Kanyakumari

The city at the southernmost tip of India, Kanyakumari offers you the mingling of three great seas, namely the Bay of Bengal, the Arabian Sea and the Indian Ocean and the great beaches from where you can see these giant water bodies. Also known as Cape Comorin, it is the district headquarters and an important pilgrimage place of the region. The sunrise and sunset here is exceptionally beautiful, especially on full moon days when one can see the setting of sun and rising of moon almost simultaneously. Endowed richly with paddy fields and coconut groves, the place is named after the Goddess Kannyakumari Amman, the presiding deity of the area. It is said that Devi Kanya, one of the incarnations of Goddess Parvati did penance on one of the rocks here to woo Lord Shiva.

The multi-colored mineral sand of Kanyakumari is indeed a unique trait. The city was once known as the 'Granary of Travancore' because of high-yielding paddy fields. The rocky and dangerous seashores are kept out of limit for the tourists by a manmade wall and tourists are constantly warned to stay off the rocks. There is a lighthouse too from where you can get some of the most wonderful and exotic views of the surrounding scenery. The rough seas and furious sea waves are not suitable for sunbathing or swimming but one can look for a huge variety of shells on the Kanyakumari beach and visit the Vivekananda memorial that recently came into limelight when giant waves hit it during the Tsunami disaster.

Kanyakumari Prime Attractions

Kumari Amman Temple: The temple dedicated to the Virgin Goddess known as Devi Kanya or Kumari Amman, an incarnation of Goddess Parvati is a must see here.

Temple Of Goddess Bhagavathi: Goddess Bhagavathi Temple situated at the confluence of the three oceans was originally built by Pandyas and was expanded later by Nayaks. The Goddess's idol looks serene and beneficent and the eastern gate of the temple, which is considered most pious and faces Bay of Bengal is opened only five times a year.

Swami Vivekananda Rock Memorial: The memorial erected to commemorate the visit of Vivekananda to Kanyakumari in December 25, 1892, and spent whole night into deep meditation in a rock in the sea before resolving to serve his Motherland and spreading the message of Vedanta, recently came into news when giant disastrous Tsunami waves hit it last year.

Gandhi Mandapam: The shrine is erected in the sport where the urn containing the ashes of Mahatma Gandhi was kept for public view last time before immersing the ashes in the three seas. The architecture resembles an Orissa temple and the wonder of the place is that on 2nd October (birth day of Gandhi ji) every year, the sun's rays fall on the place where his ashes were kept.

Alvar Tirunagari: The famous Vaishnav temple of Kannyakumari, Alvar Tirunagari temple is associated with saint Namalvar, who attained enlightenment under a tree enshrined here. He sang the praises of the temle, which is dedicated to Lord Adinatha. The temple festival uses an exclusive musical instrument made of stone, which is known as Nadaswaram.

Kanyakumari City Facts

Location: Situated in Tamil Nadu at the southernmost tip of India.

Climate: Tropical pleasant climate throughout the year with insignificant temperature differences during summers and winters.

How to Reach:

By Air: Trivandrum is the nearest airport, which is 80 km away from Kanyakumari.

By Train: Kanyakumari is well connected by train services to all the major cities of India up to Delhi and even further up to Jammu.

By Road: Kanyakumari is connected by regular bus services to and from all the major cities of South India including Chennai, Pondicherry, Bangalore, Trichy, Madurai, Rameshwaram, Nagercoil, Tuticorin, Tiruchendur, Tiruvelveli and Trivandrum.