Kanyakumari

Kanyakumari

Kanyakumari or Kanniyakumari is also called as Cape Comorin that is a town in Tamil Nadu state. Kanyakumari is a popular tourist destination. It is famous for unique ocean sunrise and sunset, 133 feet Thiruvalluvar Statue and Vivekananda Rock Memorial as well as a pilgrimage center. It has a coastal line of 71.5 km on the three sides.

The city is located 90 km south of Thiruvananthapuram, the capital of Kerala. There is a temple dedicated to Goddess Kanyakumari (the virgin Goddess), after that the city is named. Kanyakumari has been a city since the Sangam time and has been mentioned to in old Tamil literature also.

History

According to Hindu religious, Parvati who was in the form of Kanya Devi, was to marry Shiv but she failed to show up on his wedding day. Rice and other grains remained uncooked and unused that was for wedding feast. The uncooked grains turned into stones slowly slowly. It is believed that today these small stones are on the shore that looks like rice, are indeed grains of wedding.  It is said that Kanya Devi is a virgin goddess who blesses pilgrims and tourists who visit the Kanyakumari. Her temple situated in Kanyakumari is a Shakti Peeth or a holy temple.

Another legend is that Hanuman dropped a piece of earth as he was carrying a mountain from the Himalayas to Lanka during the Ram-Ravan battle. This portion of earth is called Marunthuvazh Malai. This piece of land has medicinal plants. Marunthuvazh Malai is situated near Kottaram about 7 km from Kanyakumari. The sage Agasthya was expert in medicinal herbs, lived in this place in olden days. This is the reason that a lot of medicinal herbs are found on the hills near Kanyakumari.

Tourist Places in Kanyakumari

Vivekananda Rock Memorial

The Vivekananda Rock Memorial is a famous tourist monument in Kanyakumari. This memorial stands on one of two rocks situated about 500 meters of the mainland of Vavathurai.  The Rocks are surrounded by Laccadiva Ocean. It is said that Swami Vivekananda to have achieved enlightenment on the rock.  This Memorial was built in honor of Vivekananda in 1970. There is a meditation hall (Dhyana Mandapam) which is also close to the memorial for tourists to meditate. The memorial contains of two main structures which is Vivekananda Mandapam and the Shripada Mandapam.  The design of the mandap shows new and different styles of temple architecture. It has a statue of Vivekananda.

Thiruvalluvar Statue

The Thiruvalluvar Statue height is 95 feet and stands upon a 38 foot rock.  The statue standing on the rock represents wealth and happiness. It shows that wealth and love is earned and enjoyed of life. It was designed by an Indian sculptor Dr V. Ganapati Sthapati. It was opened on 1 January 2000 for all. 

Bhagavathy Amman Temple

Bhagavathy Amman Temple is dedicated to Goddess Kumari Amman. It is a 3000-year-old temple which is located at the shore of the Laccadive Sea in Kanyakumari. Kumari Amman is known as "Kumari Bhagavathy Amman". God Parasurama made a first Durga temple which is known as Kumari Bhagavathy Amman. This temple is one of the 108 Shakthi Peeth.

Gandhi Memorial Mandapam

The Gandhi Memorial Mandapam has been built on the same place where the Gandhi’s ashes were put for public before immersion. 2nd October is Mahatma Gandhi birthday.The memorial was designed in this way that on Gandhi's birthday, the first rays of the sun fall on the particular spot where Gandhi ashes were kept.

Tsunami Memorial Park

A monument is built in the memory of those people who died in Indian Ocean earthquake and tsunami in the 2004 . It stands near Kanyakumari's shore. It was an underwater earthquake.  Many countries including India, Sri Lanka, Somalia, Thailand, Maldives and Indonesia claimed around 280000 live. People come here to pay homage to all people who lost their lives.

Ferry Service

Ferry services runs between the town and the Vivekananda Rock Memorial and Thiruvalluvar statue which are placed on rocky islets off the coast. Ferry service began in 1984. In starting only two ferries were used to ferry the tourists until June 2013. After that a new ferry was added on the occasion of 150th birth anniversary of Swamy Vivekananda.

Interesting Facts about Kanniyakumari

It is said that Kanniyakumari is the southernmost point of India. The southernmost point of India is Indira point (Andaman and Nicobar Islands). Kanniyakumari is the southernmost point of Indian mainland.

Kanniyakumari is the meeting point of three oceans-the Bay of Bengal, the Arabian Sea and the Indian Ocean.

It is only district in Indian subcontinent that has both east coast and west coast. It is well-known for its beautiful views of sunrise and sunset over the waters.

Tourist places such as Devi KanyaKumari temple, Kanniyakumari beach, Thiruvalluvar statue, Vivekananda rock memorial, Gandhi memorial can be visit in a day.

Muppandal Windfarm is the largest wind farm in India with total capacity of 1500MW. It is located 20 km from kanniykumari.

How to Reach Kanniyakumari

By Air:  Nearest airport is Trivandrum International Airport. It is Situated at a distance of about 70 kilometres from Kanyakumari. It is well connected with the major cities in India as well as well linked with some gulf countries. From the airport, taxi or a cab and buses are available to reach to Kanyakumari.

By Train: Nearest Railway station is Kanyakumari. Another nearest station is the Trivandrum Central railway station. It is well connected to almost all Indian cities. From Trivandrum Central, hire a taxi or take a Government bus to reach Kanyakumari city.

By Road: Tamil Nadu and Kanyakumari Road Transport Corporation buses are easily available to almost all the major cities of South India. Deluxe, regular and air-conditioned private buses run between Kanyakumari and Bangalore, Trivandrum and Chennai. The beautiful Kerala, Tamil Nadu and Karnataka are connected with Kanyakumari through a good network of roads. Kanyakumari is around 750 km away from Chennai.

Best time to visit

Best time to visit Kanyakumari is October to February, as the weather remains cool and pleasant.