EASY DESTINATION
         HOME      WORLD TRAVEL GUIDE       INDIA TRAVEL GUIDE      ADVERTISE           TRAVEL FORUM

  INDIAN CUISINE     SKI RESORTS     TREKKING      MEDICAL TOURISM      WORLD CITY GUIDE    CYCLINGs


          KANYAKUMARI TRAVEL GUIDE


Kanyakumari is a town in Kanyakumari district in Tamil Nadu state. Located at the
southernmost tip of the Indian Peninsula, it is also called Cape Comorin. The
closest major cities are Nagercoil, the capital of Kanyakumari district, (22 km) and
Thiruvananthapuram, the capital of Kerala (85 km).

A popular tourist place in India, the town and the district, Kanyakumari District, in
which it is located, is a place of great natural beauty - from the blue seas of
Kanyakumari town to the blue hills of the Western Ghats in the interior.

Kanyakumari takes its name from the Kumari Amman or the Kanyakumari Temple,
situated at the shore on the confluence of the Bay of Bengal, Indian Ocean and the
Arabian Sea. According to the local lore, Kanya Devi, an avatar of Parvati, was to
marry Shiva, but he failed to show up to the wedding. The rice and other grains
meant for the wedding feast remained uncooked. Today tourists can buy tiny stones
which look like rice, in remembrance of the marriage that was never solemnized.
The princess Kanya Devi is a virgin goddess who blesses pilgrims and tourists.

According to another local myth, Lord Hanuman dropped a piece of earth as he was
carrying the mount with the life-saving herb, Mrita Sanjivani from the Himalayas to
Lanka during the Rama-Ravana war. This chunk of earth is called Marunthuvazh
Malai, which is literally translated to "hills where medicine is found".This is said to be
the reason for the abundance of unique native medicinal plants in the area.
Marunthuvazh Malai is located near Swamithope about 7 km from Kanyakumari town
on the Kanyakumari-Nagercoil highway.

Kanyakumari has been a great centre for art and religion for centuries. It was also an
area of great trade and commerce. It was ruled by the Cholas, the Cheras, the
Pandyas and the Nayaks. The architectural beauty of the temples is the work of
these rulers. Later Kanyakumari became part of the Venad kingdom with its capital
at Padmanabhapuram. The king of Venad, Anizham Thirunal Marthanda Varma
established Travancore by extending his domain further north up to Aluva, during his
reign from 1729 to 1758. By this, the present Kanyakumari District came to be known
as Southern Travancore. King Marthanda Varma defeated the Dutch East India
Company at the famous Battle of Colachel in 1741. Kanyakumari was under the rule
of the Kings of Travancore under the overall suzerainty of the British till 1947.
Travancore joined the independent Indian Union in 1947. Obviously, the royal reign
came to an end. In 1949, Kanyakumari became part of the reconstituted Travancore-
Cochin State. By this time, the popular agitation for the amalgamation of
Kanyakumari District with Tamil Nadu by the Tamil majority under the leadership of
Thiru M.A. Nesamani intensified. Eventually, in 1956, Kanyakumari was integrated
with Tamil Nadu (then known as Madras State) as per the language-based
reorganisation of States.

According to legend, Christianity arrived in South India around AD 52 through St.
Thomas, one of the twelve Apostles of Christ. However, European missionaries,
who arrived in the 16th century, propagated Christianity in the area. St. Francis Xavier
(April 7, 1506 – December 2, 1552) was the pioneer in preaching Christianity in the
present day Kanyakumari district. Islam is believed to have entered the southern part
of India through Kanyakumari during the early part of the eighth century AD through
the sea route with traders and missionaries. Islam, Christianity and Jainism have
also contributed to the architectural wealth and literary heritage of the region.

It is very popular to watch the sunrise/sunset here. This is the only place in India
where both sunrise and sunset can be seen. Because of the meeting point of three
ocean bodies - the Bay of Bengal, the Indian Ocean, and the Arabian Sea - the
spectacular sunrise/sunset sight is considered to even more special. During Chitra
Pournami one can see the spectacular view of sunset and moon rise at the same
time.


GENERAL INFORMATION

Time zone         IST (UTC+5:30)
Area                   25.89 km˛ (10 sq mi)
Elevation           0-300 m (-984 ft)
District(s)          Kanyakumari
Population        19,678 (2001)
Density              665/km˛ (1,722/sq mi)


PLACE TO VISIT

Vivekananda Rock  -is about a hundred meters from the shore and a regular
ferry service exists between the mainland jetty and the rock. The tickets is 20/- for a
ride. The Rock has two Mandaps (halls); one belonging to Swami Vivekananda and
the other belonging to a Holy Foot. The Holy Foot is a foot shaped carving found on
the rock and is believed to be a foot print of Goddess Kumari who stood on this rock
on one leg and performed the Tapasya (meditation). The Rock memorial has a tall
statue of Swami Vivekananda whose photographs are not allowed to be taken from
inside the hall. Below the statue was mentioned the year of death of Swamiji and the
"probable" dates when Swamiji attained Samadhi on the rock. Here you can see
both sunrise and sunset and is one of the main tourist attraction here. Golden Hues
of the Horizon are very impressive with the Rock Memorial silhouetted.

Thiruvalluvar Statue - is dedicated to arguably the greatest Tamil poet,
philosopher and saint – Thiruvalluvar. The rock supports a huge statue of the saint
carved out of many rocks that were then joined together. It was inaugurated fairly
recently. The statue is about 133 feet long which corresponds to 133 chapters in the
greatest epic written by the saint – Thirukkural. Tourists can climb up to the feet of
the statue. The view from this point is quite breathtaking! One can enter into the base
of the statue and can see the entire Thirukkural and its translation in English
inscribed on the walls. It is a very entertaining and enlightening piece of work and
inspires one to lead a very principled and moral life. It is a must read for anyone who
visits this place and it is advisable to spend at least half an hour specially dedicated
for this exercise. Such is the beauty of Kanyakumari that lot of people find
themselves attracted to it. Mahatma Gandhi too could not resist its charm and there
is a place here dedicated to him called Gandhi Mandapam. This is the place, as told
by locals, where one could witness the 'Sangam' (confluence) of the three oceans!
Gandhiji arrived here and succumbed to the beauty of the place as described in his
beautiful words inscribed below his portrait in the Mandapam. After he died, his
ashes were brought to this place and kept before they were discharged into the sea.
The Gandhi Mantapa is engineered in such a way that, at the place where the ashes
were kept, stands a small stone which is said to receive the Sun’s rays only on the
2nd of October, Gandhiji's birthdate, every year through a small hole on the roof.

Padmanabhapuram Palace - erstwhile palatial residence of the rulers of
Travancore. Made entirely of wood. It lies an hours drive away from Kanyakumari city
on the border between Tamil Nadu and Kerala state. It is actually maintained by the
Kerala government.

Kamarajar Mani Mantapa Monument - was raised and dedicated to a
freedom fighter and Former Chief minister of Tamil Nadu, President of Indian
National Congress, Mr Kamarajar. He's also popularly known as Black Gandhi
among the masses. Like the Gandhi Mantapa, this place is where Kamarajar's
ashes were kept here for public to pay homage before immersion into the sea.

Baywatch - is a water theme amusement park at the sunset point, and home to
India's first wax museum.

Tsunami Monument - A momument recognizing the tragic events of the 2004
tsunami which claimed the lives of many Kanyakumari denizens exists near the
south shore. The monument is made of uniquely colored items such as a wave, a
flame, and human hands, together.

Vattakottai Fort - or Circular Fort, is a fort near Kanyakumari, right on the sea-
shore, built under the orders of De Lannoy during the reign of Marthanda varma
(1729-58 AD). The view from the top of the fort, of the sea and the palm-fringed
beach below is fantastic.

Swamithoppe Ayya Vaikundar Pathi - about 11 km from Kanyakumari,
which is the religious headquarters of Ayyavazhi, is well known for its non-idolatry
system of worship.

HOW TO REACH

By air -  Thiruvananthapuram (Trivandrum) of neighbouring state Kerala, is the
nearest international airport, with direct flights from the Middle East, Singapore,
Maldives and Sri Lanka. And is served by Air-India, among others. From there it takes
about two hours by train or bus or taxi. The taxi charges are pretty cheap, about Rs 9-
10 per km, and should be around Rs 1000 (US$22 Approx), for a trip to Kanyakumari
from the Thiruvananthapuram International Airport.

Alternatively, if you cannot reach Thiruvananthapuram directly from your place, you
can reach Chennai (Madras) the state capital and then take either train or bus to
reach Kanyakumari. Note that travelling to Kanyakumari is a bit tiresome via road,
especially for Westerners, as the travel time is about 14-15 hours and the climate is
pretty hot

By train - Very well connected and serviced by rail to all major cities in India like
Chennai, Trivandrum , Kochi, Bangalore, Bombay, New Delhi, Kolkata, Coimbatore
etc. And from here starts second longest train route in the world, Kanyakumari to
Jammu.

By bus - The long distance bus are available from Chennai (Madras),
Coimbatore, Madurai etc.