Exploring Ramayana Cave, A Psychedelic Cavern of the Hindu Epic Ramayana — *The Statue of King Rama sits in a illuminated cavern in the Ramayana Caves*

Just off to the left of the exit of the Batu Caves train Station is an under appreciated and quite frankly forgotten cave system that tourists don’t really know about. It was only from a misunderstanding that I discovered the Ramayana Cave. A downright psychedelic and otherworldly cavern full of detailed murals, statues, and trippy neon lights.

I had initially mistaken the Ramayana Cave as the Batu Caves but I am so glad I did, otherwise I would’ve missed out on exploring this mysterious cave system. And I don’t want you to miss out on it to, so join me today as I bring you to explore the Ramayana Cave and discover the legends and stories held within these rocky walls!

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My YouTube Video on Ramayana Cave

If you want to explore the Ramayana Caves with me then check out my YouTube video above! Also if you enjoy the video how about supporting me by subscribing to my YouTube Channel? ;)

How to Get to Ramayana Cave?

KL Sentral to Ramayana Cave — *A roughly 40 minute train ride, not for from the Kuala Lumpur city center*

I’ll assume you’re travelling from Kuala Lumpur, you have basically 2 options, a local train or a Grab Taxi.

For the local train, you’ll want to take the KTM Komuter Train (Seremban Line) directly to the Batu Caves Station. From KL Sentral Station, the ticket is 2.60 MYR and the journey will roughly take 40 minutes.

If you’re taking a Grab Taxi then the price and journey time will vary, although the journey will be a lot more comfortable as the trains can be packed full of people and is not properly ventilated or air conditioned.

Ramayana Cave Entrance Fee

Unlike the adjacent Batu Caves, the Ramayana Caves has an entrance fee of 7 MYR for locals and 15 MYR for tourists. Which I think is pretty worth it as there is lots to see and admire within the Ramayana Caves.

The Hindu Epic of Ramayana

Ramayana Cave Statue Mural — *What do you think he is writing about?*

Grab some popcorn because I’m going to tell you a little story/history lesson. So Ramayana is one of the most popular Hindu stories that is told throughout South and Southeast Asia.

The story of Ramayana is about a a man named Rama, who is the 7th reincarnation of the Hindu diety, Vishnu. Rama is a prince of the city of Ayodhya in the Kingdom of Kosala. The story follows Rama’s exile into the forest and his journey across India with his wife Sita and hist brother Lakshmana. During his journey, Sita was kidnapped by the King of the Lanka Kingdom, this brought on a bloody conflict in which Rama would succeed and returned home to Ayodhya to be crowned as King.

If you are interested in reading the Epic of Ramayana yourself, I’ve found this modern translation for educational use by the Syracuse University in New York.

The Hindu Epic of Ramayana is believed to have originated around the 7th century BC and contains a total of about 24,000 verses, the largest piece of ancient literature ever discovered! Many versions of the epic exist and some adaptations were made to fit various cultures and regions.

The reason that the Ramayana epic is so important is because this piece of literature is THE cornerstone of Hindu/Buddhist life, culture, and teachings. See the Epic of Ramayana teaches the importance of virtuous living and good morals and you can find that many temples and religious artworks throughout Asia depicts the events of Ramayana.

You can still find many pieces of modern media related to the Epic of Ramayana, from children’s cartoons, poems, TV shows and series, comic books, and even theatrical performances. It can’t be understated how much influence Ramayana has on Hindu and Buddhist teachings.

Exploring the Psychedelic Ramayana Cave

Ramayana Cave Hanuman Statue — *Hanuman, the Hindu God of wisdom and courage, stands guard at the entrance to Ramayana Cave*

Ok ok, now that the history lesson is over, let’s get to the fun part and actually explore the Ramayana Caves!

Before entering the Ramayana Caves you are greeted by the giant Hanuman, the Hindu God of wisdom, strength, and courage, as well as the companion of King Rama. It’s an impressive statue for sure, and also well painted and highly detailed, this goes for the other statues that we are about to see in the Ramayana Cave.

I travelled to Malaysia during December, that’s during the dry and sunny season, so I was sweating buckets while I was exploring Malaysia. Anyways, I wanted to say that the air inside the Ramayana Caves was still and slightly cool, no doubt helped by the giant industrial fans attached to the cave ceiling.

It was a nice retreat from the sweltering hot weather outside, though there are some areas in the cave where there are no fans and I found myself suffocating from the heat.

There are many murals and statues dotted all around the Ramayana Cave interiors, each set piece is depicted in beautiful detail and you can tell how much time is spent modeling and painting these displays. And some of these displays are larger than life too, these aren’t small statues, some of them are the size of a person!

If you’ve read the Epic of Ramayana then I think it’ll be quite fun to match some of the murals and displays to what you’ve read in the story.

Lined throughout the Ramayana Cave system are long stretches of LED lights that illuminate the walls in this cyan blue and light purple hue. I think these are really cool and greatly adds to the mysterious and almost spiritual-like atmosphere.

Honestly if they removed the statues and have the Ramayana Caves with just these lights, I would enjoy just simply walking through the caves and immersing myself in the glow of these lights.

At one point, I came across a tunnel where the floors are lined with a color changing LED light strip. and the walls are dotted with glittering stars from multiple Galaxy Light Projectors. I think these tunnels are meant to represent either traveling through some sort of spiritual realm, or something to do with rebirth? I’m not sure please tell me in the comments below if you know.

One thing that I do want to point out is that there is a lot of graffiti on these tunnel walls, some etched into stone, some crudely drawn on. I find this very disappointing behavior… Ruining the natural beauty of these stone walls with terribly drawn images and nonsensical writings. All of this in a religious site no less. Shameful honestly.

Going deeper into Ramayana Cave you’ll encounter a flight of stairs leading to the upper levels of the cave system. In the background is this waterfall illuminated by purple/blue and orange lights.

Climbing up these stairs proved to be a challenge as the steps are steep and there are lots of them. However, the cool thing is that the steps are carved into the stone so it gives you this illusion that you are like one of the first few people to explore this cave, you get what I mean…?

As you get higher and higher on the stairs, looking down, seeing the waterfall and the open cavern below, it truly is beautiful. Caves in general are such beautiful and eerie natural wonders.

Upon reaching the top, you’ll discover another cavern, this time with a carved stone statue of what I assume is King Rama? Please correct me if I am wrong.

His divine body is surrounded by a small river and a bunch more LED light strips that casts an otherworldly glow on his body.

This part of the Ramayana Cave has to be my favorite. I just can’t get enough of the eerie and psychedelic vibes that the LED lights and religious statues give off. Plus being in the caves just adds a whole other level of mysteriousness.

Whoever decided to add LED lights to the Ramayana Cave was a genius and deserves a raise.

Don’t Forget About the Batu Caves!

Batu Caves Lord Murugan — *The Statue of Lord Murugan guards the Batu Caves’ version of Mario Kart’s Rainbow Road*

Of course, you shouldn’t forget about the world famous Batu Caves! This Hindu temple situated a natural limestone cave is Kuala Lumpur’s most famous attractions, and if you miss out on it, then it means you didn’t come to Kuala Lumpur.

The Batu caves is dedicated to the Murugan, the Hindu God of War, whose 42.7 meter tall gold painted statue guards the 272 steps leading up to the caverns of the Batu Caves.

There is a lot of exploring to do in this area so I recommend you join a tour like this Batu Caves Half Day Tour which not only brings you to explore the Batu Caves but also the various other religious temples and shrines in the surrounding suburbs where you can learn more about the local Malay religious culture.

Details About the Ramayana Cave

The Ramayana Caves is a cave system dedicated to retelling the Epic of Ramayana through numerous beautifully crafted statues and intricately painted murals. The cave is lined with LED lights which gives the Ramayana Cave a psychedelic atmosphere.

Phone: N/A

Location: Batu Caves, Selangor, Malaysia

Opening Hours: 8:00 AM - 9:00 PM | Mon - Sun

Entrance Fee: 15 MYR for tourists (7 MYR for locals)

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