Kanyakumari (Cape Comorin) is the tip of the great India. It is also the meeting point of three oceans namely The Indian Ocean, The Arabian Sea and the Bay of Bengal. A two day trip is sufficient to cover the entire tourist locations in and around Kanyakumari. For those who are on a vacation in Kerala can very well see this place as it is only 80 kms from Trivandrum. Tourist can hire a taxi or can catch a bus run by Tamilnadu Road Transport Corporation to reach the destination. Kanyakumari is one of the best place to watch the sunset and sunrise, also it has several religious places . The major attractions in Kanyakumari are The Vivekananda Rock Memorial, The Kumari Amman Temple,Gandhi Memorial, Vivekanandapuram.
The most popular tourist attraction is the Vivekananda Rock Memorial ,a sacred monument build on two rocks located around 600 meters away from the mainland in the sea. It was build in honour of the great saint Swami Vivekananda.It is believed that Swami Vivekananda swam to this rock, meditated and attained enlightenment.
Here you could see the Rock Memorial in the background
Millions of tourist visit Kanyakumari every year. Boat services are available to reach the Rock Memorial. But often we find heavy rush for getting the tickets, so plan the trip in advance or get the help of locals to buy ticket well in advance. Boat will take you to the destination in 15 minutes. The sea at times may turn rough and hence all are asked to wear the life jacket.
One can spend around 2 hours on this monument. A spiritual mood prevails over the entire region. Have a look at the monument.
The monument consists of a large hall having several pictures and statues of Swami, a meditation room, a book stall. The book stall has a large number of books written by Swami mainly for the youth, I found the same very useful.
Sun dial is another interesting thing in Rock memorial. You can actually calculate the exact time by looking at the location of the sun and the shadow which it cast.
Just in front of the Rock monument on another rock there is a huge statue of Tiruvalluvar. The statue is 133 feet high. Boat will take you to this rock also. The statue is well lit with lights during night.
A small temple few meters away from the memorial is another attraction. The temple has foot prints of Devi Kanyakumari.
The three oceans meet at a point called ‘Sangam’ which can be seen from the Rock memorial. During evening the tides can be high and can be dangerous. Boat services will be available only on normal tide days, during high tide and rainy seasons the same will be stopped . It is advised to call the office to make sure that service is available.
This is another view of the Sangam from Vivekananda Rock memorial.
During after noon the entire rock over which the monument stands becomes so hot that its very difficult to walk over it. Path ways painted white with special heat resistant paint help us to move around the place.
A large number of hotels are mushrooming in Kanyakumari. Many of the promises which they make are only on paper. Getting a good place to stay is a tedious job in Kanyakumari, especially during season. The Vivekananda Kendra is a 100 acre spiritual centre set up by Eknath Ranade. It provides food and accommodation at nominal rates. But not many people know about this place.
Sunrise and sunset can be viewed from a small beach which is close to the campus. One can have a walk early morning and watch the sunrise. Hundreds of people can be seen during sunrise.
There are beautiful gardens, small forest areas, temples, art galleries etc inside the campus. Peacock sanctuary is another attraction, where one could find peacock freely moving around.
Our trip to Kanyakumari was a remarkable one, the most notable ones are our stay at Vivekananda Kendra and our visit to Rock Memorial.
