Top places to visit in Kanyakumari
Do you know which is the southernmost point of our country on the mainland? It is Kanyakumari or also known as Cape Comorin. It is a coastal town, located in the state of Tamil Nadu, India. The main beauty of Kanyakumari emerges from the point that it is a confluence point of the Indian Ocean, the Arabian Sea, and the Bay of Bengal. You can witness a beautiful sunrise and sunset over the sea. Apart from this, there are various notable pilgrimages located in the town. To name some, we have a center of Indian Catholicism, Bagavathi Amman Temple, and many more. Besides these pilgrim sites, there are also various places in Kanyakumari where you can visit with your family, friends, and partner to enjoy your vacations. A list of certain such top places to visit in Kanyakumari is mentioned below. Let us look at each of them.
Top places in Kanyakumari
Sightseeing is among the favorite to-dos whenever we spend holidays in a new location. The southern part of India is among the best sightseeing locations in India. Especially the Kanyakumari has so much to offer you that will make your vacations worth remembering and enjoyable. A list of major sights in Kanyakumari that should be on your must-visit list when you visit Kanyakumari is mentioned below. Let us explore each of them one by one.
Chitharal Jain Monument
Formerly the home of Digambar Jain monks, in Chitharal there is a cave temple with rock-cut carvings of numerous deities from the 9th century. Both architecture lovers and Jain pilgrims have long found the Chitharal Jain Monument complex to be a popular vacation spot. These monuments are significant historically and serve as wonderful illustrations of how various religions coexist in the nation. Together with the magnificent monuments, the area is a must-see for its tranquility and alluring ambiance.
Thirparappu Falls
The flowing waters of the Tirparappu Falls, which are around 55 kilometers from Kanyakumari, are a beautiful sight to witness when in Kanyakumari. This waterfall, which falls from a height of 50 feet, is a man’s creation, not nature's. The falls are surrounded by lush vegetation and local wildlife, making them a haven for environment lovers. The best time to visit Thirparappu Falls is as a day trip from Kanyakumari or as a pit stop on the way to Trivandrum. The spectacular waterfall that forms these falls is the result of an unusual confluence of streams. A modest shrine to Lord Shiva is located at the entrance to this place and is widely adored by the locals.
Thiruvalluvar Statue
This statue honors Thiruvalluvar, a great poet, and philosopher. The Thiruvalluvar statue is situated on a small island close to Kanyakumari. Tirukkual, one of the best works of Tamil literature, was written by Thiruvalluvar. The statue is 133 feet tall and rests on a 38-foot pedestal and it can be seen from a great distance. This area is culturally diverse and one of the most well-liked tourist destinations in Kanyakumari.
Kanyakumari Beach
At the meeting of three bodies of water—the Bay of Bengal, the Indian Ocean, and the Arabian Sea—Kanyakumari beach, in the far south of India, is known for its stunning beaches that change color with the light. Amazingly, despite the colors constantly changing with the season and the weather of the day, you can clearly discern between the turquoise blue, deep blue, and sea green waters of the three seas here. Due to the stony shore and choppy sea, the beach is not suitable for swimming or surfing. You can visit Triveni Sangam Point and ascend the renowned lighthouse watchtower to get the best perspective and really appreciate how beautiful it is.
Vivekananda Rock Memorial
Vivekananda Rock Memorial, which is located on a small island, is a popular tourist destination in Kanyakumari. After three days of meditation, Swami Vivekananda found enlightenment here in 1892. On this rock, Devi Kanya Kumari is said to have performed strict penance. The Vivekananda Mandapam and Shripada Mandapam are the two main attractions of the rock memorial. It's amazing to see a huge Swamiji statue with the Indian Ocean in the distance. Vivekananda Rock Monument is a top destination in Kanyakumari due to the spiritual energy and tranquility of the location as well as the mesmerizing vistas of the environs.
Kumari Amman Temple
One of the 51 shakti peeths with a history dating back more than 3,000 years is the temple of Kumari Amman, which is devoted to the goddess Kanyakumari. Goddess Sati's lifeless body fell to this spot when Lord Shiva carried her on his shoulders during the Dance of Destruction. The deity of Kumari Amman Temple is notable for her nose ring, which is covered in diamonds and has extraordinary brilliance. Male guests must take off their outer shirts in order to enter the temple, which is one of the main commandments to obey. The temple is renowned for its spiritual aura, as well as for its breathtaking landscape and magnificent ancient architecture. So, whenever you plan to visit Kanyakumari, don’t miss to add this shakti peeth to your list of must-visits.
Thanumalayan Temple
The revered temple devoted to Trimuthis(Bramha, Vishnu, and Shiva), Thanumalay Temple, also called Sthanumalayan Kovil, is located in Suchindram. With inscriptions from the ninth century, the stunning temple underwent renovation in the seventeenth century. This stunning temple has outstanding architectural magnificence. The four melodic pillars, which were cut out of a single stone and set in the alankara mandapam region, are one of this temple's most notable features. When tapped with a thumb, these musical pillars produce a range of musical sounds. Another notable element of the Sthanumalayan Perumal Temple is that it reflects both the Shaivite and Vaishnavite portions of Hinduism. The temple also has enormous, one-of-a-kind statues of Anjaneya and Nandi. The major attraction of the temple is its annual rathotsava and teppam festival.
Bharat Mata Temple
The Mother India-dedicated Bharat Mata Temple is a must-see attraction in Kanyakumari. A 12-foot tall statue of Swami Vivekananda, as well as numerous other statues and paintings illustrating the idea of motherhood, are housed in the temple, which is 12000 square feet in size. The following are the results of the survey. An important attraction is the 27-foot-tall granite statue of Lord Hanuman that stands at the entrance to Ramayana Temple.
Mahatma Gandhi Memorial
The Mahatma Gandhi Memorial, also known as Gandhi Mandapam, is where the late leader's ashes were held before being submerged in the waves of Kanyakumari. It is one of the 12 urns that housed Mahatma Gandhi's remains before they were finally buried in Triveni Sangam. The Mahatma Gandhi Monument features a 24-meter-tall central tower, a domed ceiling with a skylight, and a library filled with works from the pre-Independence era, including books, images, and pamphlets.
Tsunami Monument
The Tsunami monument, which lies close to Kanyakumari's southern shore, is a distinctive and peculiar form of an edifice in and of itself. This memorial honors the thousands of victims of the earthquake and tsunami that struck the Indian Ocean on December 26, 2004. This natural calamity took over 2,80,000 lives, not just in India but also in Somalia, Sri Lanka, the Maldives, Thailand, and Indonesia. This memorial is visited by people from all walks of life who want to honor the departed souls.
Reaching Kanyakumari
Kanyakumari has a very well-connected travel network via all three means of transport to the rest of the world. You can travel to Kanyakumari via any means of transport you like at a very minimal cost and with great comfort from anywhere inside or outside India. Each way of traveling is highlighted in the brief below for you. Let us have a look at each of them.
Via Airways
The easiest and fastest way to reach Kanyakumari is via airways. The Thiruvananthapuram International Airport is located just 90 km away from Kanyakumari, which provides it with better connections with major airports in India and other countries like Colombo, Singapore, etc. After completing your journey to the airport, you can easily get access to public vehicles and taxis to reach Kanyakumari.
Via Landways
Talking about traveling to Kanyakumari via land ways, there are two ways, one is by train and the other is by road using buses, private vehicles, rented cars, etc. let us look at each in brief.
Using trains
There are various trains linking important Indian towns to the coastal city of Kanyakumari, which is located in the Southern Railways zone. From here, two of India's longest trains, the 3,789-kilometer-long Himsagar Express and the 4,283-kilometer-long Dibrugarh-Kanyakumari Vivek Express, run. The solution to the question of how to reach Kanyakumari can be found in the many railway lines, all of which offer express trains. However, if you want to guarantee your reservation, you should book in advance.
Using roads
The majority of southern cities have excellent road connections to Kanyakumari. You may actually travel from any area of the country by car and make your way through the southern path to reach the southernmost tip of the Indian peninsular. Frequent bus service is offered between Nagercoil and Kanyakumari, and the trip only takes around 45 minutes. Buses are also available from Bengaluru, Chennai, and Madurai. Buses of all shapes and sizes are available, and as they rumble through the countryside. The regularly running buses include those run by Kanyakumari Road Transport Corporation and Tamil Nadu Road Transport Corporation. Buses from Trivandrum to Kanyakumari take about 3 hours to reach, and this is a smart travel option because the Trivandrum airport is well-connected with the rest of India.
Travel package to Kanyakumari
It is quite a difficult task to visit for the first time at a new place and then explore it all on your own. Planning a vacation involve tons of planning and booking, and this is just only possible to do some with others. So, to help you travel smoother and enjoy better, professional assistance is essential. This professional assistance you can easily get from travel agents like Nitsa holidays. Nitsa holidays is a Delhi-based travel agency having a team of great tour planners and guides. They provide both pre-prepared as well as customized travel and tour packages around the globe at a very affordable cost. The tour to Kanyakumari is part of a 10 days and 9 nights travel package of Kerala, pre-prepared by Nitsa Holidays. The sightseeing at Kanyakumari takes place on the last two days of the tour and then departure is preplanned. So, if you go for this travel package you will get to explore the whole of Kerala in one go along with Kanyakumari. But if you want to customize your tour and limit it just to Kanyakumari, you can easily do it with the help of the customization option that Nitsa Holidays provide. Everything right from your ticket bookings, hotel bookings, exploration sites, etc you can discuss and plan with the agency. Their guides are all Hindi-speaking local people who are well-versed in the location and everything surrounding it. During your visit to the spot, they will help you explore all the best sites out there and make your vacation memorable. So, whenever you plan to explore Kanyakumari, make sure to contact Nitsa Holidays through their website and take benefit of their experience and professionalism to make your vacation memorable.
Conclusion
Kanyakumari is the southernmost tip of the Indian mainland as well as the confluence point of 3 waterbodies surrounding the Indian sub-continent. This provides the land with a variety of pilgrim values and hence the land houses a number of famous pilgrim sites in the country.
Every year people from around the world come to visit the top sights worth seeing once in a lifetime. Each sight has its own value and is related to spiritual connections in various forms. What makes the land more beautiful is its nature as well as man-made picturesque. Hence, it is a very good spot to spend your holidays. especially when you are also a history lover, as the land holds within it a lot of history of our ancient India.