Which Malaysian caves house a Hindu shrine below a giant Murugan statue?

Which Malaysian caves house a Hindu shrine below a giant Murugan statue? Batu Caves is the answer.

Batu Caves is a limestone cave complex in Gombak, Selangor, just north of Kuala Lumpur. Its largest cave contains the Sri Subramaniar Swamy Temple, a Hindu shrine dedicated to Murugan, the deity also known as Kartikeya. A monumental gold-painted Murugan statue stands beside the staircase at the entrance.

The caves became a Hindu pilgrimage site through the efforts of K. Thamboosamy Pillai, a Tamil trader who promoted the location in the late 19th century. A temple was completed in 1891, and Thaipusam celebrations began there the following year. The site is now a major centre of Tamil Hindu worship in Malaysia.

The climb to the main temple uses 272 concrete steps, painted in bright colours in 2018. The Murugan statue, unveiled in 2006, is 42.7 metres tall and is among the world’s tallest statues of the deity. Mulu, Gomantong and Niah are important Malaysian cave systems, but they are not the famous Murugan pilgrimage site.