Trifter

Kanyakumari is the southern most point of Indian peninsula. It is the meeting point of three seas- Indian Ocean, Bay of Bengal, and Arabian Sea. Kanyakumari is located in the southern state of Tamil Nadu, India. People visit the Kanyakumari beache in the early morning and evening to catch a glimpse of  the sunrise and sunset. The multicolored sand is a unique feature of the Kanyakumari beach. Boats are avaible by the Tamil Nadu government to see the place of meeting of the three seas. Many tourists take bath and enjoy in the beach although it is not the perfect place for bathing . The beach is covered with rock and sand. Kanyakumari was formerly known as Cape Comorin.

Places of Interest

Vivekananda Rock Memorial: Vivekananda Rock Memorial is about hundred meters from the shore and ferry service exists between the mainland jetty and the rock. The tickets is Rs. 20 for a ride. This memorial was built by the Vivekananda Rock Memorial Committee to commemorate the visit of Swamy Vivekananda in 1892. The rock has two main structures, Swami Vivekananda Mandapam and Shripada Mandapam. Sripada Mandapam has  foot shaped carving found on the rock and is believed to be a foot print of Goddess Kumari who stood on this rock on one leg and performed the penance. The Rock memorial has a statue of Swami Vivekananda. 

 
Thiruvalluvar Statue: Thiruvalluvar is a great Tamil poet, philosopher, and saint. The rock supports a huge statue of the saint carved out of many rocks that were then joined together. The statue is about 133 feet long which corresponds to 133 chapters of Thirukkural, the great epic written by Thiruvalluvar. The pedestal of the statue is of 38 feet height and the statue over it is 95 feet tall. The 3 tier pedestal known as Atharapeedam is surrounded by an artistic mandapa known as Alankara Mandapam. Surrounding the Alankara Mandapam stand 10 elephant statues.

Mahatma Gandhi Memorial: Mahatma Gandhi visited Kanyakumari in 1925 and 1937. The ashes of Mahatma Gandhi were kept at this place before they were immerse into the sea water. In commemoration of this event a monument has been constructed here. The height of this monument is 79 feet representing the age of the Mahatma Gandhi. The Gandhi Mantapa is engineered in such a way that, at the place where the ashes were kept, stands a small stone which is said to receive the Sun’s rays only on the 2nd of October, Gandhiji’s birthdate, every year through a small hole on the roof.

Padmanabhapuram Palace: Padmanabhapuram town is 25 km away from Kanyakumari. This town is surrounded by a fort with an area of 187 acres. The was the capital of the previous Travancore kingdom. The palace with an area of seven acres, is situated in the very centre on the Padmanabhapuram Fort. This palace is under the control of a Curator of the Archaeological Department of Kerala Government.  The fort which was built with mud originally was dismantled and reconstructed with granite by Maharaja Marthanda Varma.

Kamarajar Mani Mantapa Monument: This was constructed in the memory of freedom fighter and former chief minister of Tamil Nadu, president of Indian National Congress, Mr Kamarajar. He is also popularly known as Black Gandhi. This place is where Kamarajar’s ashes were kept here for public to pay homage before immersion into the sea water.

 
Baywatch: Baywatch is a water theme amusement park at the sunset point. This is the India’s first place of wax museum.

Tsunami Monument: A monument recognizing the tragic events of the 2004 tsunami which claimed the lives of many people of Kanyakumari is contructed near the south shore. The monument is made of uniquely colored items such as a wave, a flame, and human hands, together.

How To Reach

Nearest airport from Kanyakumari is Trivandrum in the neighbouring state of Kerala. It takes about two hours by train or bus to go Kanyakumari from Trivandrum. Kanyakumari is well connected by rail to all major cities in India like Chennai, Trivandrum, Bombay, New Delhi, Kolkata, and Bangalore. Buses are frequently available from Thiruvananthapuram, the closest major transport hub. Long distance buses are available from Chennai,  Coimbatore, Madurai etc.