MPU3123: TAMADUN ISLAM DAN TAMADUN ASIA (TITAS)

HISTORICAL SITE VISIT (BATU CAVES)

GROUP MEMBERS:

Names ID No.

Kok Ka Shing 0323553

Kyla Ellana Nazrin Diego 0322409

Kok Xuan Ying 0322929

Koo Jian Xiang 0322975

Lau Hui Ming 0323827

Le Jia Ling 0322532

Lee Fong Yen 0321976

Lee Kylie 0326655

Lee Lin Hui 0322797

Lee Xin Ying 0322432

LECTURER: Ms Fadhilah Raihan Lokman

SUBMISSION DATE: 8 May 2016

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Acknowledgement

The success and final outcome of this assignment required a lot of guidance and assistance

from many people and us extremely fortunate to have got this all along the completion of our

assignment work. Whatever we have done is only due to such guidance and assistance and

we would not forget to thank them. This assignment cannot be completed without the effort

and co-operation from our group members, Ka Shing (leader), Xuan Ying, Jian Xiang, Kyla,

Hui Ming, Jia Ling, Fong Yen, Kylie, Lin Hui and Xin Ying. We also sincerely thank to our

lecturer, Ms Puteh Noraihan and Ms Fadhilah Raihan for their guidance in finishing this

assignment and also for teaching us in this course.

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No. TitlePage

Number

1. Introduction 4

2. Objectives to Study 5

3.

Research Findings- Material Used- Style of Art- Architecture

6-7

4. Travel Journal 8-14

5. Conclusion 15

6.Appendixes- Photos - References

16-24

Table of Content

Introduction3

Batu Caves is an iconic and popular tourist attraction in Selangor. It is one of

Malaysia’s national treasures and holiest Hindu site, this complex of giant limestone caves,

just 13km north of KL, houses temples that have been drawing pilgrims for more than 120

years. In 1891, ten years after the caves were noticed by American explorer William

Hornaby, local Indian dignitaries convinced the British administration that the caves were

ideal places in which to worship. Soon ever-increasing numbers of devotees were visiting

the caves to pray at the shrine established here to Lord Murugan, also known as Lord Subramaniam. Later the temple complex was expanded to include a shrine to the elephant-

headed deity Ganesh.

There are 4 main attractions at Batu Caves which is a limestone hill riddled with

caves. These attractions are Temple Cave (Cathedral Cave), Dark Cave, Cave Villa and

Ramayana Cave. Temple Cave is the biggest cave, it has a 100m high ceiling and features

many ornate Hindu shrines. To reach the cave, visitors have to climb a steep flight of 272

steps. Below the Temple Cave is the Dark Cave, with its amazing rock formations and a

number of animals species found nowhere else. The large statue of the Hindu God at the

entrance also is one of the attractions in Batu Cave, besides the steep 272 climb up its steps

to finally view the stunning skyline of the city centre. There are also monkeys frolicing around

the caves, and it is a popular spot for rock climbing enthusiasts. Paintings and scenes of

Hindu Gods can also be seen in the Ramayana Cave.

The main event at Batu caves every year is Thaipusam (January or early February),

where up to 1 million people which consist of devotees and tourists visit Batu caves during

the three-day celebration. Many of the devotees carry kavadis, large frameworks with

various metal skewers and hooks, which are used to pierce the skin, cheeks and tongue.

Lord Murugan Statue 272 steps entrance

Objective of Study

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Objective study to visit Batu Caves:

1. Able to recall the development of Eastern human civilizations in the past as well as

present.

2. Able to describe the historical development of human civilization.

3. Able to develop skills of data gathering.

4. To understand the current existing social, political, religious and economic conditions

of the people.

5. Able to explain the present, to analyse the architecture style of Batu Caves.

Research Findings

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1. Batu Caves

Batu Caves is the sacred place for the Hindus all around the world. It is a 100-year-old

temple that houses several Hindu shrines and features idols paintings and statues namely,

the Lord Murugan, Lord Hanuman, Lord Rama and their noble devotees. In the past, some

of the cave entrances were used as shelters by the indigenous Temuan people, a tribe of

Orang Asli.

2. Materials used

The interior of Batu Caves are limestone formation and aged around 400 million

years old.

The steps up to the Temple Cave are composed of 272 concrete steps which

replaced the old wooden steps.

The great statue of Lord Murugan that stood at the religious site is built with 1550

cubic metres of concrete, 250 tonnes of steel bars and 300 litres of gold paint. This

statue cost 24 million rupees.

3. Measurements

Batu Caves consist of three main caves and a number of smaller ones with a length

of 400 metres and 100 metres high. The Cathedral Cave also known as the Temple

Cave is the largest and most popular cavern in Batu Caves.

The great statue of Lord Murugan is 42.7 metres tall whereas the statue of Lord

Hanuman which is located beside the cave is 15 metres tall.

4. Style of art / Architecture

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The style of art or architecture of Batu Caves is Dravidian architecture. Dravidian

architecture was an architectural idiom that emerged in the Southern part of the Indian

subcontinent or South India. It consists primarily of temples with pyramid shaped towers and

are constructed of sandstone, soapstone or granite. Mentioned as one of three styles of

temple building in the ancient book Vastu shastra, the majority of the existing structures are

located in the Southern Indian states of Andhra pradesh,Karnataka, Kerala, Tamil Nadu and

Telangana. Various kingdoms and empires such as the Cholas, the Chera, the Kakatiyas,

the Pandyas, the Pallavas, the Gangas, the Rashtrakutas, the Chalukyas, the Hoysalas, and

Vijayanagara Empire among others have made substantial contribution to the evolution of

Dravidian architecture. This styled architecture can also be found in parts of North India (Teli

ka Mandir Gwalior, Bhitargaon Baitala Deula, Bhubaneshwar), Northeastern and central Sri

Lanka, Maldives, and various parts of Southeast Asia. Angkor Wat in Cambodia and

Prambanan in Indonesia were built based on Dravida architecture

5. Thaipusam in Batu Caves

Thaipusam is a celebration for the son of Shiva (Subramaniam) and the becoming "one"

of Pusan and the Brihaspati stars. Batu Caves is the focal point of this annual Hindu festival.

It attracts thousands of devotees and visitors and in the past the festival has attracted more

than one million pilgrims, making it one of the largest gatherings in the world. The entire

celebration commences colorfully and lasts for a total of eight hours.

As a form of penance or sacrifice, many of them carry ‘kavadis’ (literally, "burden,"

such as a pitcher or jug) that represents a miniature shrine to the Lord Murugan. These are

large, brightly decorated (with flowers and peacock feathers) frameworks, usually

combined with various metal hooks and skewers which are used to pierce the skin, cheeks

and tongue. By doing this penance they expect some favors from their Gods.

Travel Journal

Ka Shing

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Our group has decided that on the 17th of April which was a Sunday, that we would

visit Batu Caves for our group site visit in order to complete our MPU assignment that was

given to us by our lecturer. We decided to meet in campus around 11A.M as the only drives

were me and Leo and we would divide ourselves up evenly into the 2 cars. We left campus

around 11.30 A.M and the journey to Batu Caves took around 30-40 minutes. After we have

arrived at the site we went on to park our cars and started exploring the area. It is not my

first time visiting Batu Caves but everything still looks so beautiful every time I visit the place.

After taking a few photos of the place we decided to take our group picture in front of the

marvelous Lord Murugan Statue and the flight of stairs up to the Temple Cave. After that we

climbed up the 272 steps and entered the Temple cave to take more pictures and also a little

more exploring. Before going back down after we explored the Temple Cave, we just stood

at the front of the cave entrance as there was a breath-taking view of Kuala Lumpur and also

a small part of Selayang from up there. Our trip there was not a long one as it only took us

less than 2 hours to explore and take pictures of the entire place but we had a fun time

visiting Batu Caves. Lastly, in order to conclude our trip, we had lunch as a group before

departing back to campus where everyone parted ways from there.

Kyla Diego

My group has chosen Batu Caves for this assignment and we had arranged our time

for the site visit on a Sunday morning, April 17th, 2016. We drove two cars to Batu Caves

with drivers named, Ka Shing and Jian Xiang and I sat in Ka Shing’s car. Initially, we were

supposed to meet in campus at 11 a.m. But unfortunately, I woke up late so instead he and

the other two group members picked me up from my house.

Our journey to Batu Caves was not longer than 30 minutes and we reached safely to

the destination in the afternoon.

Before we started with our tour, we had a brief meeting and everyone had to do their

part, mostly we took quite amount of photos. The place was crowded with tourists and locals

and few of them were climbing the 272 steps of slightly steep stairway up to the sacred

temple. It was quite a challenge for me to climb those stairs because, first, it was too high

and I am afraid of heights and second, because it was too high and climbing those stairs

were really tiring.

The interior of the Batu Caves were really fascinating. Most people were also

fascinated by the interior and took photos. Moreover, they also took photos of monkeys and

flocks of pigeons inside too. Not to mention, people doing their prayers were also seen

inside.

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After everything, we all climbed down, took a group photo and dismissed.

Xuan Ying

Randomly grouped together and not knowing each other well were the starting point

of our visit to Batu Caves. As a team, we travelled to the site by car and as soon as we

stepped on Batu Caves’ ground, we were fascinated by the great statue of Lord Murugan (it

was the tallest Lord Murugan’s statue ever built!). We started off by taking a group photos

and soon after we began the arduous climbing up to the top of the caves, it was my first

experience being in the cave and it felt mysteriously calming (if only we were not attacked by

the monkeys in the cave). As the cave were naturally formed, it was amusing for me to

realise how the sunlight shone and brighten up the whole chamber. The statues and

paintings were highly detailed and in my opinion, it reflects the dedication of the devotees

towards Lord Murugan. Our short but informative trip ended with a quick Mc Donald’s Lunch

before travelling back to campus. Undeniably, it was a great opportunity for us to study on

Batu Caves and to be a little bit closer than when we first met each other.

Jian Xiang

On the 17th of April, we went to visit Batu Cave for our MPU site visit project. After

several discussions with group mates, we gathered up ourselves around 10am and head

over to Batu Cave. Ka Shing and I were both driving cars and fetching our group mates

separately. The journey took us around 40 minutes as there were minor traffic issue. After

we have parked our car, we went down to the gates below the cave. The scene was

marvellous. This was my second time visiting Batu Cave. We took group photos at the area

to mark our assemble on the site. After that, we went up to the cave for further exploration.

The journey up to the cave took us around 15 mins as there were a lot of steps. It’s

exhausting to climb up but it was a pleasant experience because around the top I can view

the skyline of Kuala Lumpur. We took awhile to enjoy the scenery of limestone inside the

cave. We took photos and we eventually have some fun time of our own. The whole visiting

tour to Batu Caves took us not more than 2 hours. It was short but filled with great

experience. Finally, we headed to McDonald’s nearby Batu Cave for lunch and went back to

campus after that.

Hui MingOur group decided to visit Batu caves. On that day, I reached lakeside campus at 11

am. Our group was organized on arranging the schedule. In addition, they are thoughtful for

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those who don't have the transport to there because they were willing to fetch us along to

there.

About one hour, we reached the destination. This is not my first time visiting Batu

Caves. There were a lot of visitors there. When all the members were there, we took a group

photo. We went surrounding to investigate the design of the buildings. I was appreciated for

the amazing creation of Batu caves because it combines and interact to the nature. It has

become one of the most famous cave landmarks of Malaysia. It also act as iconic and

popular tourism attraction in Selangor.

After having lunch with my group members, we backed to campus. I really thanked to

Ka Shing and Jian Xiang who fetched us back safely.

Jia Ling

11.00AM

In the morning, all of us gathered at Taylor’s Lakeside campus and we depart to Batu Caves

at 11am sharp. We use 2 cars and each car have 5 person to go Batu Cave.

11.45AM

We reached Batu Caves at 11.45am, we started our research based on the site. The

difficulty is during the visit all are crowded by people and cars so we should park outside and

go the cave by walking. Before I when there, I already had do some research based on the

internet. We took pictures around Batu Caves and observe the information at there. We also

climb a steep flight of 272 steps to reach that entrance of that hill.

12.30AM

We finished our research and our group photos on site at 12.30am. We all are very

exhausted when we climb down but it was a wonderful experience for me because this is my

first time I climb up to the hill and know other religious and their culture as well.

1.00pm

We enjoy our lunch at McDonald which nearby Batu Caves before we back to Taylor’s. All of

us we gain lots of fun and have a wonderful experience throughout the journey.

Fong Yen

My group has chosen Batu Caves as the site for this assignment. We had conducted

the site visit on the 17th of April. All group members have gathered at Taylor’s University at

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11 a.m sharp. We drove two cars up to Batu Caves. The driver that day was Jian Xiang and

Ka Shing. I sat in Jian Xiang’s car, together with three of the other group mates.

We departed around 11.40 and it was only a half an hour drive to Batu Caves from

our campus. We reached our site at around 12.20 in the afternoon. So, before we started

our tour, we had a brief meeting on delegation of tasks. Every group member had to do their

part, mostly taking photos.

Traffic was congested at Batu Caves as it was crowded with tourists and locals.

Many activities can be seen there such as Hindus praying at the temple, people climbing the

272 stairs up the cave, tourists taking photos and many more. It was definitely a challenge to

make it up to the top. The main attraction of the site was the tall and large Lord Murugan

statue at the base of the cave. Many people were seen standing in front of the statue, trying

to get a pretty shot of the whole place. Besides that, photo taking session with the pigeons is

also a must do when visiting Batu Caves. Not sure why, but majority were doing so.

The Batu Caves temple consists of three main caves and few smaller ones. The

biggest among all would be the Cathedral Cave, which visitors have to climb 272 steps up.

We were impressed by the beautiful statues and decorations on the roof. While at the base,

the Art Gallery and Museum Cave are visited by visitors to understand more on stories

related to the Hindu god. It was interesting to hear about histories related to the Hindu deity

and not only that, we even got to see paintings there.

After walking around the area, and taking enough photos of the surroundings, finally

came to the last agenda of the site visit, which was taking a group photo. With the help of a

visitor there, we managed to take a nice decent photo in front of the Lord Murugan statue,

with the stairs and caves as the background.

Around 3 pm, we then headed back to the campus, feeling tired and exhausted.

Thanks to Jian Xiang and Ka Shing, who took the initiative to drive us to and back from Batu

Caves. Before heading back, we took our lunch together and arrived at the campus around

4pm.

Through this assignment, I have learnt how are buildings or sites are related to

civilization and the histories of Batu Caves as well as the Hindu deities. Not only that, I have

now gain a deeper knowledge about the definition of civilization, especially The Indian

Civilization and now able to relate how similar it was to civilization back in those days. Most

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important of all, being able to make new friends from other courses and working together in

completing this assignment.

Picture on the left was taken at the entrance of Batu Caves while the picture on the right was

taken at the base of Batu Caves where pigeons were fed and taken photo with.

Our group photo.

From the left: Lin Hui, Hui MIng, Xin Ying, Jian Xiang, Ka Shing, Ellana, Jia Ling, Kylie, Fong Yen

(me) and lastly Xuan Ying.

Lee Kylie

As my team has chosen Batu Caves to be our historical site, so that is where we

went to conduct further research.

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Driving took about 40 minutes from my house. Seeing Batu Caves up close was

worth it in spite of the long journey. We took several pictures and immersed ourselves in the

hustle and bustle of the street market within the compound of Malaysia’s largest and most

popular shrine.

The visit was highly productive. We got to meet up to thoroughly discuss and

consolidate our findings. Apart from the general facts, we actually learned several interesting

facts. One of them is that all materials were bought from Thailand!

Discussions aside, we actually went all the way up to the caves. Climbing 272 steps

was definitely a challenge, if not an immensely enlightening experience. Initially, we were a

little apprehensive to climb up as the weather was fairly hot and we were afraid that one of

us might get a heatstroke. We decided that since we were already there, we might as well

seize the opportunity. The climb took us about 15 minutes. Along the stairs were resting

points that provided an amazing view of the KL skyline. We took breaks periodically to

savour the view. At the top of the stairs rests the Temple Cave, with an impressive statue of

the main deity (Sri Murugan) sitting within the space of the cave. We stayed there for about

20 minutes, taking pictures and observing our surroundings, before heading down and

eventually going home.

Personally, the trip had been a wonderful learning experience. Although in the past I

had visited this site, the experience was not as in-depth as this one. Being in the presence of

such a monumental structure was definitely incomparable to merely seeing it online. I can

clearly understand why tourists are willing to travel from faraway places just to visit Batu

Caves.

Being an architecture student, this project is the perfect chance for me to explore

local landmarks. I got to learn an architectural style that I have never heard before, that is

Dravidian architecture. The Dravidian style is heavily portrayed through Batu Caves. Further

online research has shed light on other Indian historical landmarks that portray Dravidian

architecture.

Therefore, I am extremely grateful for the opportunity to embark on this educational

journey. Gaining knowledge is one thing, but cultivating the value of teamwork and friendship

is something I adhered to throughout the project. All in all, it has been a very holistic learning

experience.

Lin Hui

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On 17th April 2016, our group meets up on the campus at 11.00am. There were only

9 members gathered up in the campus as one of our members went to Batu Caves straight.

At 11.20am, we departed the campus to Batu Caves. I boarded onto Leo’s car to Batu

Caves with other three members. It took about 25 minutes to reach the Batu Caves from

campus. Then, we waited half an hour for all members arrived. While waiting for other

members, we took some photos and selfie for references. When all members arrived, we

took a group photo at the square and discussed for group work. After that, we decided to

climb up to visit the cave as half of our group members had never visited before. The journey

took about 15 to 20 minutes. It was quite challenging for me as the stairs are tilt and high. I

was impressed by the statues and painting on the wall and glad to hear histories that related

to the Hindu deity. Before dismiss, we had a short break at McDonald’s restaurant nearby

the Batu Caves before went back to the campus. Thanks a lot to Jian Xiang and Ka Shing,

who drove us to and back from Batu Caves.

Xing Ying

My group decided to go to visit Batu Caves on 14th April 2016. In the morning of that

day, we met at campus and start our journey after everyone reached at 11.30am. We

separated into two cars. After we reached, I took some pictures around Batu Caves and also

the gorgeous statue of Lord Murugan. Besides that, I saw many visitors on that day which

climbed up to the top of the cave. This is my first time visiting this awesome place, I find the

architecture of the religious buildings in Batu Caves very interesting and I also learned about

the Indian cultural. In this hot day, I also saw there were many visitors buying coconut water

to relieve themselves from the heat.

After we took the group photo, we decided to climb up the flight of stairs to enter the

cave. There were many long tailed-macaque monkeys on the way up the stairs. There were

also a lot of visitors climbed up the stairs to visit the caves. At the base of the hill there are

two cave temples, Art Gallery Cave and Museum Cave, both of which are full of Hindu

statues and paintings. We took some pictures of the caves. After we finished the task, we

went to have our lunch and went back to campus. I appreciate Ka Shing and Leo whom both

fetched us to Batu Caves and took us home safety.

CONCLUSION

In this assignment, students were randomly divided into groups of ten students. This has

encouraged a necessary interaction between students of different courses, by getting to

know more friends and engaging with different people.

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The environment at Batu Caves was lively and filled with a lot of people. The site was

ethically engaged as people in the communities were polite. Our investigation included both

inside and outside of Batu Caves. In comparison with the civilized norm of today, there is not

that much difference between both societies, as both are devoted to their religions. They

worship their Gods respectively anywhere, although Batu Caves was more of a central

gathering for this peace worthy outcome. It is known as one of the most popular Hindu

shrines outside India, dedicated to Lord Murugan. It is the focal point of Hindu festival of

Thaipusam in Malaysia.

As a group assignment, this has encouraged us to learn how to work with people

outside our circle of friends, including those who have different backgrounds and

experiences. At times, when there were disagreements, we learnt how to tolerate with each

other and tried discussing for the best solution.

Besides that, this assignment has also helped enhance team work between group

members, motivating each other and helping out one another when there were difficulties.

This assignment also helps improve leadership qualities and teamwork abilities in every

group member.

Even though there were difficulties in setting a meeting where everyone was able to

show up, we compromised with each other’s time and tolerate with each other in order to

complete this assignment. Therefore, we have learnt the importance of communication

between group members when a group assignment is concerned.

APPENDICES

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Portrait view of Batu Caves.

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Landscape view of Batu Caves.

A small souvenir shop & Cave Villa Art Gallery.

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A hawker store selling fresh flower necklaces.

Stalls selling Indian confectionery and snacks to customers.

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A small shrine next to the 272 flight of stairs.

A garden at the base of Batu Caves.

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View from the Temple Cave entrance.

A priest waits for worshipers to pay their respects at the shrine near the cave entrance.

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Interior of Batu Caves.

A priest casually standing while looking at the camera.

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A priest having a conversation with a woman.

A priest blessing a worshiper.

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The main temple of Murugan inside the Temple Cave.

The entrance shrine in Batu Caves.

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Reference

Batu caves Sri Subramaniar Swamy Devasthanam. (2002, May ). Retrieved from

http://http://murugan.org/temples/batumalai.htm

Batu caves | tourism Malaysia. Retrieved May 1, 2016, from

http://www.malaysia.travel/en/my/places/states-of-malaysia/selangor/batu-caves

Direct, A. W. (2016). Batu caves in Kuala Lumpur - Kuala Lumpur attractions.

Retrieved from http://http://www.kuala-lumpur.ws/attractions/batu-caves.htm#

Manivanan, M. (1996). History of Batu caves. Retrieved April 26, 2016, from

http://mmadventure.com/kuala-lumpur-attractions/batu-caves.htm

malaysian-explorer. Batu caves. Retrieved April 23, 2016, from

http://www.malaysian-explorer.com/batuCaves.html

Photo, & Aron, S. (2009). Batu caves - temple in Kuala Lumpur. Retrieved April 26,

2016, from http://www.thousandwonders.net/Batu+Caves

Rodgers, G. (2016, January 19). The Batu caves in Malaysia A beautiful attraction

just minutes from Kuala Lumpur. Retrieved April 29, 2016, from Travel, 

says, C. peter. (2015). The Batu caves travel attractions, facts & history -. Retrieved

from http://http://famouswonders.com/the-batu-caves/

van Wijnen, B. (2001). Batu caves. Retrieved April 24, 2016, from

http://www.malaysiasite.nl/batucaveseng.htm

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