The huge statue of the Hindu deity Lord Murugan with his vel (lance) has, for years, been catching the eye of visitors to the Batu Caves in Gombak, but now, it has a new attraction – the Cave Villa. Barely a month has passed since it opened, but the Cave Villa has already drawn thousands of visitors from all over the world who have come to savour a cultural experience in a cave environment. Deity
incarnation: Nadaraja (centre), the symbol of the dance, is an incarnation of Lord Shiva. It is one of the many Hindu deities featured in the gallery. The entrance to the Cave Villa beckons good fortune with a koi pond leading to the outdoor gallery that features a 10.4m-long veenai (Indian classical musical instrument) and tranquil surrounding. The instrument was made by 200 students from the Indian Cultural Club of Universiti Utara Malaysia (UUM), Kedah. There are three indoor galleries, which are illuminated by colourful lights to set the mood. The first gallery, is the Valluvar Kottam, which is similar to the one in Chennai, India, where all 1,330 verses of the Thirukkural – the epic by the Tamil poet and saint Thiruvalluvar – are inscribed on the walls. Going deeper into the cave, one will come to the Reptile Gallery or mini-zoo, where a variety of snakes, turtles, tortoises, terrapins and iguanas captivate visitors. Musical instrument: The 10.4m-long veenai in the outdoor gallery was made by 200 UUM students from the Indian Cultural Club. The Art Gallery houses life-like images of the Hindu deities and mythological figures – Ram with his wife Sita, Laxman, Bharath, Hanuman and Ganesh, to name a few. Each statue portrays the deity as they are traditionally depicted, while some are portrayed in scenes, like the wedding of Lord Murugan with Devayanai held at the Tirupparankundram, in India. Bird lovers, meanwhile, will undoubtedly be enticed by the prospect of seeing more than 50 species of colourful birds in a huge 186 sq metres aviary. Visitors may also take photographs with the birds. To seal the deal, cultural performances of bharathanatyam and other classical Indian dances are staged for tourists. Cave Villa chief executive officer K. Rajan said work on the project started in June last year.
“We use LED lights to set the mood as well as to create the desired effect inside the caves.
“The statues and sculptures were created by craftsmen from India, who took about eight months to renovate the galleries as well as work on the exterior artwork,” he said. Wise ones: The three wise monkeys, which (from right) see no evil, speak no evil and hear no evil. Rajan said the mini-zoo have almost finished, with about 20% of work still to be done.
“We are still gathering some of the materials and equipment needed for the animals.”
On the running of the mini-zoo, Rajan said a caretaker came in regularly to look after the animals. “They are fed and given veterinary care. We also take them out for natural sunlight occasionally,” he said, adding that the temperature in the mini-zoo was controlled. According to him, there are maintenance personnel to look after the landscaping and take charge of the overall area. To Rajan, the Cave Villa is a work in progress, and he is keen to add more items to draw visitors.
“We plan to include the roti canai and teh tarik show in our cultural show. The visitors will be govn free teh tarik and roti canai as part of the event,“ he said. Rajan said more tourists were expected to come next month. Cave Villa is open to the public and tour groups from 8am to 5pm daily. There is also an evening show package (for tourists only) from 6pm to 10pm. For details, call 012-910 8389.
