Kanyakumari – The Land’s End
Kanyakumari is the ‘Land’s End’ of the Indian subcontinent, located in the state of Tamilnadu in south India. It is famed for its incomparable geographical location of not only its land’s end, but also for Tri-sea (Arabian sea, Indian Ocean and Bay of Bengal) confluence. Here, the Bay of Bengal meets the Indian Ocean and the Arabian Sea. A dip in the ‘Triveni Sangam’ (confluence of the three seas) at Kanyakumari is considered holy. Kanyakumari is also known as Cape Comorin. kanyakumari is located near the border of Tamilnadu and Kerala. Kanyakumari is just 85 Kms. east of Trivandrum city, capital of Kerala. Kanyakumari is a popular pilgrim centre and named after goddess ‘Parvati’, wife of lord ‘Shiva’. ‘Kumari Amman’ a temple is dedicated to virgin goddess Kanyakumari (kanya – ‘lady’, kumari – ‘virgin’).
Kanyakumari has great spiritual significance for Hindus. It’s dedicated to the goddess Devi Kanya, an incarnation of Parvati. Pilgrims come here to visit Kanyakumari temple and bath in the sacred water. Chaitrapurnima (Tamil for the April full moon day) is one of the best times to experience the sunset and moonrise over the ocean in Kanyakumari simultaneously. Though the sunrise can be viewed round the year, the sunset is visible only from 15, October to 15, March from the southern most tip. Lakhs of tourists, round the year lured by the serene beauty of this place and the spectacles of sunrise and sunset. Kanyakumari is essentially a pilgrimage town – a place where people fulfill their spiritual duties.
In the sea just 400 meters offshore, there are two rocks known as ‘twin rocks’, both contributing to the rich Indian heritage with the monuments of Swami Vivekananda and the great Tamil poet Saint Thiruvalluvar. Swami Vivekananda came to Kanyakumari on 24.02.1892 and meditated on this rock for few days before his departure for Chicago to participate in the World Religious Conference in 1893. There is also a belief that the original Kanyakumari temple was built on this rock or somewhere near this and the rock itself was part of the mainland. The sea might have eroded the main land and turned the rock into an island, resulting in the shifting of the old temple to the present site. A 133 feet high stone statue of Saint Thiruvalluvar is standing on another rock island. Height of 133 feet represents the 133 chapters of ‘Kural’ (Virtue) written by Saint Thiruvalluvar.
Near to Triveni Sangam (Confluence) and temple is Gandhi Memorial Mandapam, Kamraj Memorial Mandapam. Vivekanandapuram , the headquarters of of the Vivekananda Kendra, situated 1 Km from Temple, The Church of the Virgin Mary is a lovely structure, Bay Watch a water theme amusement park and India’s first wax museum are located at a distance of 2 Kms. from Kanyakumari. Kanyakumari is blessed with beautiful clean beaches and clear blue waters.