Skift Take
The ongoing investigation into the painting of the Batu Caves steps points to a greater need to appropriately preserve heritage sites. Protecting a country’s history and heritage for future generations should come first; increasing the number of Instagram "likes" and "tags" a heritage site gets should come second.
When most people think of Kuala Lumpur, the capital city of Malaysia located in the state of Selangor on the Malay Peninsula, they think of skyscrapers and incredible food from many different cultures — Chinese, Indian, Malay, and more. They typically don’t think of massive caves, native wildlife, and mountainous cliffs jutting out of a tropical jungle.
Thus, my interest was obviously piqued when I found out about Batu Caves, which not only have all of the natural features I just mentioned above, but also have been one of the most popularly visited Hindu shrines outside of India since the late 1800s.
[caption id="attachment_318035" align="alignnone" width="600"] Inside the beautiful main cave of Batu Caves; Photographer: Jack Hallett[/caption]
What's more, Batu Caves, which was inscribed as a Malaysian national heritage site in 2012 (separate from UNESCO’s World Heritage Sites), is currently the center of a controversial, ongoing investigation.
A fresh coat of paint recently applied to the 272 steps leading up to the main cave (“Cathedral Cave” or “Temple Cave”) in August 2018 was not sanctioned by the National Heritage Department (Jabatan Warisan Negara, or ‘JWN’) nor approved by the Selayang Municipal Council (‘MPS’), and, as a result, the site is now potentially in danger of losing its Malaysian heritage status.
However, the caves’ committee chairperson Tan Sri R. Nadarajah has noted to the press that previous requests for approval for other development projects at the site have been essentially ignored by the MPS causing the committee to not think twice about painting the stairs a beautiful array of colors in honor of the peacock. It is true that numerous colors have religious significance in Hinduism after all.
I reached out several times to the Batu Caves temple committee for an interview and did not receive a response.
Nevertheless, and regardless of the outcome, the case of the painted steps at Batu Caves should demonstrate to all destinations how important it is for all parties involved in tourism to better collaborate with each other and remain focused on the key purpose of maintaining heritage sites. Stakeholders have a duty and responsibility to conserve and preserve these important sites, first and foremost, and seeking the financial benefits of increased visitation should come second. Doing what needs to be done to appropriately maintain a center of worship should come first, maintenance for the
