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Kanyakumari Travel Guide, Kanyakumari Tours & Packages

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Popular Devi Sites - Kanyakumari - Introduction

Introduction

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Introduction: 
   
Dedicated to the Kumari (virgin) form of Goddess Parvati, Kanyakumari is situated in the state of Tamil Nadu, at the southernmost end of the Indian sub-continent.
    
During the British period, Kanyakumari was known as Cape Comorin.
    
In 1892 A.D., Swami Vivekanand meditated on the sea rock over here.
    
India’s first and only museum of wax statues is situated here.
   
The location of Kanyakumari is such that on a full moon day (especially of the Chaitra month), sunset and the rising of the moon can be seen at the same time at opposite ends while on the next day, the picturesque view of sunrise and the moon setting can be seen.

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Mythological Beliefs

Mythological Beliefs: 
   
The Van Parv of Mahabharat states that mere contact with the waters of Kanyakumari rids a human of all types of sins.
    
 According to a local belief, this idol of the Goddess was installed by Lord Parshuram, the seventh incarnation of Lord Vishnu.
    
According to another belief, Bharat, the unconquerable Emperor of Jambu Dweep, crowned his daughter, Kumari, as the ruler of South.
   
The Ramayan suggests that Lord Hanuman dropped a piece of earth as he was carrying the Dhaulagiri Mountain with the Sanjivani Buti to Lanka in order to save Laxman’s life. It is known as Marunthuvazh Malai today and is situated at 7 km from here.
   
According to legends, Banasura, a demon, had obtained a boon from Lord Shiv that he could be vanquished only by a virgin and so he started harassing the Gods and the human beings. Unable to bear the demon’s atrocities, the Gods prayed to Aadishakti, who then took birth as a girl. This girl began penance with an objective of marrying Lord Shiv. Pleased with her, Shiv came for the marriage at Shuchindram, situated to the north of Kanyakumari. Devarshi Narad fixed midnight as the auspicious time for the marriage. However when Shiv left for the marriage, due to Narad’s scheming, he was late on the way and had to return. Thus, the girl remained unmarried and therefore, a virgin.
   
Later, when Banasur tried to marry this beautiful girl by force, she killed him and relieved the Gods and the humans of his fear.
 

Historical Facts

History: 
   
Besides Ramayan and Mahabharat, it has also been mentioned in Mani Mekalai, the odyssey of Tamil literature written by Seetalai Satanar.
   
In the Sangam literature, Kanyakumari has been described as the southernmost point of Tamilham region that was under the Pandya regime.
   
Pandya, the king of Madurai is credited for the initial construction of the temple in the 8th century.
   
In the middle age, the region constantly developed under the Cholas, the Pandyas, the Vijaynagar Empire, and the Nayaks. Most of the temple construction has been done during the reign of the Nayaks.
   
When Martand Varma established the Venad kingdom of Travancore, his initial capital was Padmanabhpuram and Kanyakumari was a part of southern Travancore.
   
Impressed by the spiritual bliss and natural surroundings of the place, Swami Vivekanand had performed meditation on 24th February 1892 A.D.
   
Mahatma Gandhi also visited the place in 1946 A.D.
   
Kanyakumari was a part of the Travancore-Cochin province till 1956 A.D. But it was merged into the state of Tamil Nadu after the linguistic reorganisation of states.
 

Main Places To See

Main Places To See: 
   
Kanyakumari Temple:
 
Situated at the confluence of 3 seas, this temple has a black stone idol of Kanyakumari. She holds a rosary in her hand and wears a nose ring. It is said that the sparkle of the nose ring was visible even from the high seas and would be misunderstood by the sailors as a light house. The temple also has idols of Kanyakumari’s friends, Vijayasundari and Balasundari.
    
Triveni Sangam:
 
This is the meeting point of 3 seas where pilgrims bathe. Ghats and changing rooms for women have been built for this purpose.
    
Vivekanand Rock and Tiruvalluvar Statue:
 
It is situated on 2 rocks in the sea. Vivekanand had meditated on Vivekanand Rock. The other rock has a 133 feet tall statue of Tiruvalluvar, the author of Tirukural.
   
Shuchindram:
 
At 13 km from Kanyakumari on the Trivandrum route, there is Thanumalayan Temple situated here. The Shivling of the temple is considered as a form of Brahma, Vishnu, and Mahesh. It is believed that Shiv had halted here while he was on his way to marry Kanyakumari. In the ancient times, it was known as the Gyanvan Kshetram.
   
Nagarsevak:
 
At 19 km from Kanyakumari, there is a Nagraj Temple which is a symbol of Sheshnag. This place has been mentioned in the Mahabharat.
 

Main Festivals

Main Festivals: 
   
Pongal:
 
This is an agricultural festival which is celebrated in Kanyakumari in mid-January for 3 days just as in the other parts of Tamil Nadu.
   
Rath Yatra:
 
This is a huge festival celebrated in the Tamil month of Vaikasi (May). The celebrations last for 10 days, of which the ninth day is the ceremonious procession of the Devi idol around the city and a boating festival held on the tenth day.
   
Navratri:
 
This festival begins with the arrival of the Goddess in Mahadanpuram in September-October. This festival goes on for 9 nights in the Navratri mandap. The premise of the festival is the victory of Kanyakumari over Banasur.
   
Chandan Utsav (Kalamaas):
 
In the Tamil month of Aadi (July), the entire idol of the Goddess is layered with a paste of sandalwood. On the last Friday of the month, the Goddess is bathed with flowers.
   
Chaitra Poornima:
 
This is a festival for nature lovers in Kanyakumari when thousands of tourists and pilgrims view the sunset along with the rising of the moon and the setting of the moon with the sunrise.
 

Where To Stay

Where To Stay : 
   
Dharamshalas:
 
There is a government controlled dharmshala where pilgrims can stay for 3 days.
   
Hotels:
 
 Category  General
 Name  Hotel Presidency
 Address  Main Road, Kanyakumari Nagar, Vivekanandpuram,
 Tamil Nadu - 629 704
 Telephone  +91 - 4652 - 246 331
 Fax  +91 - 4652 - 246 451
 Email  hotel-kpresidency@sancharnet.in
   
 
 Category  General
 Name  Narmada Hotel
 Address  Bus Stand Road, Kanyakumari, Tamil Nadu - 629 704
 Telephone  +91 - 4652 - 246 365
   
 
 Category  Medium
 Name  Sivas Residency Hotel
 Address  2/77A, South Car Street, Kanyakumari, Tamil Nadu
 Telephone  +91 - 4652 - 246 929
   
 
 Category  Medium
 Name  Parvati International
 Address  Court Road, Nagarcoil, Tamil Nadu - 629 001
 Telephone  +91 - 4652 - 233 020
 Fax  +91 - 4652 - 232 718
 Web Site  www.parvathihotels.com
   
 
 Category  High
 Name  Hotel Singaar International
 Address  5/22, Main Road, Kanyakumari, Tamil Nadu - 629 702
 Telephone  +91 - 4652 - 247992
 Fax  +91 - 4652 - 247 991
 Email  singaar@bsnl.com
 Web Site  www.hotelsingaarinternational.in
   
 
 Category  High
 Name  Hotel Sea View
 Address  2/17 E, Eastern Car Street, Kanyakumari, Tamil Nadu - 629 702
 Telephone  +91 - 4652 - 247 841
 Fax  +91 - 4652 - 247 203
 Email  hotelseaview@gmail.com
 Web Site  www.hotelseaview.in
 

Location/Climate

Location/Climate: 
 
Location
 
 Geographical  Location  Height  Above  Sea Level  Average Annual Rainfall
 Latitude  Longitude  0 metre  102 cm
 8.4˚ N  77.8˚ E
   
 
Temperature

Temperature is given in degrees Celsius.
 
 Month  Jan   Feb   Mar   Apr  May  Jun  Jul  Aug  Sep  Oct   Nov    Dec
 Maximum   30  33  33  33  33  30  30  30  31  31  31  32
 Minimum  20  22  24  25  25  23  22  22  24  25  23  23
   
 
Important Information
Kanyakumari is situated at the confluence of 3 seas - the Bay of Bengal, the Indian Ocean, and the Arabian Sea. From the location point of view, it is the dividing point of the Western and the Eastern Ghats.
Being a coastal city, the temperatures do not fluctuate much. Therefore one can see tourists throughout the year; however a larger crowd can be seen from November to April.
 

General Information

General Information: 
 
 STD Code
 04652
 Puja Timings
 4.30 a.m.-12.30 p.m., 4.00-8.00 p.m.
 Police Assistance
  +91 - 4652 - 246 224
 Hospital/Ambulance
 Kanyakumari Government Hospital
 Tel: +91 - 4652 - 248 505
 Currency  Exchange
 
 Allahabad Bank
 24-25, North Car Street, Nagarcoil,
 Dist-Kanyakumari,
 Tamil Nadu - 629 001
 Tel: +91 - 4652 - 232 612
 Canara Bank
 Main Road, Kanyakumari,
 Tamil Nadu - 629 702
 Tel: +91 - 452 - 2330335
 ATM Centre  SBI, Hotel Shankar’s Guest House, 4/75-A,
 Main Road, Kanyakumari,
 Tamil Nadu - 629 701
 Post Office
 Taluka-Agastiswaram, Dist-Kanyakumari,
 Pin Code - 629 701
 Tourist Office
  Kanyakumari Tourist Information Centre
 Tel: +91 - 4652 - 246 276
 Shopping
 Devotees can buy packets of different coloured sand   while art lovers can buy articles of wood craft.
   
 
Food
Hotel Triveni (Main Road), Hotel Annapuram (Shanti Street), Archana Restaurant (Vegetarian) and Hotel Shravan (Non-vegetarian)
 

Travel Planner

Address (Click on "A" to locate): 
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PDF File: 
application/pdf iconkanyakumari.pdf
Airports in the vicinity: 
- Madurai
- Tiruanantpuram
- Kochi
Railway: 
 Main Railway Stations  Station Code
 Madurai Jn.  MDU
 Rameshwaram  RMM
 Tiruanantpuram  TVC
 Kanyakumari  CAPE
 Kochi  KOCHI
Road Distance from Destinations: 
 Madurai  Kochi
232 Km
 Rameshwaram  Kochi
297 Km
 Tiruanatpuram  Kochi
126 Km
 Shabrimala
 Kochi
142 Km
 Tiruanantpuram
160 Km
 Kanyakumari  Madurai
236 Km
 Rameshwaram
281 km

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