Kanyakumari
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This is very popular coastal town on the peninsular lands end. The Vivekananda Rocks, Kumari Amman Temple and the Gandhi Mandapam here are visited by thousands of tourists and pilgrims.
Air: Nearest airport is Trivandrum, 86 km away.
Rail: Kanykumari Railway station connected by rail with many important citites.
Devi Kanyakumari (Opening time 4.00 a.m. to 12.00 noon and 5.00 pm to 8.30 pm).
The virgin goddess Kanyakumari has watched over the land since the beginning of time, standing at the tip of the country, as if, an unending vigil, with the waters of the Indian Ocean, Arabian sea and Bay of Bengal drawing to her feet. It is believed that here Goddess Parvati in her incantation as Devi Kanya practiced penance so that she could marry Shiva. A temple stands here today, dedicated to the virgin goddess. Not far from the borders of Kerala, 86 km, from Thiruvananthapuram, and worth excursion. The temple has two annual festivals one in May/June and other in September/October.
Vivekananda Rock
Elemental nature has hallowed this place where the land, three seas and the sky meet, and called out to people of all faiths. More recently two saints of modern India – Swami Vivekananda and Mahatma Gandhi, found sanctuary here where now stand everlasting representation to their memories . In 1970, the Vivekananda Rock Memorial was built. Among other things, it houses a statue of the great saint. The architecture of the complex comprises the styles of all the religions in the country. A boat service operates between the mainland and the Memorial.
Standing on the rocks, one can look into the mainland in a view otherwise possible only from a ship on the sea. And if you look out towards the sea, sunrise and sunset offer rare views, incredulous on a day of full moon, when sunset and moonrise happen at the same time. And on one day in an year – the full moon day in April, the sun and the moon are visible on the same horizon.
Gandhi Mandapam (Opening 7.00 am to 12.30 pm and 1.00 pm to 7.00 pm)
Part of the ashes of Mahatma Gandhi were sent to Kanyakumari to be immersed in the three seas. At the spot where the urn carrying his ashes was kept for public view was raised Gandhi Mandapam, a memorial to Mahatma. The Mandapam is so designed that the suns rays fall on the dais on 2nd October, the great mans birthday.