Kanyakumari is a city 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 city 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.
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.
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.
