The tourist resort of Batu Caves in Malaysia, revered by Hindus as a holy place and known for hosting the annual Thaipusam festival, is facing significant changes. The caretakers of this ancient Hindu religious site in Malaysia plan to enhance accessibility by installing escalators for visitors who’re unable or unwilling to climb the 272 steps resulting in the temple and sacred caves. Currently, the one method to reach the temple, which is positioned in a limestone cave, is to climb 272 steps.
This initiative is anticipated to set a record for the longest escalator in Asia after the Middle Level Escalator in Hong Kong (800 m) and the Huangguan Escalator in Chongqing, China (112 m). The site, positioned a number of miles north of downtown Kuala Lumpur, is roughly 400 million years old and is definitely recognizable by its towering rainbow steps. Once constructed, the escalator is anticipated to change into a particular feature, attracting more tourists and worshipers to the temple.
Previously, tourists flocked to the Batu Caves in Malaysia to admire the famous rainbow staircase, which the temple organizing committee painted in vivid colours to attract more attention to the place. The 272 steps resulting in the limestone caves became a social media sensation after being decorated in striking blue, red and orange colours in 2018.
The addition of escalators is anticipated to significantly improve facility accessibility. In addition to the plan to put in escalators, after the Thaipusam festival ends on January 25, 2024, a multi-purpose hall price roughly 35 million Malaysian ringgit ($7.5 million) might be inbuilt the Batu Caves. However, temple committee chairman R. Nadarajah didn’t disclose the price of constructing the escalators.
It houses one of the vital visited Hindu sites outside India. The temple is devoted to Murugan, the Hindu god of war. At the doorway to the tourist complex, a powerful 42.7-meter statue of the deity welcomes guests.
Thousands of tourists and Hindu pilgrims visit the caves and temple day-after-day, and the number of holiday makers is anticipated to extend to roughly 1.6 million in the course of the four-day Thaipusam period in 2023. The Thaipusam festival itself takes place yearly within the Tamil month of “Thai”, which falls for around January or February.
