Kanyakumari
Kanyakumari
For other uses, see Kanyakumari (disambiguation).
| Kanyakumari கன்னியாகுமரி |
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| Coordinates: 8.078°N 77.541°ECoordinates: 8.078°N 77.541°E | |
| Country | India |
| State | Tamil Nadu |
| District | Kanyakumari |
| Government | |
| • District Collector | Thiru. S. Nagarajan |
| Area | |
| • Total | 25.89 km2 (10.00 sq mi) |
| Elevation | 300 m (1,000 ft) |
| Population (2012) | |
| • Total | 29,761 |
| • Density | 665/km2 (1,720/sq mi) |
| Languages | |
| • Official | Tamil |
| Time zone | IST (UTC+5:30) |
| PIN | 629 xxx |
| Telephone code | 91-4651 & 91-4652 |
| Vehicle registration | TN 74 & TN 75 |
| Website | www.kanyakumari.tn.nic.in |
pronunciation (help·info), formerly known as Cape Comorin, is a town in Kanyakumari District in the state of Tamil Nadu in India.[1]
Kanyakumari lies at the southernmost tip of mainland India (the
southernmost tip of India as a whole being Indira Gandhi Point in Andaman and Nicobar Islands). The nearest major city is Nagercoil, the administrative headquarters of Kanyakumari District, 22 km (14 mi) away. Kanyakumari was one of the important towns of the ancient Tamilakam (Sangam period),[2][3] and is now a popular tourist destination.Pilgrimage
Main article: Kanya Kumari Temple
Kanya Kumari is mainly famous for pilgrimage and tourism. The place is a unique geographical location in India as it is the tip of the peninsula, which is surrounded by the Laccadive Sea. It is a holy place for Hindus as there is the presence of two Shakti Peethas (The holiest shrine of Mother goddess) here, Bhagavathy temple and Shuchindram out of the 51 Shakti Peethas all over South Asia.The etymology of the place is from the name of the Bhagavathy temple located here. The place was called Kanyashram of the Baalaambika, the deity of the temple. There are 11 sacred theertham in Kanyakumari[4] and two Shakti Peethas so Kanyakumari is a holy place for Hindus'. The ablution in sea for Pitr Tarpan is done here. This is one of the rare temples in India where Devi (Mother Goddess) is worshipped as a child. The rites and rituals are done in Kerala Namboothiri method, so there will be slight difference in the way of worship compared to the temples of the nearby region. The deity is the goddess of Sanyasa as per Hindu religion.[4] So the people everywhere from India who desire devote their life as Sanyasin comes here and takes the deeksha. Swami Vivekananda came in this temple as directed by his Guru Shri Ramakrishna Prarama Hamsa, being a Sanyasin. The temple is very old and is mentioned in ancient Sanskrit literatures. The sands of sea is multi coloured and is liked to mythological story. The goddess is believed to be the one who removes the rigidity of our mind, devotees usually feel the tears in their eyes or even inside their mind when they pray to the goddess in deep contemplation. The prayers are done by women for marriage, the goddess is considered as Shri Krishnas' sister. There is a shrines for Kalabhairava in the temple. The temple is one of the Shakti Peethas, it is said that the back bone area of Sati Devi’s corpse fell here. The place is famous for Agastyar mala where Sage Agastya lived. He is the founder of Siddha vydya, so there is innumerable medicinal plants available here. He is also considered as the founder of Varma Kalai, the foremost martial arts in the world.[5] Another pilgrimage is Shuchindram and Nagaraja Temple, Nagercoil near Kanyakumari. Shuchindram is another Shakti Peethas an important temple in Hindu mythology.[6]
History
Another ancient Greek book, the Periplus of the Erythraean Sea, contains sailing directions for merchants from the Red Sea to the Indus and Malabar, and even indicates that the coast from Barygaza (Baroch) had a general southward direction down to and far beyond Cape Komari.
According to Christian legends, Christianity arrived in South India around AD 52 through St. Thomas, one of the twelve Apostles of Christ. However, European missionaries, who arrived in the 16th century, propagated Christianity in the area. St. Francis Xavier (7 April 1506 – 2 December 1552) was the pioneer in preaching Christianity in what is now Kanyakumari district.
Islam is believed to have entered the southern part of India through Kanyakumari during the early part of the eighth century AD through traders and missionaries who came through sea-routes. Islam, Christianity and Jainism have also contributed to the architectural wealth and literary heritage of the region.
Kanyakumari District consists of those parts known locally as Nanjil Nadu and Idai Nadu. The names of the villages of the district such as Azhagiapaandipuram, Bhoothapandy, Cholapuram and Kulasekaram reveal that these places were governed by several rulers at difficult periods of time.[clarification needed] Nanjilnadu was under the rule of Pandiyas till the early 10th century and then under Cheras.
The Kalkulam and Vilavancode taluks were under the rule of the Chera Dynasty. When the power of Chola declined due to the rise of Hoysalas and western Chalukyas, the Venad (Travancore) Chieftains (descendants of the central Chera family) took advantage of the situation and gradually established their hold on considerable areas in Nanjilnadu. Veera Kerala Varma, one such chieftain, styled himself as "Nanjil Kuravan". The annexation commenced by Veera Kerala Varma was to a large extent continued by his successors and completed by AD 1115.
For about four centuries, the Venad was ruled by powerful kings who were consistently making incursions into the Pandian territories. As a result Vijayanagar kings proceeded against Venad. In 1609 Kanyakumari fell into the hands of Viswanatha Nayak of Madurai. Consequent on this, there was no serious threat to Nanjilnadu until 1634. During the regime of Ravi Varma and Marthanda Varma, Venad was disturbed by the internal strife.
Sanda Sahib of Arcot took advantage of this situation and attacked Nanjilnadu. Although Marthanda Varma could succeed in the famous battle at Colachel defeating the Dutch armouries who helped the local feudatories, he could not cope with the threat from Sanda sahib and made him to withdraw the battle field. After Marthanda Varma, Venad had weak rulers. Therefore there was frequent interference by the British whose control was completely established over Venad and continued till 1947. From 1947 to 1956, it was under the personal rule of Maharaja of Travancore. During the period between 1956–1961, the administrative system has fallen in line with that of other districts in Tamil Nadu.[7]
Modern history
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This section does not cite any references or sources. (January 2012) |
Kanyakumari was under the rule of the Pandyan Kings till the downfall of Pandyas, and later by kings of Travancore under the overall suzerainty of the British until 1947, when India became independent. Travancore joined the independent Indian Union in 1947. The reign of the Travancore royals came to an end.
Under Travancore rule, the town, and the modern administrative district that bears its name, Kanyakumari District, progressed both socially and economically. Still a significant part of population study and speak Malayalam as their mother-tongue. The culture followed by Kanyakumari people is mixed and has more influence from Travancore.
In 1949, Kanyakumari became part of the reconstituted Travancore-Cochin State. Around this time, a popular agitation by the Tamil-speaking people of the district for the amalgamation of Kanyakumari District with Tamil Nadu intensified under the leadership of Marshal Nesamony. Kumari Thanthai Marshal Nesamony was instrumental in the merger of Kanyakumari district with Tamil Nadu (then known as Madras State) in 1956 during the linguistic reorganisation of states.
Mythology and legends
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This section does not cite any references or sources. (January 2012) |
Main article: Devi Kanya Kumari
According to Hindu legend, Kanya Devi, an avatar
of Parvati, was to marry Siva, but as he failed to show up on his
wedding day, the rice and other grains meant for the wedding feast
remained uncooked and remain unused thereafter. As the legend goes, the
uncooked grains turned into stones as time went by. Some believe that
the small stones on the shore today, which look like rice, are indeed
grains from the wedding that was never solemnised. Kanya Devi is now considered a virgin goddess who blesses pilgrims and tourists who flock the town.According to another Hindu legend, Lord Hanuman dropped a piece of earth as he was carrying a mountain with his life-saving herb, Mrita Sanjivani, from the Himalayas to Lanka (Sri Lanka) during the Rama-Ravana war. This chunk of earth is called Marunthuvazh Malai, literally "hills where medicine lives". This is said to be the reason for the abundance of unique native medicinal plants in the area. Marunthuvazh Malai is located near Kottaram about 7 km (4 mi) from Kanyakumari town on the Kanyakumari-Nagercoil highway.
Geography
Kanyakumari is located at 8.08°N 77.57°E.[8] It has an average elevation of 0 metre. Contrary to the popular (and sensational) belief that Kanyakumari lies at the meeting point of three bodies of water, it borders only one: the Laccadive Sea to the southwest, south, and to the southeast. It is the confluence of the Western Coastal Plains and Eastern Coastal Plains. On the north and the east, it is bounded by Tirunelveli District, while on the west and northwest it is bounded by Kerala state.It is located at the southernmost tip of mainland India. However, it is not the southernmost tip of India: Indira Point at 6°45’10″N and 93°49’36″E on Great Nicobar Island is the southernmost point of the Republic of India.
It is suggested that there once existed a continent called Kumari Kandam to the south of Kanyakumari, often compared with Lemuria.
| [hide]Climate data for Kanyakumari | |||||||||||||
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| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Average high °C (°F) | 30.9 (87.6) |
31.6 (88.9) |
32.2 (90) |
32.7 (90.9) |
32.4 (90.3) |
30.6 (87.1) |
30.3 (86.5) |
30.4 (86.7) |
30.5 (86.9) |
30.4 (86.7) |
30.2 (86.4) |
30.3 (86.5) |
31.04 (87.88) |
| Average low °C (°F) | 23.4 (74.1) |
23.8 (74.8) |
25.1 (77.2) |
26.1 (79) |
26.1 (79) |
24.6 (76.3) |
24 (75) |
24 (75) |
24.3 (75.7) |
24.3 (75.7) |
24 (75) |
23.8 (74.8) |
24.46 (75.97) |
| Rainfall mm (inches) | 13.6 (0.535) |
13.2 (0.52) |
27.3 (1.075) |
62.1 (2.445) |
54.2 (2.134) |
84.1 (3.311) |
47.4 (1.866) |
39 (1.54) |
45 (1.77) |
126.6 (4.984) |
166.5 (6.555) |
55.3 (2.177) |
734.3 (28.912) |
| Avg. precipitation days | 1.4 | 1.7 | 2.6 | 4.1 | 4.2 | 11.3 | 9 | 6.5 | 5.5 | 10.1 | 11.2 | 5.3 | 72.9 |
| Source: World Weather Information Service,[9] | |||||||||||||
Town
As of the census of India 2001, Kanniyakumari had a population of 19,739 comprising 9,884 males and 9,855 females, making the sex ratio (number of females per thousand males) of the town to 997. A total of 2,403 people were under six years of age and the child sex ratio (number of females per thousand males under six years of age) stood at 1,024. The town had an average literacy of 88.62%, higher than the national average of 59.5%. A total of 269 comprising 1.55% of the population belonged to Scheduled Castes (SC) and 169 comprising 0.97% of the population belonged to Scheduled tribes (ST). There were are total of 4,236 households in the town. As of 2001, Kanniyakumari had a total of 5,929 main workers: 11 cultivators, 78 agricultural labourers, 66 in house hold industries and 5,774 other workers. There were a total of 119 marginal workers: 4 marginal cultivators, 3 marginal agricultural labourers, 11 marginal workers in household industries and 101 other marginal workers.[10]Transportation
- Railway: Kanyakumari Railway Station
Tourism
Of late, the promotion of tourism has increased, with increasing emphasis on attractions outside the town, such as the surrounding landscapes, as well as the historical and religious sites found around the district. Ultimately a total of 1.9 million tourists (domestic and foreign) visited Kanyakumari in 2007.[11]
Though there are several places of tourist-interest in the town and district, Kanyakumari is especially popular in India for its spectacular and unique sunrise and sunset, thanks to its being nearly surrounded by waters. On balmy, full-moon evenings (locally called Chitra Pournami), one can also see the moon-rise and sunset at the same time.
Tourist sites
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This section does not cite any references or sources. (January 2012) |
On two rocky islets just off the shore, southeast of the Kumari Amman temple, are the Vivekananda Rock Memorial, built in 1970 by Eknath Ranade, and the 133 feet (41 m) tall statue of Tamil saint–poet Thiruvalluvar, one of the biggest statues in Asia, completed in 2000 by sculptor V. Ganapati Sthapati. One of the rocks, called Sri Padhaparai, is said to bear the footprints of the virgin goddess. Swami Vivekananda is said to have meditated on this rock for three days. Also on this rock, there is a Dhyana mandapam, an area for meditation. Ferry services are available to reach the memorial.
The Gandhi Memorial has been built on the spot where the urn containing the Mahatma's ashes was kept for public viewing before immersion. Resembling central Indian Hindu temples in form, the memorial was designed in such a way that on Mahatma Gandhi's birthday, 2 October, the first rays of the sun fall on the exact place where his ashes were kept.
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