STATES AND UNION TERRITORIES OF INDIA
TAMIL NADU
Places near Kanyakumari
Suchindram
- Thanumalayan Temple
Suchindram is
located 13 kms away from Kanyakumari. Lord Siva started from this
place to wed Kanyakumari Amman, but returned when he heard the cock crow.
Sage Atri lived
here with his wife Anasuya. Anasuya was considered a chaste woman.
Lords Siva, Vishnu & Brahma visited her once in the absence of her
husband to test her & prove her chastity to the world. They came
as sanyasis asking alms. They bade Anasuya to feed them, but without
any dress. Anasuya was not baffled. She just prayed to her husband
& made the Lords into three small babies & fed them. As a result,
Siva, Vishnu & Brahma are worshipped here.
The
Thanumalayan temple is dedicated to the Lords Siva, Vishnu & Brahma
(Thanu-Siva, Mal-Vishnu & Ayan-Brahma). The gopuram is 40m high
with wonderful carvings. There are 30 magnificiently carved shrines
with images so finely carved that even the veins on the limbs have been
carved beautifully.
It is believed
that a lingam sprouted naturally at the foot of a 2,300 year old Konnai
tree. Three sections of the lingam represent Siva, Vishnu & Brahma.
The tree exists even today near the shrine. It is said that once
Indra was blessed by Lord Siva here & hence the name Suchi - purified
, Indram. It is also known by other names such as Sivaindram &
Jaynarayana.
There are 7
musical pillars in the Alangara Mandapam cut of of single rock, which emit
the sound of various musical instruments when struck. There are 1035
pillars with carvings in the dancing hall. The stories from the Ramayana
& Mahabaratha are depicted on either side of the temple top.
There is a
huge 18ft high idol of Lord Hanuman.
Nagercoil
Nagercoil is situated
20kms from Kanyakumari. There is a temple here dedicated to the serpent
deity Nagaraja. The presidign diety is Nagaraja who is seated on
a silver throne with a five headed cobra over his head. The sand
around the Nagaraja idol which is said to have sprung naturally from the
earth changes colour from balck to white every six months & is given
as prasadam to devotees. Siva and Vishnu are also enshrined here.
The temple
entrancegateway is built in the form of the Buddist viharas. There
are fived headed nagas guarding the entrance to the inner temple.
There are pillars in this temple, with carvings of the Jain Tirthankaras.
In the courtyard are several serpent idols under a peepal tree to which
devotees offer worship There is a small enclosure behind the shrine
with snakes.
Guganathaswamy
Temple
This 1000 year
old temple is said to have been built by the king Raja Raja Cholan.
Vattakottai
Fort (Circular Fort)
This 18th century
fort built by the Dutch, overlooking the sea is located 6 kms from Kanyakumari.
The sea here is calm for bathing.
Udayagiri
Fort
This is located
34 kms from Kanyakumari and 54 kms from Thiruvananthapuram. It was
built during the rule of king Marthanda Varma (1729-1758). De Lennoy,
was one of the Dutch captured by Marthanda Varman. De Lennoy later
became one his most trusted generals and trained his army in European warfare
methods. There is a tomb here, the cemetry of De Lennoy.
Padmanabhapuram
Palace
This wonderful
piece of Kerala architecture is located 45 kms from Kanyakumari.
Padmanabhapuram was the capital of Travancore. The palace with its
gleaming black floor, wood work, murals, the king's bed made of numerous
medicinal woods are worth seeing.
Tiruchendur
One among the
six abodes of Lord Muruga, Tiruchendur is located 80 kms from Kanyakumari.
It is situated on the Kanyamumari - Tuticorin - Rameswaram bus route.
This temple is built close to the seashore. Lord Muruga vanquished
the asura Surapadman, with his army in Veeramahendrapuram.
Courtallam
(Kutralam)
This is tourist
spot , a health resort. It is situated at an elevation of about 167
metres 137 kms from Kanyakumari, 58 kms from Tirunelveli and 6 km from
Tenkasi. There are around 7 waterfalls of the Chitar river believed
to have medicinal properties, collected as the water runs thruough the
herbal forest.
There is a
temple here dedicated to Lord Siva. The presiding deity is Kurumpalaveesar,
Kutrala Nathar & Ambal - Kuzhalvaaimozhiammai. It is known also
as the Sangakovil for the prakaram is shaped like a conch. There
are several inscriptions here about the Chola and Pandya kings.
The Chitra
Sabhai is dedicated to Lord Nataraja. This is located a little distance
from the temple. This is one of the five Chitra Sabhas ( Chidambaram, Madurai,
Tiruvalankadu, Tirunelveli and Courtallam). There are several murals
in this hall depicting scenes from the Puranas, several deities.
Other interesting
places are:
Thirupparappu
waterfalls (60 kms)- the Mahadeva temple nearby,
Thiruvattar
(60kms) - Siva temple with Kerala architecture & wall paintings
Muttam (32kms)
- picnic spot with a lovely beach
Chidaral (55kms)
- picnic spot - fine Jain sculptures
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