Kanyakumari
- For other uses of Kanyakumari, please see Kanyakumari (disambiguation).
Kanyakumari
Kanyakumari | |
|---|---|
| Location of Kanyakumari | |
| Government | |
| • District Collector | Dev Raj Dev |
| Population (2001) | |
• Total | 19,678 |
Kanyakumari ⓘ (Tamil: கன்னியாகுமரி) is a town in Kanyakumari district in Tamil Nadu state, India. Located at the southernmost tip of the Indian Peninsula, it is also called Cape Comorin. The closest major cities are Nagercoil, the adminstrative headquarters 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.
History
Kanyakumari takes its name from the Kumari Amman or Kanyakumari Temple, situated in the town, on the sea-shore, the very confluence of the three water-bodies - Bay of Bengal, Indian Ocean and the Arabian Sea. According to local lore, Kanya Devi, an avatar of Parvati, was to marry Shiva, but as he failed to show up on his wedding day, the rice and other grains meant for the wedding feast remained uncooked and remain unused thereafter. As the local lore goes, the uncooked grains turned into stones as time went by. Some believe that the small stones which look like rice on the shore today, are indeed grains of the wedding that was never solemnized. Kanya Devi is now considered a virgin goddess who blesses pilgrims and tourists who flock the town.
According to another local myth, Lord Hanuman dropped a piece of earth as he was carrying a mountain with his life-saving herb, Mrita Sanjivani from the Himalayas to Lanka (Sri 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.
The sage Agasthya, who was himself an expert in medicinal herbs, is believed to have lived around this site in ancient days. The reason why, some believe, so many medicinal herbs are to be found on these hills near Kanyakumari. There is even a village by the name Agastheeswaram close to the town, named after the sage. Today, there is a small Ashram on the middle of the Maruthuvazh Malai hill, which tourists visit (after a short trek from the base of the hill), both to visit the Ashram and also to take a glimpse of the sea near Kanyakumari a few kilometres away, and the greenery below.
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 in the area are the works 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 Azhva, during his reign from 1729 to 1758. By this, the present Kanyakumari District came to be known as Southern Travancore. In 1741, Maharaja Marthanda Varma defeated the Dutch East India Company at the famous Battle of Colachel.
Kanyakumari was under the rule of the Kings of Travancore under the overall suzerainty of the British until 1947, when India became independent. Travancore joined the independent Indian Union in 1947. The reign of the Travancore royals came to an end.
Under the Travancore state, the town, and the modern administrative district that bears its name, Kanyakumari District, gained both socially and economically.
In 1949, Kanyakumari became part of the reconstituted Travancore-Cochin State. Around this time, a popular agitation for the amalgamation of Kanyakumari District with Tamil Nadu by the Tamil-speaking majority of the district intensified, under the leadership of M.A. Nesamony Eventually, in 1956, Kanyakumari was integrated with Tamil Nadu (then known as Madras State) as per the language-based reorganisation of States.
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 traders and missionaries who came through sea-routes. Islam, Christianity and Jainism have also contributed to the architectural wealth and literary heritage of the region.
Geographical Location
Kanniyakumari is located at 8°05′N 77°34′E / 8.08°N 77.57°E.[1] It has an average elevation of 0 metres (0 feet). It lies at the meeting point of the three bodies of water: the Arabian Sea, the Bay of Bengal and the Indian Ocean. It is situated at 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 Tirunelveli District, while on the west and northwest it is bounded by Kerala state.
It is suggested that there once existed a continent called Kumari Kandam to the south of Kanyakumari, often compared with Lemuria.
Demography
As of 2001 India census,[2] Kanyakumari town had a native population of 19,678. Males constitute 50% of the population and females 50%.
Tourism
Beginning the early part of the 1970's, tourism has been an important activity in the town. Today, it is one small town in South India where one can see different languages of India spoken at different street corners, among the tourists and traders. Of late, Tourism is increasingly being promoted in the district also, apart from the town, with several beautiful natural landscapes, historic and religious places found around the district.
A total of 1.9 million tourists (domestic and foreign) visited Kanyakumari in 2007 [3]
With tourism also picking up in neighbouring Kerala, the future prospects for the growth of tourism looks bright both in Kanyakumari town and the district.
Though there are several places of tourist-interest in the town and district, Kanyakumari is especially popular in India for its spectacular and unique sunrise and sunset. The confluence of three ocean bodies - the Bay of Bengal, the Indian Ocean, and the Arabian Sea - makes the sunrise and sunset even more special. On balmy, full-moon evenings, (locally called Chitra Pournami) one can also see the moon-rise and sunset at the same time - on either side of the horizon.
Tourist 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.
On two rocky islets just off the shore, southeast of the Kumari Amman temple, are the Vivekanda Rock Memorial, built in 1970, and the gigantic 133 feet statue of Tamil saint-poet Thiruvalluvar, one of the biggest statues in Asia. One of the rocks called Sri Padhaparai is said to bear the footprints of the virgin goddess. Swami Vivekananda is said to have seated on this rock in deep meditation. Also on this rock, there is a Dhyana mandapam, an area for meditation. Ferry services are available to reach the memorial.
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 in such a way that on Mahatma Gandhi's birthday, October 2, the first rays of the sun fall on the exact place where his ashes were kept.
Photo Gallery : Kanyakumari and Around
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St. Francis Xavier's Church, Kottar, Nagercoil - where St.Francis Xavier, the great missionary said mass in the 16th century -
Vivekananda Rock Memorial, Kanyakumari, at sunrise -
View of the Western Ghats from Vattakottai Fort -
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The 133 ft 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 -
Thengapattinam Estuary -
Nagaraja Temple, Nagercoil -
View of the Hills from Udayagiri Fort -
Mathur Trough Bridge, near Thiruvattar -
Scenic view at Thottiyodu, on the Nagercoil-Trivandrum Highway -
Suchindrum Temple near Nagercoil -
Pechiparai Dam, with the Western Ghats in the background -
Thirparappu Temple, near Thirparappu Waterfalls -
Adhi Kesava Temple at Thiruvattar. The inner temple is believed to be more than 2000 years old. -
Hilly ravine-like terrain near the Muttom coast -
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Rubber Plantation near Pechiparai -
Maruthuvazhmalai (or medicinal) Hill, near Kanyakumari. Legend has it that God Hanuman dropped the hill/rock while flying to Lanka to save sita. -
Village scene, near Kanyakumari -
View of the sea from Vattakottai Fort. -
Pilgrims taking holy dip at Kanyakumari, where the Bay of Bengal, Arabian Sea and Indian Ocean, meet -
Navarathi Mandapam inside Padmanabhapuram Palace
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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 -
Kovalam fishing village, near Kanyakumari -
Thirparappu waterfalls -
Muttom Coast -
Captain De Lannoy's Tomb at Udayagiri Fort -
Tsunami Memorial
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Tourist Information
Kanyakumari is directly connected by rail with almost all metropolitan cities in India.
Nearest Airport : Thiruvananthapuram (Trivandrum) International Airport, 90 km away from Kanyakumari Town and 70 km from Nagercoil.
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 km radius of Nagercoil, the headquarters of Kanyakumari district. Nagercoil is 22 km 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-idolatry 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 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 km 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.
Places of Interest in Kanyakumari District
The district is a major tourist attraction in India, with a year-round tourist traffic at Kanyakumari town and several important tourist spots like Padmnabhapuram while seasonal in other tourist spots. The following are some of the major tourist attractions in Kanyakumari District, distances being given from Nagercoil:
- Kanyakumari, the Land's end, and the confluence of the three water bodies, is 20 km to the south of Nagercoil, with tourist attractions of its own which include the Vivekanda Rock Memorial, 133 ft high statue of Tamil poet-saint Tiruvalluvar - both on the mid-sea on rocky islands; the place is also famous for its distinctly beautiful (reddish) sunrise and sunset.
- 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.
- Suchindrum (Thanumalayan) Temple, about 6 km from the heart of town and Nagaraja Temple (in the town), are some tourist attractions within the town.
- St. Xavier’s Church, (Kottar in the town), built in the year 1600 AD, has historic importance due to the visit of St.Francis Xavier. The church was built in the land allotted to St. Xavier by the Venad king.
- 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.
- Padmanabhapuram Palace, (22 km from Nagercoil), once the seat of the Travancore kings, is India's only palace made completely of wood (16th century).
- Chitharal Jain Monuments (about 35 km near Marthandam), impressive rock shelters and idols dated 9-11th Century.
- Thirunandikkara temple (about 20 km), rock-cut cave temple of Pallava art can be traced back to seventh and eighth century AD.
- Thengapattinam Beach. This beach is located on the west coast near Painkulam village in Vilancode Taluk. It is a fine beach adorned with coconut groves. It is also a magnificent estuary where the river meets the sea. Riding in a catamaran (small boat) in the river can be a pleasant experience which can be arranged through local fishermen. It is 35 km from Nagercoil, 12 km from Kuzhithurai and 54 km from Kanyakumari.
- Udayagiri Fort, built by the Travancore kings, is a fort previously used for training the Travancore forces and also served as Barracks. Capt. Eustachius De Lannoy's tomb is within the fort. The fort (about 90 acres and almost full of vegetation now, with several plants, reptiles, etc.) is presently declared as a bio-diversity park and maintained by the Kanyakumari forest department.
- Mathur Hanging Trough, near Thiruvattar in the District, is an aqueduct that carries irrigation water through a canal between two hills. The canal itself goes above a small river. Built on very high pillars, it is said to be one of the biggest aqueducts, both in height and length, in Asia. The view from the middle of the aqueduct of the surrounding hills and vegetation and the small river flowing down below is superb.
- Olakaruvi waterfalls, about 20 km from Nagercoil is on the middle of a hill and requires an hour's trek by foot from the base of the hill (better to go in a group, as it is a forested area)
- Keeriparai - for nature-lovers and adventurers - pristine and beautiful, places like Keeriparai haven’t been publicized much by the Forest Department for various reasons - Keeriparai hills (30 km from Nagercoil) and the nearby Kalikesam are good picnic spots - one can enjoy water rushing through small mountain streams - with pebbles and ferns all around. There are also a few small waterfalls in this area - the popular one being Vattaparai Falls. Maramalai, which is further up in the hills of Keeriparai is famous for Wild elephants.
- Kodhayar (called Kodhayar Lower Camp) – is about 60 km and takes travellers through some exciting hill roads (motorable roads) with some thrilling 'hair-pin bends' and U-turns - Kodhayar forests are famous for bisons, though there are other wild animals too. Access to some areas need prior permission from the Forest Department.
- Pechiparai Reservoir, about 30 km from the town, in the hills, and also Perunchaani and Chittar dams are a must-see for the nature-lover (with clouds touching the top of the hills around the dams on a misty day !).
- Thiruparrapu Falls, is a waterfall near Thiruparrapu.
- Muttom, a coastal village, is another popular place with tourists. The terrain in this village and its surroundings is hilly and from a height one can have an idyllic view of the place, with a Portuguese style church standing in the middle of the village. The beach-area is somewhat rocky. There is also a 100-year old lighthouse. The lighthouse, though near the sea, is situated on a land mass some 105 feet above sea level. Another attractive feature of this area, is a reddish ravine-like area with casurina trees near the seaside. This place with very popular with Tamil and Keralite film-makers, especially Tamil film director Bharathiraja.
- Sanguthurai Beach, about 8 km from Nagercoil is a palm-fringed and sandy beach. Sothavilai Beach is another good beach, about 7 km from the heart of town. Both beaches were hit by the Indian Ocean Tsunami, but authorities have taken steps to improve facilities again. There is a very good lagoon (estuary - place where the river meets the sea) at Manakudy - 10 km from the town.
- Panchappathis, the five holyplaces of Ayyavazhi, all situated within 10 km radius from Kanyakumari
- Mukkudal reservoir : Fresh water supply to Nagercoil is from the Mukkadal Reservoir, about 8 km from the town, in the interior - itself a very scenic place, with a small bushy island in the middle of the dam. The dam is surrounded by hills of the Western Ghats.
"Thiruvalluvar Statue". Retrieved 2006-10-28.</ref>