Kanyakumari is located at the southern tip of the Indian subcontinent and is the meeting point of three oceans - the Bay of Bengal, the Arabian Sea and the Indian Ocean. The small temple dedicated to Kanyakumari, or the youthful form of the primeval energy Shakti (Mother Goddess) is located on the seashore, in the town known by the same name.

Kanyakumari represents the site where the spiritual leader Swami Vivekananda spent days in meditation upon a rock. The list of attractions in Kanyakumari is endless. Besides its significance as a major Hindu pilgrimage center, it is famous for its beautiful views of sunrise and sunset over the waters. The tourist destination itself is a beautiful place to move around.

Suchindram Temple : Close to the sea shore of Kanyakumari, the Kanyakumari Temple is one of the major tourist attractions in south India. The temple is dedicated to Parvati as Devi Kanya, the Virgin Goddess who did penance to obtain the hand of Lord Shiva. The deity, Devi Kanyakumari is' the protector of India's shores' has an exceptionally brilliant diamond on her nose ring which is supposed to shine out to sea. Non-Hindus are not allowed in the temple premise.

Swami Vivekananda Rock Memorial : On the evening of December 25, 1892, Swami Vivekananda who had come to Kannyakumari on pilgrimage swam to the rock and spent the whole night there in deep meditation. He then resolved to decide himself to the service of the Motherland and to spread the message of Vedanta. Next year he attended the Parliament of Religions in Chicago, an event of seminal importance in the modern history of Hinduism. To commemorate his visit to the rock a superb memorial has been erected. It attracts thousands of visitors.

Gandhi Mandapam : Not far from the Kumari Amman Temple is the Gandhi Mandapam, constructed at the spot where the urn containing the ashes of Mahatma Gandhi was kept for public view before a portion of its contents was immersed in the three seas. It resembles an Oriyan temple and was designed so that on Gandhiji's birthday (2nd October), the sun's rays fall on the place where his ashes were kept.

Kanyakumari Temple : Jaswant Thada in Jodhpur is a white marble memorial built in memory of Maharaja Jaswant II in 1899 A story goes that Maharaja Jaswant succumbed to injuries in this place while fighting the Mughal king Jahangir. This place is a must see while holidaying in Jodhpur.

How to get there

Air : The nearest airport is at Trivandrum (80 km). It is directly connected with Bangalore, Mumbai, Cochin, Delhi, Goa, and Chennai by regular flights.

Rail : Kanyakumari is connected to Thiruvananthapuram, Delhi, and Mumbai by broad-gauge railway network. Tirunelvelli (80 km) is the other nearest railway junction and can be reached by road via Nagarkoil (19 km).

Road : Kanyakumari is connected by road to all the major cities and towns of the neighbouring states.