Excess paint, some 100 volunteers, two and a half days. That was all it took to transform Batu Caves’ 272 steps into a colourful canvas.
Temple committee chairman Tan Sri R. Nadarajah described it as “a first of its kind in the world.”
“No other temple in the world has got such a vibrant coloured stairway,” he said.
“The painting was completed last night after two and a half days.”
Nadarajah said part of temple was being repainted and since there was extra paint, the temple committee decided to paint the stairs too.
Temple trustees Datuk N. Sivakumar and K. Kathiresan said it was an impromptu idea but one with deep significance.
“We are bringing back the real colour of South Indian Hindu temples. The colours of temples in the past used to be vibrant but along the way people only used one or two colours,” said Sivakumar.
“Batu Caves is a religious venue and also a tourist destination. We hope this effort will attract more visitors, especially the young.”
Kathiresan said the general feedback had been positive.
“People love the vibrant colours and we used the excess paint for this artwork.”
“We had so many volunteers, young and old… we are thankful to all of them.”
Visitors who were met by Twentytwo13 were generally in awe and excitedly took selfies and wefies with the staircase as the backdrop.
M. Kalisvaran, 33, said he saw some pictures of the staircase on his WhatsApp group and decided to visit Batu Caves.
“It’s beautiful. I can’t believe they completed painting the staircase so quickly.
“I was here two weeks ago and there was nothing going on,” he said.
Indonesian couple Remi and Susila, both in their 20s, said the colours were simply stunning.
“When I saw pictures of Batu Caves on the Internet, the stairs were not as colourful.”
It will surely be a good Instagram-worthy moment for many people,” said Remi.
