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KANYAKUMARI (Cape Comorin)
 Kanyakumari is the ‘Land’s End’ of India. Here,
the Bay of Bengal meets the Indian Ocean and the Arabian Sea and, at
Chaitrapurnima (the Tamil name for all full moon day that generally falls
in April), it is possible to enjoy the unique experience of seeing the
sunset and the moon rise over the ocean simultaneously.
Kanyakumari is also a popular pilgrimage destination and of
 great
spiritual significance to Hindus. It is dedicated to the goddess Devi
Kanya, the Youthful Virgin, who is an incarnation of Devi, Siva’s wife.
The pilgrims who come here from all over the country represent a good
cross section of India.
Otherwise, Kanyakumari is highly over- rated, with its trinket
stalls, a lousy beach and one of those places with megaphones at the end
of each street which, during festival times, rip your eardrums apart
between 4 am and 10 pm,
KUMARI AMMAN TEMPLE
Picturesquely situated overlooking the shore, this
temple and the nearby ghat attract pilgrims from all over India to worship
and the bathe. According to legend, Devi did penance here to secure
Siva’s hand in marriage. When she was unsuccessful, she vowed to remain
a virgin (kanya). The temple is
open daily from 4:30 to 11:45 am and from 5:30 to 8:45 pm, but non-Hindus
are not allowed into the inner sanctum. Men must remove their shirts, and
everyone their shoes, on entering this temple.
GANDHI MEMORIAL
Next to the Kumari Amman Temple, this striking
memorial stored the Mahatma’s ashes until they were immersed in the sea.
It resembles an Orissan temple and was designed so that on Gandhi’s
birthday (2 October), the sun’s rays fall on the place where his ashes
were kept. It’s open daily from 8:30 am to 12:30 pm and 3 to 6 pm.
VIVEKANANDA MEMORIAL
This memorial is on two rocky islands projecting from
the sea about 400 metres offshore. The Indian philosopher Swami
Vivekananda came here in 1892 and sat on the rock, meditating, before
setting out as one of India’s most important religious crusaders. The
mandapam which stands here in his memory was built in 1970 and reflects
architectural styles from all over India.
SUCHINDRAM TEMPLE
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This temple, about 13 km north –west of
Kanyakumari at Suchindram, is noted for its ‘musical’ columns and its
incredibly tall statue of Hanuman, the monkey god.
PLACES TO STAY
HOTEL SINGAAR INTERNATIONAL, (Government Approved) 3
Star
MUNDANTHURAI TIGER SANCTUARY
Mundanthurai is in the mountains near the border with
Kerala. The closest railway station is at Ambasamudram, about 25km to the
north-east, and buses run from here to Papanasam, the nearest village,
from where you can catch another bus to the Forest Department Rest House.
As the
name implies, this is principally a tiger sanctuary though it’s also
noted for chital, sambar and the rare lion-tailed macaque. The best time
to visit is between January and March, though it is open any time of the
year. The main rainy season is between October and December. Tiger
sightings are apparently extremely infrequent.
KUTTRALAM
(Courtallam)
About 135km north-west of Kanyakumari at the base of
the Western Ghats, the village of Kuttaralam is a popular ‘health
retreat’ fro Indian families who come to stand and wash under waterfalls
believed to be rich in minerals and capable of curing almost anything.
Of the nine waterfalls, the only one in the village itself is the
60-metre-high Main Falls, a
five-minute walk from the bus stand. Its sheer rock face is carved with
old Hindu insignia that is visible only during the dry months of January
and February. Other falls, mostly accessed by shuttle buses, include the
picturesque Five Falls (five km
from town and the Old Falls,
eight km away.
The
nearest major town is Tenkasi, five km to the north, which is connected to
Kuttralam by frequent minibuses.
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