Religious Building · Gombak, Malaysia
Batu Caves
Batu Caves are a series of limestone caves in Gombak, Selangor, Malaysia. It is located on a 325 m (1,066 ft)–tall mogote, about 13 km (8.
Photo: Chainwit via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0. Cropped and resized for display.
Landmark facts
| Location | Gombak, Malaysia |
|---|---|
| Type | Religious Building |
| Coordinates | 3.2374° N, 101.6839° E |
Every fact above is taken from the sources listed below; anything no source states is left blank rather than guessed.
What Batu Caves is known for
Batu Caves are a series of limestone caves in Gombak, Selangor, Malaysia. It is located on a 325 m (1,066 ft)–tall mogote, about 13 km (8.
About Batu Caves
Batu Caves are a series of limestone caves in Gombak, Selangor, Malaysia. It is located on a 325 m (1,066 ft)–tall mogote, about 13 km (8.1 mi) north of the Malaysian capital of Kuala Lumpur. The cave complex contains many Hindu temples, the most popular of which is a shrine dedicated to Murugan, and is the focal point of the Tamil Hindu festival of Thaipusam in Malaysia.
History
The caves were used as shelters by the indigenous Temuan people, a tribe of Orang Asli. In the 1860s, Chinese settlers began excavating guano from the caves, used as fertilisers. In 1878, the caves were visited by American naturalist William Hornaday.
How to get there
| Nearest town | Gombak |
|---|---|
| Nearest airport | Sultan Abdul Aziz Shah International Airport (SZB) |
| Distance from the airport | 11.4 miles (straight line) |
Nearest major airport by straight-line distance from the landmark’s coordinates; road distance will be longer.
Airports near this landmark
The airports a visitor would actually fly into, nearest first — each link opens its profile on our sister site AirportProfiles.
- Sultan Abdul Aziz Shah International Airport (SZB) · Subang, Malaysia · 11.9 miles away
- Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KUL) · Sepang, Malaysia · 34.0 miles away
- Sultan Azlan Shah Airport (IPH) · Ipoh, Malaysia · 100.6 miles away
Landmarks nearby
The closest landmarks in this library, by straight-line distance.
More landmarks in Malaysia
More religious buildings
Frequently asked questions
What is Batu Caves?
Batu Caves are a series of limestone caves in Gombak, Selangor, Malaysia. It is located on a 325 m (1,066 ft)–tall mogote, about 13 km (8.
Where is Batu Caves located?
Batu Caves is in Gombak, Malaysia. Its coordinates are 3.2374° N, 101.6839° E.
How do I get to Batu Caves?
The nearest town is Gombak, and the nearest airport is Sultan Abdul Aziz Shah International Airport (SZB), about 11.4 miles away (straight line).
What is the history of Batu Caves?
The caves were used as shelters by the indigenous Temuan people, a tribe of Orang Asli. In the 1860s, Chinese settlers began excavating guano from the caves, used as fertilisers.
Sources
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Batu_Caves — Wikipedia article — overview, history and core facts (CC BY-SA).
- https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q687629 — Wikidata — built year, architect, height/size, visitors, official website (CC0).
- https://github.com/jbrooksuk/JSON-Airports — Nearest major airport computed from landmark and airport coordinates (haversine); airport list: jbrooksuk/JSON-Airports.
Page last updated 13 November 2026.