot, we immediately realized that eating a big lunch was a mistake.  Before us stood 272 steep steps that we had to ascend to make our way to the caves that housed the shrine.  Off we trotted, somewhat slowly and sluggishly, wishing we had eaten lighter.  As we made our way to the top, we had playful monkeys on both sides, some seemingly chiding us for not being as quick footed as them!

Once we got to the top, we entered the caves where there were multiple shrines with devotees and priests offering prayers.  After paying obeisance to the Gods, we spent time looking at the limestone formations surrounding us.  It was one of the more surreal moments of prayer at a spot where the transformation of nature over the ages converged with the presence of an omnipresent force.