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At times it seems as though Kuala Lumpur's Indian and Chinese populations are in a competition to have the most ornate and gaudy temple (with contenders sometimes located in the same block). But for sheer scale and ostentation, its hard for any shrine to rival the Hindu temples built in and around the massive limestone caves at Batu, 8 miles north of Kuala Lumpur. There, worshipers and tourists climb 272 steep steps up a hillside to the caves, watched over by a 140-foot golden statue.