Hindu Deities @ Batu Caves

During my uncle from Singapore recent trip to KL, I brought him to an attraction place near to my house which is Batu Caves. He was quite happy as he thought that the place was on the other part of KL but just a driving distance of 15 minutes from my place. The Batu Caves in Malaysia are most important Hindu religious sites outside of India and are a must-see once you are tired of shopping and wandering Kuala Lumpur.

The largest scupltures of Lord Murugan can be found at Batu Caves Malaysia. 

A temple near Batu Caves

Another large statues of hindu deities erected near the temple

A detailed sculptures of the deities on the temple cover with gold paint.

A reminder for the visitors not to use any shoes when entering the temple.

Just eight short miles north of the city, the Batu Caves are just one of the many interesting things to do around Kuala Lumpur. The caves attract around 5,000 visitors a day who come to climb the gruelling 272 steps up to the Cathedral Cave which houses Hindu deities beneath a 100 metre ceiling.

The Batu Caves are a focal point for Malaysians Hindu devotee, particularly during Thaipusam: they house a 113-year-old temple, along with an interesting array of Hindu artwork and shrines. 

Every year during the Hindu festival of Thaipusam, the Batu Caves attract more than a million devotees and spectators. The eight-hour procession of music and ceremony leaves offerings before a giant statue of Lord Murugan, the Hindu God of War. 

The Giant Golden statue of Lord Murugan

 The gruelling 272 steps you need to conquer.

Approaching the caves, the first thing you notice is a towering golden statue of Lord Murugan. Erected in 2006, this statue is the largest in the world dedicated to the deity and stands guard to the 272 leg-burning steps that lead up to the cave entrances.

View from the cathedral caves entrance.

As you make your way up the steps, you will undoubtedly be entertained by a tribe of monkeys that feed off the steady stream of tourists. You may take pictures, but pay attention to your belongings! 

Cute but be cautious on the unpredictable behaviour. 

Expect to be entertained and possibly even harassed by a horde of Macaque monkeys that call the area home. The monkeys make great subjects for photos, but inevitably end up stealing from and even biting the occasional tourist. 

Monkey bites can be serious; immediately drop anything that they grab onto such as a backpack or water bottle. The monkeys consider tug-of-war to be a challenge and may bite your hand before they let go!

Macaque monkeys is a common sight seeing in Batu Caves.

Resting points along the stairs provide nice views of the suburbs of Kuala Lumpur. 

Take a rest and enjoy the view from the steps.

Back view of Lord Murugan from the steps overlooking the ground temple.

The largest and most popular is known as Temple Cave, which has a ceiling over 300 feet high. Inside the lit cave you will find various Hindu shrines and ornate depictions bringing legends to life. 

The Temple caves view.

Some of the other dwellers inside the cave.

The entrance below Temple Cave is known as Dark Cave; this is the wildest of the three caves. The 6,500-ft underground stretch harbors brilliant limestone formations and is home to many species of cave animals including the endangered Trapdoor Spider. 

The Dark Cave can only be explored by booking a spanking tour in advance. The tours require a fair level of physical fitness as some crawling is required; it is advisable to bring a change of clothes. 

Just across an attractive set of bridges, the Art Gallery cave contains Hindu carvings and wall paintings that depict tales of Lord Murugan and other Hindu legends; expect to pay a small fee to enter. 

The pond link to the Art Gallery.

Big scultures of the sitar. 

"Hear No Evil, Speak No Evil, See No Evil"

Unusual scene, a rooster fight with wild chicken which is backup by a turkey. 

Beside the the temple, visitors can visit some of the Indians stall which providing experience such as Henna, food and cultures. Beside that, you may enjoy the fresh coconut after a tiring climb the staircase.

A tourist get her henna tattoo done.

A vendor is doing and selling the "Kalung Bunga"

Good for a gifts.

Fresh cut coconut to quench the thirsty throat.

Abundant of coconut to choose.

Soon to be build is the Cable Car at Batu Caves

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Francis Xavier Church @ Malacca

Francis Xavier Church Malacca.

After a walk through rows of red shop house at Malacca, we decide to stop at catholic church which just around the block as my mum tends to buy some catholic souvenirs to bring back to Sibu. This Gothic church was built by the French priest Father P. Fabre in 1849. It is dedicated to St. Francis Xavier who was an one of the earliest Catholic missionaries active in southeast Asia. The church sits where an old Portuguese mission once stood.

A statue of memories of Mr Yagiro Angero and San Francisco Xavier. Mr Yagiro is a disciple of San Francisco

In the course of his missionary work, Father Fabre developed a close affinity with the Malay people and became a Professor of Malay in Paris. He also wrote several books on Javanese and Malay languages.
The church is essentially identical to its original construction, except for the portico which was added in 1963. The interior is little changed except for the floor which was cemented in 1920.

The inside view of the church.

The old pipe organ was place on the choir parlor.

View of the altar.

Magnificent view of the tainted glass.

When we were inside this church, we were disturbed by a bugger which keeps on bugging my wife and my mum. This bugger smell of alcohol and non stop talking and he proclaim his cousin is the priest of the church previously. He also keep on mentioning that he just been bailed out by the church from jail on previous day and have no money to feed his wife and 5 children. He keeps on bugging and request for money. Coz afraid of the safety of my wife and my mum, I gave him RM10. Even after given the money, he still saying it is not enough. Me and my wife and also my mum just left the church immediately after we offer our prayer to Mother Mary. After we left the church, my mum just realize she left her Spanish fan which my sis bought for her from Spain in the church as she put it on the bench while she was praying.

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Christ Church @ Malacca

Christ Church in Melaka. The oldest Protestant church in M'sia.

Christ Church is the oldest functioning Protestant church in Malaysia. Construction began in 1741 on the centennial of the Dutch occupation, and it was completed in 1753. Before this date the Dutch used the old Portuguese church atop St. Paul's hill for their religious services.

Christ Church bears all the hallmarks of 18th-century Dutch architecture: a rectangular plan, massive walls, red granite plinths, and Dutch roof tiles. The ceiling is 12.2 meters above the floor and the roof beams are each cut from a single tree. The building's footprint is a perfect 2:1 proportion: 27 meters on the long end and 13 meters on the short. The pews are original, and so are the windows, but were reduced in size by the British in the 19th century.

Front view of Christ Church.

The church is notable for some unusual objects in the interior (regrettably, photography is not permitted). The church bell is inscribed with the date 1698, suggesting that it was used for another purpose before the completion of the church. Most bizarre are tombstones incorporated into the floor of the church. The tombstones are written in Portuguese and were originally in St. Paul's Church inside the Portuguese fortress. However, they were removed by the Dutch when they occupied Melaka in 1641. Since it is unlikely that the highly religious Dutch would have used Catholic tombstones inside a Protestant church, historians surmise that they were installed there by the British.

A fountain in front of the church.

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The Assumption Church Penang

The Assumption Church

The Assumption Church

I went to The Assumption Church in Penang Island which I thought there will be a mass in the evening as on that day was a special mass was held which is Ascension Day mass for Catholics followers. But when I reach the church which is The Assumption Church, it was empty. I ask some of the people there which at the church compound told me that there is no mass in evening as the mass had been held in early morning. 

Mother Mary Shrine.

The tainted glass on the shrine

Since I was there, I just pray to myself in front of Mary shrine which located in front of the church. This church was built in 1786 and located at Lebuh Farquhar. 

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Easter Sunday Mass at St. Anthony Church Pudu

Today is Easter Sunday and I went to church as usual. Usually I attend English mass and sometime I attend BM mass. I attend a 12:00 noon BM mass service at St. Anthony Church Pudu. This church was built in 1911 and the location is right down near to the worst traffic flow in KL which is near the Puduraya station. Been brought up in a Catholic church which usually use English in most of my life, went to BM mass is such a good experience. Although the language been use for the services is not the same but the sequence are the same for all the mass services. When I arrive at the church, there were flooded with congregation praying and no space to sit. Even the church builds 2 tent side by side the church but yet it still full. I was standing in one of the tent before I decided to stands at the back of the church. Most of the goers for BM mass in this church mostly are Sabahan, Sarawakian, Orang Asli and Indonesians. Some you might see some Indians and Chinese attend this BM mass either there are more comfortable with BM mass or the same case like me, missed the English mass services in the morning. For choirs for this particular church, the BM mass services have marvellous voices and you will impress with it when they sing (but it’s in BM). The mass start at 12:00 noon and end up at 2:00pm. There were some treats after the mass but since too much people, I rather leave the church as my car I parked was blocking someone else cars. So, I would like to take this opportunity to wish you all have a blessed happy Easter.

The church front view where some stalls selling food and drink been opened by the roadside.


I was standing behind the tent before i stand behind the church. See how pack is the church.


I manage to squeeze myself into the church but yet still standing behind next to the confessional room. See the few big pillars which holds the church fondations.


View of the altar.


A close up view of the altar. Really love the stained glass effect.


The choir pillar which seldom been used by most colonial builts church.


A nice shot of the church over the gloomy skies.

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Easter Virgil at Church of Holy Rosary

This whole week is a Holy Week. Can be said the mass is almost the whole week and it starts from Holy Thursday, Good Friday, Holy Saturday (Easter Virgil) and Easter Sunday. I just came back from Easter Virgil mass at one of the church in Brickfields named Church of The Holy Rosary. Among the churches which I have been lately in Key Ell, this church reminds me a lot of my home town St. Mary’s Church back in Sibu. Living in Sentul and drive all the way to this church which located in Brickfields some might says I’m crazy. I really admit that I go to those churches that I feel comfortable like home and the importance part is the choirs. As an ex-choir member for St. Mary’s Church back in Sibu, I really enjoyed singing praises to the Lord and strumming my guitar to it. Gosh... I really miss those days. Because of choir, I met with such a beautiful and loveable organist which is my wife. I will stop elaborate more on her and you all may ask me during my big day coming up soon.

Back to my main post regarding Easter Virgil in Church of Holy Rosary which me and other half went. The mass started at 10.30p.m ended at 1:00a.m and it conducts in English. Some of you might be wondering why the mass start so late. The reason why is due that before the English mass, there is a mass in Mandarin at 7:30p.m and its end 10:10p.m. Both services was long due to there were mass new members to the church which was baptise, receive the first sacrament and confirmation during both services Mandarin and English. Easter Virgil is one of my favourite since young where we will bring our own candle to the church and the church will be in the darkness for a while as a reminder that we are in darkness after Jesus had died on Good Friday. And He is the light which give us hope to be with him in eternal life in heaven. I manage to snap few pictures of this beautiful church which having a colonial design. 

The front view of the church at night.

The back view of the church from inside. The choir porch which now not currently been used.

Nice decorated aisle to the altar with live flower on each bench.

A sample of live flower which had been arranged by an auty which volunteer to decorate the church for almost 30 years. Met her on the aisle after the mass when i was busy taking snap of photo inside the church.

Fountain of baptism. Simple but yet nicely decorated.

The view of the church when the light is off. Really love the stained glass design.

Close up view of the church altar.

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