Kanyakumari Places to Visit : Kanyakumari is a city in Kanyakumari district of Tamil Nadu state. The southern tip of India, also known as “The Land’s End”. Its shape is like a cape and during the British rule, due to wrong pronunciation of the word Kumari, it came to be called Comorin, hence in those days it was also known as Cape Comorin. Later its name was changed to Kanyakumari. Kanyakumari is named after the temple dedicated to the girl form of Goddess Parvati.
According to some stories, Devi Kumari was the sister of Lord Krishna and the place was named Kanyakumari after her.
Kanyakumari has always been a main tourist place in the list of tourists. People come here from far and wide to see the rising and setting sun and those who have not been able to come yet due to some reason want to come. Kanyakumari, the confluence of three vast seas, is also known as Triveni Sangam. Kanyakumari is also liked by tourists as the last railway station of India in the south.
History – Kanyakumari Places to Visit
During the Sangam period, Kanyakumari was ruled by Ayi kings. After the kings of Ayi dynasty, it was ruled by the kings of Pandya dynasty. In the tenth century, Kanyakumari came under the control of the Chola king and by the 11th century it was ruled by the Pandya dynasty. It came under the control of Venad from the hands of the Pandya dynasty and it became the Venad state whose capital was Padmanabhapuram. In the 16th century, Kanyakumari came under the control of Vijayanagara Empire of Karnataka. It was under the control of the Vijayanagara Empire for 26 years and after 1158, it came under the control of the Nayak dynasty of Madurai.
After facing unrest for so many years, it came under the control of Bala Marthanda Varma in 1729 and then it became a part of Travancore state. After that Kanyakumari was able to make some progress economically and the people here got a stable rule.
After independence, Kanyakumari was merged into Travancore Cochin State. The language of the people living in Kanyakumari is Tamil while Travancore became a Malayalam speaking majority state. The residents here agitated for merger with Tamil Nadu state and later in 1956, Kanyakumari was made a part of Tamil Nadu state on the basis of language.
Stories related to Kanyakumari
Devi Kumari Story
It is said that once upon a time there was a kingdom of a demon king named Banasur at this place. He did penance from Brahma and got a boon according to which only a virgin girl could die. After getting this boon, Banasur became even more arrogant and considered himself very powerful and he even attacked Indra and captured him. Then Goddess Bhagwati took the form of a girl and was born here. When she grew up, she started doing penance for Shiva. The marriage of Lord Shiva and Goddess Kumari was also fixed and a time was also fixed for it, but Narada Muni was worried that after this marriage there would be no one to end Banasur and he made a cock crow at the wrong time due to which everyone thought that the time for marriage had passed.
Due to the marriage not happening, Devi Kumari angrily threw away the pulses and rice brought for the wedding preparations and went to do penance. Banasur also came to know about Devi Kumari and came to Devi with his marriage proposal. Due to this, the goddess’s penance was broken and in anger she killed Banasur. After this she went back in the form of Parvati.
It is said that different colored lentil-like particles can be seen in the sand on the sea shore of Kanyakumari. According to some stories, the goddess was a form of Kumari Lakshmi.
Story related to Ramayan
According to a mythological story, when Hanuman was carrying Sanjeevani Booti in the battle between Ram and Ravana in Ramayana, a piece of that mountain had fallen here. This place is called Marunthuvaz Malai i.e. hill of medicines in Tamil language. Many medicinal trees and plants are found in this area.
It is also said that sage Agastya used to live here.
Kanyakumari Places to visit
Kanyakumari is a famous city of India from the point of view of tourism. Kanyakumari is very popular because of its temples, its geographical location and the memorial of Swami Vivekananda who played a role in the creation of modern India.
Sunrise Sunset – Kanyakumari Places to visit
Kanyakumari is at the southernmost tip of India and has sea on three sides. This is the only place in the whole world where both sunrise and sunset can be seen. Many tourists come to Kanyakumari especially on weekends (Saturday and Sunday) to see the sunrise and sunset.
Triveni Sangam – Kanyakumari Places to visit
The confluence of three water bodies is called Triveni Sangam. Due to the merger of huge seas like Bay of Bengal, Indian Ocean and Arabian Sea in Kanyakumari, it is called Triveni Sangam. The water of every sea and river has its own nature and color and this can be seen at this Triveni Sangam. Seeing the different colored waters of the three seas meeting is a beautiful and unforgettable experience.
Thiruvar Statue – Kanyakumari Places to visit
This statue is dedicated to Thiruvalluvar, also known as Valluvar, a famous Tamil philosopher and poet. The height of the Thiruvalluvar idol is 95 feet and the height of the rock on which this idol is installed is 38 feet. This statue was installed on 1 January 2000. This statue was safe from the tsunami that hit the Indian Ocean in December 2004. This is a major attraction of Kanyakumari which is very close to Swami Vivekananda Memorial. In case of bad weather, visiting this place is not allowed.
Rock Memorial – Kanyakumari Places to visit
This memorial was built in 1970 on two rocks inside the sea. Swami Vivekananda meditated here in 1892. It is said that Devi Kumari also did penance on this rock. He stayed here at this place from 26th December to 28th December and it is said that it was here that he attained enlightenment. There is a statue of Swami Vivekananda in this memorial and there is also a meditation room where tourists can go and meditate. Because this memorial is inside the sea, it can be reached here only by boat. You can buy tickets for the boat ride on the shore itself and after coming here by boat, one more ticket has to be taken to enter the memorial.
Thiruvalluvar idol is taken by boat while returning from Swami Vivekananda Memorial. There is no permission to stop here and everyone has to return to the shore by boat.
Gandhi Memorial – Kanyakumari Places to visit
Mahatma Gandhi’s memorial in Kanyakumari has been built at the same place where after the death of Mahatma Gandhi, his ashes were kept for public darshan. This memorial is built like a temple and is designed in such a way that on October 2, the first ray of the sun falls exactly where the urn was kept.
Tsunami Memorial – Kanyakumari Places to visit
The Tsunami Memorial has been built to remember and pay tribute to those who lost their lives in the devastating tsunami that struck the Indian Ocean in 2004. Due to this tsunami, the peninsular part of India as well as the surrounding countries were badly affected. This memorial is a beautiful monument depicting human vitality. Holding a lamp in one hand and stopping the high waves of tsunami with the other hand, this monument makes everyone emotional.
Devi Kumari Mandir – Kanyakumari Places to visit
Devi Kumari Temple or Bhagwati Amman Temple which is also mentioned in Ramayana and Mahabharata, is one of the 108 Shaktipeeths. This temple was built by Lord Parashurama. This temple is a major pilgrimage site of Hindu religion and is visited by a large number of devotees. There are many shops outside the temple to buy puja items. Although there are no tickets to enter the temple, you will still find many people outside the temple who can take money to take you to the temple.
Padmnabhapuram Palace – Kanyakumari Places to visit
Padmanabha Palace is a palace built during the time of Travancore kingdom. This palace is a wonderful example of Kerala architecture. Located at a distance of 40 kilometers from Kanyakumari, this palace is maintained by the Government of Kerala. This palace is mostly made of wood.
The kings of Travancore considered themselves servants of Lord Vishnu and hence this palace was named Padmanabha Palace after Lord Vishnu.
Kamraj Mantap – Kanyakumari Places to visit
This mantapa is built in the memory of former Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu and freedom fighter Shri Kamarajar. People also fondly called him Kala Gandhi. This monument has been built at the place where after the death of Shri Kamarajar, his ashes were kept for public darshan.
Old Church – Kanyakumari Places to visit
This church is a special church and it is not possible for tourists to come to Kanyakumari and not visit here. This church was built in the year 1700 and the statue of Mother Mary installed inside it was brought from Rome. The most special thing about this is that the idol of Mother Mary in this church has been dressed in a saree.
How to reach Kanyakumari
By Flight to Kanyakumari
The nearest airport to Kanyakumari is Trivandrum Airport in Kerala. The distance from Trivendra to Kanyakumari is approximately 90 kilometers. To reach Kanyakumari from Trivandrum, one can travel by car, bus or train.
By Train to Kanyakumari
Kanyakumari is the last station in the south of India and this city is connected by train to all the major cities of the country. Trains to Kanyakumari are directly available from major stations like Delhi, Mumbai, Hyderabad, Kolkata and Chennai.
By Road to Kanyakumari
Kanyakumari is well connected by road network and can be easily reached by car or taxi.
Roaming in Kanyakumari
You can take auto, bus or taxi to travel around Kanyakumari. Kanyakumari city and its surroundings can also be traveled by bike or scooter.
Shopping in Kanyakumari
In Kanyakumari you can buy decorative items made of sea shells at reasonable rates. The arches, chandeliers and jewelery made of sea shells here are very good.
Food in Kanyakumari
Kanyakumari is a famous tourist place and hence all the famous cuisines of India are available here. Here you will easily get good North Indian food in hotels and restaurants and South Indian food is amazing here.
There will be many options for non-veg eaters here. Non-vegetarians like different types of fish recipes.
In street food in Kanyakumari, you will often see people selling fruits on carts.
Stay – Kanyakumari Places to visit
To stay in Kanyakumari, good hotels will be available in every budget, but the best and most convenient thing would be to plan a little in advance and book the hotel in advance. Many homestays will also be available here at good rates and you can also book online for homestay. Some home stays are right near the sea and the view of the sea and the beach can be seen from the window of the room itself.
Best time to visit – Kanyakumari Places to visit
In the peninsular area of South India, the weather is not very cold in winter but summers are very sunny. The summer season here is very hot and the sun is very strong. The best season to visit here is from October to April.
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