Not far from Kuala Lumpur’s city centre lie the impressive Batu Caves. So one morning, Lewis the Lion together with his friends Helen, Michael and Preeti headed off to see what they could find.
Here his photo gallery tells the story:
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- Lewis the Lion gets ready to board the train to the Batu Caves
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- Malaysian trains have separate compartments for men and women
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- Signs aboard the train tell you which section you should be in
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- Coach for ladies only
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- Hanuman, the Hindu monkey-god
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- The limestone cliffs look like dripping candle wax
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- The Lord Murugan stands tall outside the Batu Caves
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- Lewis the Lion gets some perspective on the site of the Batu Caves
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- The statue is 42.7 metres tall
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- Some of the Hindu gods mark the start of the climb to the top of the stairs
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- Ganesh – the Elephant god at the Batu Caves
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- Lewis at the Sri Subramaniyar Swamy Temple Batu Caves
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- Only 272 steps to climb!
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- What are the names of these Hindu gods?
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- Macaque monkeys monitor the staircase
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- A cheeky monkey runs off with a packet of crisps!
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- Lewis the Lion watches the monkey eating the crisps
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- The view of KL from the top of the stairs
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- A monk leaves the temple
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- Lewis the Lion at the entrance to the Batu Caves
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- Religious souvenirs in the Batu Caves
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- A view from inside of the enormous hollowed out Batu caves
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- Lewis the Lion observes the sign before approaching the temple
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- Lewis the Lion at the Hindu shrine inside the heart of the caves
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- Lewis the Lion finds shrines to more Hindu gods
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- Lewis the Lion looks into the belly of the cave
As you can see, he found it particularly interesting that here in Malaysia there were separate carriages on the trains for men and women.
On the steps leading up to the Hindu Temple were monkeys who seemed to be waiting for the tourists to feed them. Lewis the Lion then understood that in the Hindu faith, monkeys are a holy animal because of the monkey god, Hanuman and so people willingly feed them as you can see in this video clip.
Lewis the Lion and the cheeky monkeys
He also learnt that this Hindu shrine was found in these most beautiful caves. You can click here to see him inside these wonderful Batu Caves. He realised that there were many statues of Hindu gods that he didn’t recognise. He hoped that on his forthcoming trip to India, he might learn more.
In the meantime, can you help him to understand who the main Hindu gods are? (A quick clue: the trinity of three gods in one – the Generator, the Operator and the Destroyer).
Click on this website for children to learn more.
