Kanyakumari
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Kanyakumari
Tamil Nadu • India |
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| District(s) | Kanyakumari |
| Coordinates | |
| Time zone | IST (UTC+5:30) |
| Area • Elevation |
25.89 km² (10 mi²) • 0-300 m (-984 ft) |
| Population • Density |
19,678 (2001) • 665/km² |
| District Collector | Sunil Paliwal |
| Codes • Postal • Telephone • Vehicle |
• 629 xxx • +914652 • TN 74 |
Kanyakumari pronunciation is a town in Kanyakumari district in Tamil Nadu state, India. Located at the southernmost tip of the Indian Peninsula, it is geographically a cape and during British rule in India, it was known as Cape Comorin. The closest major cities are Nagercoil, the capital of Kanyakumari district, (22kms) and Thiruvananthapuram, the capital of Kerala (85 kms).
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.
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[edit] History
Legend has it that Goddess Parashakthi, a charming, young virgin was chosen by Lord Vishnu (the Protector of the Universe) at the behest of Mother Earth, to destroy Banasura the King of Demons whose evil ways had caused much agony to sages and saints. Lord Shiva (from nearby Suchindrum) was so enchanted by the beauty of Goddess Parashakthi that he decided to marry her. The divine sage, Narada, felt this would endanger the chances of destroying Banasura, for it was preordained that the king of demons could meet his death only at the hands of a virgin. Therefore, Narada had to find someway to scuttle the marriage.
The wedding was to be performed at an auspicious hour (mid-night) and even as Lord Shiva was on his way to Kanyakumari, Narada assumed the role of a cock and crowed the heralding of dawn. On hearing the crowing of a cock, Lord Shiva presumed the auspicious hour had past, turned back and returned to Suchindrum. Meanwhile, in Kanyakumari all waited for Lord Shiva's arrival and eventually, when he didn't turn up, the wedding ceremonies were cancelled. A disappointed Goddess Parashakthi decided to do penance and continue with her quest to fight the evil forces of Banasura.
For the demon king, Bansura, this episode presented him an opportunity to seek the Goddess' hand in marriage. She, however, refused. Spurned by the rejection, Banasura decided to use force and in the fierce battle that followed, was slain by the Goddess. Relieved that the evil forces had been destroyed, there was much rejoicing thereafter and Goddess Parashakthi continued with her penance, and remained a virgin forever. The name Kanyakumari stands for "Kanya" (Virgin), "Kumari" (Beauty).
Kanyakumari got 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 "medicine-residing hills". This is said to be the reason for the abundance of unique native plants in the area. The district is home to many practitioners of various branches of ancient India's health tradition, including siddha, ayurvedha, varma kalai.
Kanyakumari has been a great centre for art and religion for centuries. It was also an area of heavy commerce and trade. 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.
[edit] Demographics
As of 2001 India census,GRIndia Kanniyakumari had a population of 19,678. Males constitute 50% of the population and females 50%. Kanniyakumari has an average literacy rate of 79%, higher than the national average of 59.5%: male literacy is 79%, and female literacy is 79%. In Kanniyakumari, 11% of the population is under 6 years of age.
[edit] Geographical Location
Kanniyakumari is located at .[1] It has an average elevation of 0 metres (0 feet). It lies at the meeting point of three bodies of water: the Arabian Sea, the Bay of Bengal and the Indian Ocean. It is situated in 8° 4′ 41″ N, 77° 32′ 28″ E, and is the terminating point of the Western Ghats and Eastern Ghats. On the north and the east, it is bounded by the Tirunelveli District. On the west and northwest it is bounded by Kerala. It is suggested that there once existed a continent called Kumari Kandam to the south of Kanyakumari, often compared with Lemuria.
[edit] Sites within the Town
The Kumari Amman or the Kanyakumari Temple, located on the shore, is a Shakti Peetha dedicated to a manifestation of Parvati, the virgin goddess who did penance to obtain Lord Shiva's hand in marriage. The temple and the adjoining ghat, situated overlooking the shore, attract tourists from all over the world. The sparkling diamond nose-ring of the deity is said to be visible even from the sea.
Two rocks reach out of the ocean, southeast of the Kumari Amman temple. At one of these, Sri Padaparai, which is said to bear the footprints of the virgin goddess. Swami Vivekananda is said to have sat in deep meditation. It is also the site of Vivekananda Rock Memorial built in 1970. There is a dhyana mandapam, an area for meditation. Ferry services are available to reach the memorial.
On an adjacent rock is the towering statue of the great Tamil poet-saint Tiruvalluvar. It is 133 ft tall and one of the biggest statues in Asia.
The Gandhi Memorial has been built on the spot where the urn containing the Mahatma's ashes was kept for public viewing before immersion. Resembling central Indian Hindu temples in form, the memorial was designed so that on Mahatma Gandhi's birthday, October 2, the first rays of the sun fall on the exact place where his ashes were kept.
[edit] Photo Gallery : Kanyakumari and Around
 St. Francis Xavier's Church, Kottar, Nagercoil |
 Vivekananda Rock Memorial, Kanyakumari, at sunrise |
 View of the Western Ghats from Vattakottai Fort |
 View of the Hills from Udayagiri Fort |
 Thiruvalluvar Statue, Kanyakumari at night |
 Padmanabhapuram Palace, near Thuckalay |
 Ancient Jain temple on hill at Chitharal, near Marthandam |
 Muttom fishing village |
 Thirparappu waterfalls |
 Jungle stream at Keeriparai |
 Nagaraja Temple, Nagercoil |
 Mathur Trough Bridge, near Thiruvattar |
 Scenic view at Thottiyodu, on the Nagercoil-Thiruvananthapuram Highway |
 Suchindrum Temple near Nagercoil |
 Pechiparai Dam, with the Western Ghats in the background |
 Adhi Kesava Temple at Thiruvattar. The inner temple is believed to be more than 2000 years old. |
 |Hilly red-earth terrain near Muttom coast |
 Jain Art & Carvings at the hilltop-temple at Chitharal. The District is believed to have been under Jain (Jainism) influence, centuries ago. |
 Rubber Plantation near Pechiparai |
 Maruthuvazhmalai (or medicinal) Hill, near Kanyakumari. Legend has it that the Hindu God Hanuman dropped the hill/rock while flying to Sri Lanka to save sita. There is an Hindu Ashram on the hill. |
 Village scene, near Kanyakumari |
 Kovalam fishing village, near Kanyakumari |
 View of the sea from Vattakottai Fort. |
 Pilgrims taking holy dip at Kanyakumari, where the three water bodies, viz., Bay of Bengal, Arabian Sea and Indian Ocean, meet |
 Navarathi Mandapam inside Padmanabhapuram Palace |
 Lotus Pond on the Nagercoil-Trivandrum highway, near Chunkankadai |
 Sunset seen from Chothavilai Beach |
 Black sands at a beach near Vattakottai Fort |
 Vattaparai, near Keeriparai |
 Lighthouse at Muttom, which is more than 100 years old |
 Gandhi Mandapam, Kanyakumari, at night |
 Thirparappu waterfalls |
[edit] Nearby attractions
Though generally, only the town of Kanyakumari is mainly publicised in tourist brochures, Kanyakumari district has many more tourist attractions, from centuries-old historic and religious sites to scenic spots. It is a paradise for both the nature-lover and landscape-photographer. The district is also rich in flora and fauna. A unique feature of Kanyakumari district is that it has all kinds of natural eco-systems. Thus, one can see beaches, mountain valleys, evergreen forests in the deep interior, rubber and clove plantations on the highlands, etc. - all in a 50 kms radius of Nagercoil, the headquarters of Kanyakumari district. Nagercoil is 22 kms from Kanyakumari town. (see Kanyakumari district for more on the district). For images of Kanyakumari District, see Kanyakumari District in Images.
The following are some of the many popular historical and tourist attractions around :-
The Panchappathi, five primary sacred places of Ayyavazhi were all situated within a twenty-kilometer radius of Kanyakumari. It also includes the Swamithope Pathi, one of the famous temples in Tamil Nadu, situated ten kilometers to the northwest. It is not structurally massive but is known for its non-idolatory system of worship.
Vattakottai Fort (literally, "circular fort") is an 18th-century fort overlooking the sea, located six kilometers from Kanyakumari.
Suchindram has the Sthanumalayan temple with a repository of art treasures belonging to several kingdoms. The temple is famous for its ninth-century inscriptions, musical columns, and 6-meter-tall statue of the monkey god Hanuman. The main deity in the form of a shivlinga represents Shiva, Vishnu, and Brahma, the trinity of the Hindu pantheon.
Nagercoil has St.Francis Xavier's church at Kottar, where the great saint-missionary, St.Francis Xavier resided when he did his missionary work in the nearby areas. In Nagercoil, there is also the Nagaraja Temple and shrines dedicated to Lord Shiva and Vishnu. The entrance to this temple is reminiscent of the Chinese architecture of a Buddhist Vihar.
Padmanabhapuram Palace is a large wooden palace of the Travancore kings. Other tourist attractions include Mathur Hanging Trough, Sitharal Jain monuments, Thirunandhikarai cave temple, Thiruparrapu falls, Udayagiri Fort, Muttom, Vattakottai, Olakai Aruvi, Pechiparai Reservoir, and St. Xavier church, all within 30 kilometers of Nagercoil. Tiruchendur on the Bay of Bengal is the site of a temple dedicated to Lord Subramanya.
Baywatch (water amusement-park), and Wax museum(which is the only one of its kind in India) are the newest attractions, located within 2 kms from Kanyakumari.
The Udayagiri Fort, built by King Marthanda Varma, has a foundry for casting guns. It is also the site of the grave of the king's trusted European general Captain De Lennoy.
The Vivekananda Memorial at Kanyakumari is also one of the important tourist spots and attracts many Hindus. According to local Christians, the place which is now called Vivekananda rock was once actually a small rock with a cross on it to inspire local Christian fishermen, the Paravas, while they were at sea. But according to the Hindus who built the Vivekananda Memorial, it is the place where Swami Vivekananda meditated for some time before attending the World Parliament of Religions at Chicago in 1893. Ironically there is no evidence of Swami Vivekananda visiting Kanyakumari. The religious significance has been a point of contention. Today, a Vivekananda memorial stands on a rock half a kilometer into the sea, as well as a temple built around the rock bearing the footprints of Kanya Devi at the point where she performed her penance.
In 2000, the government of Tamil Nadu installed a large stone statue of the Tamil saint Tiruvalluvar sculpted by a team led by Ganapathi Sthapathi. It is 133 feet high, representing the 133 chapters of Thirukural.[2]
[edit] References
- ^ Falling Rain Genomics, Inc - Kanniyakumari
- ^ Thiruvalluvar Statue. Retrieved on October 28, 2006.
