Wiki Task 1 – Planning of the Project – Group 18

The focus of this course, Pengajian Malaysia 3 is to study and explore the history of Malaysia and the
country's current outlook. To better learn about Malaysia, we have formed a group of 7 students to
complete the Wiki Tasks, whereby we will be visiting a historical place or building in Malaysia and
create a video about the place’s significance and also interview locals and tourists that are visiting the
place to listen to their views.

In order to discuss the first Wiki Task, we formed a Wiki page where we will each post our historical
place of interest and details such as the significance of the place and best route with details of the cost
to reach the destination. We also created a Whatsapp group chat to communicate using instant
messaging as this was not a feature in Wiki pages. Amongst the places of interest for the group
members were:

 Istana Negara, a royal museum located approximately 40 minutes from Taylor’s University.
The museum displays items of historical and royal importance and displays the culture of
Malaysia.
 Tugu Negara, a monument to honour the fallen during the war for freedom. The monument is
located in Kuala Lumpur, nearby Dataran Merdeka.
 Sultan Abdul Samad Building, a historical building of elegant architecture which originally
housed the offices of the British colonial administration but now is the Ministry of Information,
Communications and Culture of Malaysia. The building is located in front of Dataran Merdeka.
 Muzium Negara, the National Museum of Malaysia located close to the Perdana Lake Gardens,
approximately 20 minutes from Taylors University. The museum showcases Malaysia's history
and development such as the display on prehistoric humans, steam locomotives and a
traditional wooden palace in the museum grounds.
 Batu Caves, a limestone hill that houses one of the most popular Hindu Shrines outside of
India. The location is highlighted by the large Golden Statue and numerous steps that leads to a
series of caves and is the point of Hindu festival of Thaipusam in Malaysia. The caves are
located approximately 30 kilometres from Taylors University.

After researching the locations, the group members voted in the Whatsapp chat and selected two
favourite locations, which were the Batu Caves and the Sulatan Abdul Samad Building. To finalize
the location, the group decided to meet face to face after further researching about the locations which
would most contribute to accomplish our objectives such as deep historical information and a place
where we could easily interview both locals and tourists.
The meeting was held in Taylors University, Block E, on 16th April 2018 (Monday) at 6pm. The
group members discussed that the Sultan Abdul Samad Building had a couple of important historical
sites nearby and thus could potentially attract many tourists but not locals unless we could go on
Merdeka day. We are also not allowed inside the building as it is a Government Ministry and
therefore might not be given permission to shoot a video. As a result, the group decided to go to the
Batu Caves as it a religious and historical site that attracts both locals and tourists, and possess many
engaging locations for us to shoot videos and take pictures. The Batu Caves, one of the most popular
Shrines outside of India, also has a deep historical and religious background as it is said to be around
400 million years old and that some entrances were used as shelters by the indigenous Temuan
people, a tribe of Orang Asli.

Batu Caves was promoted as a place of worship by K. Thamboosamy Pillai, an Indian trader. He was
inspired by the 'vel'-shaped entrance of the main cave and dedicated the temple within the caves
to Lord Murugan. Since 1892, the Thaipusam festival in the Tamil month of Thai has been celebrated
there. The Batu Caves also features the Lord Murugan Statue, the tallest statue in Malaysia, unveiled
in January 2006. Wooden steps up to the Temple Cave were built in 1920 and have since been
replaced by 272 concrete steps. Of the various cave temples that comprise the site, the largest and best
known is the Temple Cave, so named because it houses several Hindu shrines beneath its high vaulted
ceiling.

We then finalized the date to go to Batu Caves on the 22nd April 2018 (Sunday) in the morning at 7am
to ensure we can explore the site and decide on places to shoot the video and learn more about the
place first hand. We also decided that all group members will meet at the Sun-Med BRT station and
go to the Batu Caves together using the BRT, LRT and KTM. The transportation to and return from
the location will cost about RM20 per person and food about RM15 per person. Therefore each person
in the group will bring minimum RM50 for transportation, food and remainder for any emergencies or
unforeseen costs. As three members of the group already visited the Batu Caves, we know there are
no entrance fees for the areas we are visiting and that many tourists and locals visits the place.

The group members are very excited to visit and explore the Batu Caves and complete the Wiki Task.
We have already started the research and discussion for the script and hope to create a memorable
video that provides an enjoyable learning experience for those who watch our video. Please find
below a summary of the Wiki Task 1.

 Location – Batu Caves

 Date & Time – 22nd April 2018, meet at Sun-Med BRT station at 7am
 Transportation – BRT, LRT and KTM
 Budget – Minimum RM 50 per person for food, transportation and emergency