Introducing Kanyakumari

Heritage Places / Sightseeing in Kanyakumari

The most prominent Kanyakumari Tourist Destination include the Kanyakumari Temple (or Kumari Amman Temple), the Swami Vivekananda Rock Memorial Temple, the Thiruvalluvar statue, Gandhi Memorial and the Swami Vivekananda Wandering Monk Exhibition. The city is quite a small town that can be easily covered on foot or on bicycle.

• Kanyakumari Temple / Kumari Amman Temple

  Barely a few meters away from the rock-strewn sea shore, the temple is sacred to Hindu Goddess Parvati as Kanyakumari (the virgin young girl). According to legends, the young girl waited here for her groom (Lord Shiva) to arrive, which unfortunately never materialized. The wedding feast turned to sand and the girl remained unmarried forever. At the same place, Kanyakumari (or Kumari Amman) temple welcomes devotees and tourists to a beautiful black granite idol dressed in silk, diamonds and gold.

  As per popular belief, the diamond in the nose ring of the idol gleams so brightly that its radiance renders ships off track and eventually crash on the rocky shore below the temple. Since the shimmer has allegedly caused several unfortunate shipwrecks in the past, the shrine's eastern door remains locked throughout the year except on five select days. The temple also houses two smaller shrines belonging to the playmates of the young girl – Balasundari and Vijayasundari.

  The temple has a few small beaches in close vicinity, as well as bathing ghats where devotees like to take a dip before visiting the shrine. The south mandapa (porch) of the temple is idyllic for observing sunset.

• Vivekananda Rock Memorial Temple

  In Kanyakumari, among places to visit top two colossal boulders in the middle of the sea, about 400 meters off the East of Kanyakumari temple. One is revered for carrying foot imprints of Goddess Kanyakumari and celebrated as Sri Padaparai. The other marks the seat of the Vivekananda Rock Memorial temple complex where the famed saint Swami Vivekananda undertook meditation from 25th December to 27th December 1892, before deciding to spread his words of wisdom beyond India. The complex dates back to 1970 and flaunts a typical Indian architectural style. Ferries start shuttling tourists to and fro the Vivekananda Island from 07:45 AM till 04 PM.

• Thiruvalluvar statue

  Featuring among Kanyakumari tourist places since 2000, the Thiruvalluvar statue is installed on an adjacent island next to the Vivekananda Island. The towering statue of the ancient Tamil poet Thiruvalluvar is 133 feet (40.5 meters) tall in the honor the poet's work Thirukural carrying 133 chapters.

• Gandhi Memorial

  Gandhi Memorial marks the place where the urn containing the ashes of Mahatma Gandhi was kept before their immersion at the point where the waters of three oceans come together. Every year on the 2nd day of October (incidentally the birthday of Mahatma Gandhi), the first rays of the sun invariably fall on the very spot where the urn was seated for public at large to pay their last respects.

• Swami Vivekananda Wandering Monk Exhibition

  Certainly not to be missed among places to visit in Kanyakumari is the Swami Vivekananda Wandering Monk Exhibition. It offers an excellent setting to the tourist to find out about the sayings, words of wisdom and encounters of Swami Vivekananda during his nomadic journey around India between 1888 and 1893. The ticket also covers a visit to "Awake! Awake!" exhibition at nearby Vivekanandapuram Ashram.

• The Kanyakumari beach

  is situated precisely at the vertex of peninsular "V" where incidentally three oceans also meet and mingle. Blessed with nature's bounty, Kanyakumari sightseeing is incomplete without witnessing the outstanding sunrise and sunset that daily decorate the horizons on the beach. The phenomenon of simultaneous moonrise and sunset in the sky pulls a large crowd of tourists almost each full moon evening. Not to mention, to watch the endless horizon surrounded by water on three sides is quite a refreshing experience.

Things to do when in Kanyakumari

During the monsoon season, in addition to heavy rains, the sea waves in Kanyakumari tend to rise up to 7 feet. The high tide provides pro surfers an ideal setting for riding the tall waves.

Shopping in Kanyakumari is also a pleasant experience with its markets plush with items like seashells accessories, handicrafts, show pieces and dress materials.

There are several places nearby Kanyakumari that enjoy high tourism quotient. For example, Padmanabhapuram is just 45 km from Kanyakumari. Barely 6 km away is Vattakottai - an 18th-century circular fort by the sea. 34 km away is Udaygiri Fort and the pristine Thengapattinam Beach is just 54 km away from Kanyakumari. You may also consider travelling to Kumarakovil, only 34 km drive away.

How to reach Kanyakumari

About 80 km from Kanyakumari is the closest airport to Kanyakumari at Thiruvananthapuram connecting the city to all major metropolitans in India.

Just 1 km from the town lies Kanyakumari railway station that offers both superfast and express train services to connect the town to Thiruvananthapuram, Chennai, Mumbai, Delhi, Kochi among others.

There are regular bus services from Kanyakumari to all major cities in India, including Chennai, Bangalore, Madurai, Thiruvananthapuram, Kochi, Pondicherry, Trichy, Rameshwaram, Kovalam and so on.

What is the best time to visit Kanyakumari?

The temperature of Kanyakumari is temperate and as such comfortable for sightseeing at any time of the year. However, the best time to visit Kanyakumari is between October and March when the temperature is particularly pleasant and remains in the range of 25 degree Celsius to 30 degree Celsius.

In the end, no matter at which time of the year you visit the town, you must ensure to include a full moon night during the stay to witness the breathtaking view of moonrise and sunset simultaneously in one horizon.