The manager of this Batu Caves is very wise. There is no need to put up big-character posters to remind pilgrims that “religious holy land, no playing, and noise is prohibited”. Just using the steep 272-step rainbow ladder ensured that most of the pilgrims (who were already out of breath after climbing the stairs to the top) naturally entered the temple with a “respectful attitude” to worship.
With the determination of “I have to learn from Adelene”, she walked out of “Zhiwei Private House Cai Space” and on her way to the next “big surprise”. A Ling shared: “During the epidemic in 2020, Adelene rented this room that had not been occupied for a long time. The corner house with a yard where a four-legged snake lives in the weeds has been slowly reorganized, cleaned, renovated, and transformed over the years, and it has turned into the fairyland you see today… It’s a pity that this fairyland on earth can be maintained. How long have you heard that the landlord is selling this house!” I was shocked when I heard this: “In other words: once the house finds a new owner, she will have to move out?… I just saw her carefully explain that the gardener would be at the lakeside before going out. Build a new flower stand in the open space and plant beautiful climbing plants! … For a house that she is sure to leave soon, she still spends a lot of time and money to improve it to be more beautiful. She is too “high”! This attitude towards life of cherishing the present and living well in the present admires me…Learn it! Learn it now!”
While talking, a golden statue of Lord Murugan suddenly came into view in the distance. Next to the 43-meter-tall statue was a 272-step rainbow staircase painted in 11 colors that led directly to the entrance of Batu Caves. Ah Ling smiled and said: “How can you go to Kuala Lumpur and pass by the Batu Caves without entering it? Many of my relatives and friends go down to the Batu Caves every day, but very few of them go up to see the true face of the Batu Caves…”
Batu Caves is not “a cave”
Walking out of the parking lot, I saw pigeons cooing in the huge open space. Some tourists threw rice to feed the birds; some spread their arms and ran quickly to scare the pigeons from flying all over the sky. I asked Aling: “I am on my period. Can I enter the temple?” Ah Ling replied: “It is a tradition in Bali that women cannot enter the temple during their menstrual period. We do not have such a rule here…” Then she looked at the clothes Jia Wen and I were wearing and said, “You all have long clothes. If it’s above the knee, it’s no problem to enter the temple!” I asked: “Aren’t you required to wear a sarong or belt to enter the temple here?” Ah Ling replied: “That’s also the rule of the Hindu temple in Bali, not required here!” Wow, it turns out that it’s from Malaysia. The rules are more Santai (Indonesian, relaxing/loose) than in Bali!
Walking on the steep and long rainbow stairs, to avoid accidentally “rolling down the mountain”, I naturally closed my mouth kept talking and spent all my energy on regulating my breath and walking well. Every step taken shows that the managers of this Batu Caves are very wise. There is no need to post big-character posters to remind pilgrims that “religious holy land, no playing and noisy”, just using the steep 272-step rainbow ladder to ensure that most of the caves are protected. Pilgrims (who were out of breath after climbing the stairs to the top) naturally entered the temple with a “respectful attitude” to pay homage.
It was only then that I realized: It turns out that Batu Caves is not “one cave”, but consists of three main caves and more than 20 small caves. Taking advantage of the fast and efficient Jia Wen and Ah Ling who walked into the cave to “explore”, I sat on the stone chair provided at the entrance of the “Temple Cave” to take a breath and respectfully take out my phone and ask Google: “Who is Lord Murugan?”
“Baidu Baike” jumped out and revealed: Lord Shiva’s first wife once cursed the Snow Mountain Goddess “never be able to conceive.” Therefore, when Lord Shiva and Snow Mountain Goddess combined, they shot out an essence. This essence fell by the river and turned into Lord Murugan, the half-brother of Ganesha, who was raised by the fairies in the river into a brave, righteous, handsome, and upright young man…
When I saw such a “gossip-laden” message in the Batu Caves where the worship room is built to worship Gian Tuo, I suddenly thought, “Isn’t this very respectful?” So I quickly put away my phone and followed in the footsteps of Jia Wen and Ah Ling went to admire the “Temple Cave”, one of the main caves of Batu Caves…
