kanyakumari

{{main| Kanya Kumari Temple}}

The place derives its name from the goddess Kanya Kumari, considered to be the sister of Krishna.{{Cite web |title=KanniyaKumari - Etymology |url=https://www.tamilnadutourism.tn.gov.in/destinations/kanyakumari#:~:text=The%20place%20gets%20its%20name,Kanniyakumari%20was%20shortened%20to%20Comorin.}} The goddess is believed to remove the rigidity from the mind, and women pray for marriage at her temple. In 1656, the Dutch East India Company conquered Portuguese Ceylon from the Portuguese East Indies, and the name eventually corrupted to "Comorin" and was called "Cape Comorin" during British rule in India.{{Cite web |title=Kanniyakumari - Etymology |url=https://www.tamilnadutourism.tn.gov.in/destinations/kanyakumari#:~:text=The%20place%20gets%20its%20name,Kanniyakumari%20was%20shortened%20to%20Comorin.}} In 2016, the town and its district were renamed to "Kanniyakumari" by the Government of India and the Government of Madras.{{Cite news |last=Kolappan |first=B. |date=13 May 2016 |title=It is now officially Kanniyakumari |url=https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/tamil-nadu/it-is-now-officially-kanniyakumari/article8598255.ece |work=The Hindu |access-date=8 January 2023 |issn=0971-751X}}{{Cite web |title=Kanniyakumari District, Government of TamilNadu {{!}} Land of Cash Crops {{!}} India |url=https://kanniyakumari.nic.in/ |work=kanniyakumari.nic.in |access-date=8 January 2023}}

According to a Hindu legend, Kanya Devi, an avatar of Parvati, was to marry Shiva, who failed to show up on his wedding day. Rice and other grains meant for the wedding feast remained uncooked and unused. 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 to the town. Her temple in Kanyakumari is a Shakta pitha: a holy shrine in the Shaktism tradition of Hinduism.{{cite web|title=Shaktipeeth|url=http://zeenews.india.com/navratra2012/Shaktipeeth.html|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160303210250/http://zeenews.india.com/navratra2012/Shaktipeeth.html|archive-date=3 March 2016|access-date=6 April 2016|website=Zee News}}{{Cite web|date=3 October 2019|editor-last=Sharma|editor-first=Divyanshi|title=Navratri 2019: Know the origin and existence of the 51 Shaktipeethas|url=https://zeenews.india.com/culture/navratri-2019-know-the-origin-and-existence-of-the-51-shaktipeethas-2238173.html|url-status=live|access-date=28 December 2021|website=Zee News|language=en|archive-date=28 December 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211228122250/https://zeenews.india.com/culture/navratri-2019-know-the-origin-and-existence-of-the-51-shaktipeethas-2238173.html}}{{Cite web|last=Shankar|first=Ravi|date=26 September 2021|title=Motherlodes of Power: The story of India's 'Shakti Peethas'|url=https://www.newindianexpress.com/magazine/2021/sep/26/motherlodesof-power-2362905.html|url-status=live|access-date=28 December 2021|website=The New Indian Express|archive-date=26 September 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210926061553/https://www.newindianexpress.com/magazine/2021/sep/26/motherlodesof-power-2362905.html}}{{Cite news|last=Upadhyay|first=Lipi|date=23 September 2017|title=Navratri for travellers: Visit these 51 Shakti-peeths and learn about their significance|url=https://www.indiatoday.in/travel/festivals/story/navratri-durga-puja-51-shakti-peeths-shiva-sati-amarnath-kamakhya-kolkata-kalighat-lifetr-1050105-2017-09-23|url-status=live|access-date=28 December 2021|website=India Today|archive-date=28 December 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211228135918/https://www.indiatoday.in/travel/festivals/story/navratri-durga-puja-51-shakti-peeths-shiva-sati-amarnath-kamakhya-kolkata-kalighat-lifetr-1050105-2017-09-23}}

According to another Hindu legend, Hanuman dropped a piece of earth near Kanyakumari as he was carrying a mountain with his life-saving herb, Mrita Sanjivani, from the Himalayas to Lanka (Sri Lanka) during the Ramayana War. The fallen earth formed an area called Marunthuvazh Malai, literally "hills where medicine lives". This legend explains the abundance of unique native medicinal plants in the area.{{cite journal|url=https://www.researchgate.net/publication/236612162|title=Natural products used by the Kanikkars of Kanyakumari district, Tamil Nadu, India|website=ResearchGate}}{{cite journal|url=https://www.researchgate.net/publication/289102068|title=Medicinal plants of sacred groves in Kanyakumari district Southern Western Ghats|website=ResearchGate}} Marunthuvazh Malai is located near Kottaram, about {{convert|7|km|mi|0|abbr=on}} from Kanyakumari town on the Kanyakumari–Nagercoil highway. The sage Agasthya, who was an expert in medicinal herbs, is believed to have lived around this site in ancient days.{{Cite web |title=History Of Kanyakumari, Tourist Places & Information, Thiruvalluvar Statue, Sun Rise & Sun Set |url=https://www.tamilselvi.com/History-Of-Kanyakumari.html |access-date=14 March 2025 |website=www.tamilselvi.com}}{{By whom|date=May 2022}} There is an ashram on the middle of the hillside; tourists trek up to visit the ashram and to glimpse the sea near Kanyakumari town, a few kilometres away.{{cite web |url= http://www.amritapuri.org/3687/kanya-kumari.aum |title= Legends of Kanya Kumari |publisher= Amritapuri |date=8 February 2000 |access-date= 24 July 2013}}

{{bar box|title= Religion in Kanyakumari town (2011)|titlebar=#ddd|left1=Religion|right1=Percent(%)|float=left|bars={{bar percent|Christian|purple|61.16}}{{bar percent|Hindu|DarkOrange|32.97}}{{bar percent|Muslim|Green|5.47}}{{bar percent|Other|grey|0.39}}}}As per the 2011 Census, Kanyakumari town consisted of 61.16% Christians, 32.97% Hindus, and 5.47% Muslims.{{cite web|title=Population By Religious Community - Tamil Nadu|year=2011|url=https://censusindia.gov.in/2011census/C-01.html|publisher=Office of The Registrar General and Census Commissioner, Ministry of Home Affairs, Government of India}}, Town code: 803939, Area Name: Kanyakumari (TP); [https://censusindia.gov.in/2011census/C-01/DDW33C-01%20MDDS.XLS Table C-1 Tamil Nadu (XLS)] It 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 1,003. 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%. There were a total of 4,236 households in the town.

As of 2001, Kanyakumari had a total of 5,929 main workers: 11 cultivators, 78 agricultural labourers, 66 in household 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.{{cite web|title=Primary census abstract 2001 |url=http://census2001.tn.nic.in/pca2001.aspx |publisher=Directorate of Census Operations – Tamil Nadu |access-date=29 December 2012 |year=2001 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110217153857/http://census2001.tn.nic.in/pca2001.aspx |archive-date=17 February 2011 }}

{{wide image|Kanyakumari - panoramic view.png|1000px|align-cap=center|Panoramic full view of the Thiruvalluvar Statue and the Vivekananda Rock Memorial, on the Laccadive Sea}}

Kanyakumari is located at {{Coord|8.08|N|77.57|E}} [http://www.fallingrain.com/world/IN/25/Kanniyakumari.html Falling Rain Genomics, Inc – Kanyakumari] and has an average elevation of 30 metres. The peninsular tip of Kanyakumari is bordered on three sides by the Laccadive Sea. It is located at the confluence of the Western Ghats and Eastern Ghats. The nearest city is Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala ({{convert|85|km|abbr=on|0}} away), and the nearest town is Nagercoil, the administrative headquarters of Kanyakumari district ({{convert|22|km|abbr=on|0}} away).{{citation needed|date=November 2022}}

Kanyakumari is at the southern tip and is the southernmost point of the contiguous Indian Subcontinent. As such, it is part of the common Hindustani phrase used to describe the length of India: "Kashmir se Kanyakumari"; before the partition, the phrase in undivided India was "Khyber se Kanyakumari".{{cite news |last1=Rajghatta |first1=Chidanand |title=Attock to Cuttack, PM Narendra Modi causes a stir |url=https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/politics-and-nation/attock-to-cuttack-pm-narendra-modi-causes-a-stir/articleshow/59332065.cms |newspaper=The Economic Times |access-date=23 June 2020 |language=en |date=27 June 2017}} However, the southernmost point of Republic of India is at Indira Point on Great Nicobar Island, at 6°45’10″N and 93°49’36″E.

The climate is a hot semi arid climate, bordering on a tropical savanna climate, influenced by monsoons.

{{Weather box

| location = Kanyakumari (1991–2020, extremes 1961–2020)

| metric first = Yes

| single line = Yes

| Jan record high C = 34.4

| Feb record high C = 35.0

| Mar record high C = 36.0

| Apr record high C = 36.8

| May record high C = 38.2

| Jun record high C = 36.2

| Jul record high C = 36.2

| Aug record high C = 36.7

| Sep record high C = 35.5

| Oct record high C = 35.2

| Nov record high C = 35.6

| Dec record high C = 34.6

| year record high C = 38.2

| Jan high C = 31.3

| Feb high C = 32.1

| Mar high C = 32.7

| Apr high C = 33.1

| May high C = 32.5

| Jun high C = 30.8

| Jul high C = 30.6

| Aug high C = 30.7

| Sep high C = 30.7

| Oct high C = 30.8

| Nov high C = 30.6

| Dec high C = 30.6

| year high C = 31.4

| Jan low C = 23.5

| Feb low C = 24.0

| Mar low C = 25.2

| Apr low C = 26.1

| May low C = 26.1

| Jun low C = 24.6

| Jul low C = 24.2

| Aug low C = 24.2

| Sep low C = 24.3

| Oct low C = 24.4

| Nov low C = 24.1

| Dec low C = 23.8

| year low C = 24.5

| Jan record low C = 19.7

| Feb record low C = 18.8

| Mar record low C = 21.4

| Apr record low C = 20.9

| May record low C = 21.3

| Jun record low C = 19.3

| Jul record low C = 19.0

| Aug record low C = 20.8

| Sep record low C = 21.0

| Oct record low C = 20.2

| Nov record low C = 20.1

| Dec record low C = 19.0

| year record low C = 18.8

| rain colour = green

| Jan rain mm = 15.1

| Feb rain mm = 7.9

| Mar rain mm = 9.7

| Apr rain mm = 47.4

| May rain mm = 75.3

| Jun rain mm = 74.4

| Jul rain mm = 44.5

| Aug rain mm = 37.1

| Sep rain mm = 60.3

| Oct rain mm = 154.2

| Nov rain mm = 191.5

| Dec rain mm = 63.2

| year rain mm = 780.6

| Jan rain days = 0.9

| Feb rain days = 0.7

| Mar rain days = 1.1

| Apr rain days = 2.6

| May rain days = 3.3

| Jun rain days = 6.4

| Jul rain days = 3.9

| Aug rain days = 2.9

| Sep rain days = 4.0

| Oct rain days = 7.7

| Nov rain days = 9.2

| Dec rain days = 3.6

| year rain days = 46.1

| time day = 17:30 IST

| Jan humidity = 67

| Feb humidity = 68

| Mar humidity = 71

| Apr humidity = 75

| May humidity = 79

| Jun humidity = 80

| Jul humidity = 80

| Aug humidity = 80

| Sep humidity = 81

| Oct humidity = 80

| Nov humidity = 76

| Dec humidity = 69

| year humidity = 75

| source 1 = India Meteorological Department{{cite web

| url = https://imdpune.gov.in/library/public/Climatological%20Tables%201991-2020.pdf

| title = Climatological Tables of Observatories in India 1991-2020

| publisher = India Meteorological Department

| access-date = 8 April 2024

}}

{{cite web

| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20200205040301/http://imdpune.gov.in/library/public/1981-2010%20CLIM%20NORMALS%20%28STATWISE%29.pdf

| archive-date = 5 February 2020

| url = https://imdpune.gov.in/library/public/1981-2010%20CLIM%20NORMALS%20%28STATWISE%29.pdf

| title = Station: Kanyakumari Climatological Table 1981–2010

| work = Climatological Normals 1981–2010

| publisher = India Meteorological Department

| date = January 2015

| pages = 383–384

| access-date = 19 March 2020}}

{{cite web

| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20200205042509/http://imdpune.gov.in/library/public/EXTREMES%20OF%20TEMPERATURE%20and%20RAINFALL%20upto%202012.pdf

| archive-date = 5 February 2020

| url = https://imdpune.gov.in/library/public/EXTREMES%20OF%20TEMPERATURE%20and%20RAINFALL%20upto%202012.pdf

| title = Extremes of Temperature & Rainfall for Indian Stations (Up to 2012)

| publisher = India Meteorological Department

| date = December 2016

| page = M195

| access-date = 19 March 2020}}

| source =

}}

File:Tiruvalluvar statue LIC.jpg]]

The Thiruvalluvar Statue is a 7,000-ton stone statue of poet and philosopher Valluvar. It has a height of {{convert|29|m|ft|abbr=off}} and stands upon an {{convert|11.5|m|ft|0|adj=on}} rock that represents the 38 chapters of virtue in the Thirukkural. The statue standing on the rock represents wealth and pleasures, signifying that wealth and love be earned and enjoyed on the foundation of solid virtue.[http://districts.ecourts.gov.in/tn/kanyakumari "Kanyakumari"], District Court, Kanyakumari. The combined height of the statue and pedestal is {{convert|40.5|m|ft|order=flip|abbr=on}}, denoting the 133 chapters in the Thirukkural.

The statue is reminiscent of a dancing pose of Nataraja. It was sculpted by the Indian sculptor V. Ganapati Sthapati, who also created the Iraivan Temple, and its opening ceremony was on 1 January 2000.{{Cite web |last=TheIndianTrip |title=Top things to do in Nagercoil - Thiruvalluvar Statue |url=https://theindiantrip.com/things-to-do/thiruvalluvar-statue-nagercoil-activity |access-date=14 March 2025 |website=TheIndianTrip |language=English}} The monument was hit by the Indian Ocean tsunami on 26 December 2004,{{cite web |url=http://www.kanyakumari.tn.nic.in/tourist.html |title=Details About the Statue of Thiruvalluvar|publisher=National Informatics Centre |access-date=18 February 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180618134330/http://www.kanyakumari.tn.nic.in/tourist.html|archive-date=18 June 2018|url-status=dead}} but stood unaffected. The statue is designed to survive earthquakes of high magnitude.{{Citation needed|date=May 2022}} During maintenance work, as well as during rough sea, entry is restricted for tourists.[http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/madurai/entry-to-thiruvalluvar-statue-suspended-for-6-months-for-maintenance-work/articleshow/58230822.cms "Entry to Thiruvalluvar statue suspended for 6 months for maintenance work"], The Times of India, 17 April 2017.[http://districts.ecourts.gov.in/kanyakumari/our-district "Our District"], District Court, Kanyakumari.

File:Entrance view Vivekananda rock temple.JPG]]

The Vivekananda Rock Memorial is a popular tourist monument in Vavathurai, Kanyakumari, India. The memorial stands on one of two rocks in the Laccadive Sea, located about {{convert|500|m|ft}} east of the mainland of Vavathurai. It was built in 1970 in honour of Swami Vivekananda who is said to have attained enlightenment on the rock.{{Cite news |last=Sengar |first=Resham |date=12 January 2018 |title=Swami Vivekananda Jayanti: take pride in these memorials built in his honour |url=https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/travel/destinations/swami-vivekananda-jayanti-take-pride-in-these-memorials-built-in-his-honour/articleshow/62475226.cms |work=The Times of India |issn=0971-8257 |access-date=29 April 2024}} According to local legends, it was on this rock that Goddess Kumari performed austerity. A meditation hall (Dhyana Mandapam) is also attached to the memorial for visitors to meditate. The design of the mandapa incorporates different styles of temple architecture from all over India. It houses a statue of Vivekananda.{{cite book|last=Gopal|first=Madan|year=1990 |editor=K.S. Gautam|title=India through the ages |url=https://archive.org/details/indiathroughages00mada |page=[https://archive.org/details/indiathroughages00mada/page/179 179] |publisher=Publication Division, Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, Government of India}} The memorial consists of two main structures: the Vivekananda Mandapam and the Shripada Mandapam.File:A view of Kumariamman temple and Indian ocean.JPG

Bhagavathy Amman Temple is a 3,000-year-old temple dedicated to Goddess Kumari Amman located at Kanyakumari on the shore of the Laccadive Sea. Kumari Amman is one of the forms of Devi, popularly known as "Kumari Bhagavathy Amman". The temple is the first Durga temple created by Lord Parasurama and one of the 108 Shakthi Peethas. It is mentioned in the Ramayana, Mahabharata, and Purananuru.{{cite web|title=History of Kumari Amman Temple |date=10 January 2016|url=http://www.onlinekanyakumari.com/history-of-kumari-amman-temple-kanyakumari-bhagavathy-temple-devi-kumari-temple/}}{{Cite web |title=Kumari Amman Temple, Kanyakumari - Hello Prabhu |url=https://www.helloprabhu.com/kumari-amman-temple-kanyakumari/ |access-date=30 June 2022 |website=www.helloprabhu.com}}

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File:Gandhi Memorial Kanyakumari.jpg

The Gandhi Memorial Mandapam 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 such that on 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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File:Kanyakumari View Point.jpg

Kanyakumari Pier or Sunset View Point is considered one of the iconic locations in Kanyakumari. It is situated at a point where three oceans meet: the Bay of Bengal, the Laccadive Sea, which is connected to the Indian Ocean, and the Arabian Sea.{{Cite web |title=Sunset Point Kanyakumari (Entry Fee, Timings, Images & Location) - Kanyakumari Tourism 2023 |url=https://kanyakumaritourism.in/sunset-point-kanyakumari |website=kanyakumaritourism.in |access-date=5 June 2024}}

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Kamarajar Mani Mantapa Monument was raised and dedicated to K. Kamarajar, a freedom fighter, former Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu, and President of Indian National Congress. He is also popularly known as "Black Gandhi" among the masses. Like the Gandhi Memorial Mandapam, this monument is where Kamarajar's ashes were kept for the public to pay homage before immersion into the sea.{{Cite web |title=Kamarajar ManiMandapam at Kanniyakumari |work=Kanniyakumari District, Government of Tamil Nadu, India |url=https://kanniyakumari.nic.in/tourist-place/kamarajar/ |access-date=29 April 2024}}

File:Tsunami Memorial Kanyakumari.JPG

Near Kanyakumari's southern shore stands a monument to the memory of those who died in the 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake and tsunami, an underwater megathrust earthquake that claimed around 230,000 lives in many countries, including India, Sri Lanka, Somalia, Thailand, Maldives, and Indonesia.{{cite journal |last1=Goff |first1=James |last2=Dudley |first2=Walter |title=Boxing Day: The World's Worst Disaster of the 21st Century |journal=Tsunami |date=March 2021 |pages=189–202 |doi=10.1093/oso/9780197546123.003.0016}}

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• Peyode{{citation needed|date=February 2024}}

File:Kanyakumari as seen from Tiruvalluvar Statue.JPG

The state-owned Poompuhar Shipping Corporation runs ferry services between the town and the Vivekananda Rock Memorial and Thiruvalluvar Statue, both situated on rocky islets off the coast. The operation of the ferry service began in 1984. Two ferries were used until June 2013, after which a third ferry was added to the service on the occasion of 150th birth anniversary of Swami Vivekananda.{{cite news |url=http://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/tp-national/third-ferry-service-launched-in-kanyakumari/article4835966.ece|work=The Hindu|title=Third ferry service launched in Kanyakumari|date=21 June 2013|access-date=27 September 2013}}

The Kanyakumari railway station and nearby Nagercoil railway station offer direct connection by rail to almost all metropolitan cities in India.{{cite news|url=http://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/tp-national/tp-tamilnadu/kanyakumari-railway-station-needs-better-infrastructure/article4426766.ece|work=The Hindu|title=Kanyakumari railway station needs better infrastructure|date=18 February 2013|access-date=27 September 2013}}

The nearest airport is Thiruvananthapuram International Airport, {{convert|90|km|mi|0|abbr=on}} from Kanyakumari town and {{convert|70|km|mi|0|abbr=on}} from Nagercoil.{{cite web|url=http://www.kanyakumari.org.in|title=Kanyakumari|access-date=22 February 2012}} Kanyakumari is {{convert|744|km|mi|0|abbr=on}} from Chennai.{{cite web|url=http://www.kanyakumari.tn.nic.in/near.htm|title=Kanyakumari District|access-date=22 February 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120204103911/http://www.kanyakumari.tn.nic.in/near.htm|archive-date=4 February 2012|url-status=dead}}

Kanyakumari has heliports for VVIP visitors at the Tri Sea Hotel on Beach Road.

{{reflist}}

{{commons category}}

• [https://kanniyakumari.nic.in/ Kanyakumari District Government Portal]
• {{Wikivoyage inline}}

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Category:Cities and towns in Kanyakumari district

Category:Coromandel Coast

Category:Tourism in Tamil Nadu