Kanyäkumäré Temple, Kanyäkumäré
Kanyakumari
is picturesquely situated at the tip of India, at the confluence of the three
seas, Bay of Bengal on the left, the Arabian Sea on the right, and the Indian
Ocean in front. Its fame as a pilgrim centre dates back to Puranic era.
A
small gopuram on the northern
entrance of the Temple leads one to the sanctum.
The beautiful image of the Devé in resplendent glory, with a rosary on her
right hand denoting tapas bestows the
devotees with immense spiritual energy and peace of mind. The day I visited she
was not wearing her famous diamond nose ring, but her gold nose ring was
shining brilliantly nevertheless.
Lord
Ganeça, Sürya, Bäläsundari, the utsava
- processional image of the Goddess and Lord Ayappä have separate shrines on
the prakärams. A well inside the
second prakäram, known as Müla Gaìgä
Tértham provides water for Devi’s abhiñekam.
Sunrise
and sunset seen from the shores are brilliant spectacles. From our hotel
windows while I was videoing the rising sun, I could see the whole locality
watching the sunrise.
Though
sunrise can be viewed round the year, sunset is clearly visible only from
around October 15 to March 15. On the evening on Chitra Purnima (April-May), one can witness the rare spectacle of
sunset and moonrise simultaneously.
The
dakshinavarta conch which is revered
in our culture, and used in all temples for abhishekam
are available at throwaway price on the shops on the beach. The conchs
reportedly regularly available on the Kanyakumari sea beach, and are picked up
for sale. I bought three good ones to gift away.
Vivekananda Rock Memorial
Kanyakumari
is also famous for the Vivekananda Memorial and Tiruvallur. On two rocky islets just off the shore, southeast of the Kumari
Amman temple, are the Vivekananda Rock
Memorial built in 1970. One of the rocks, called Sri Pädaparai, is said
to bear the footprints of Kanyakumari. 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.
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Tiruvalluvar
A 133-feet (41 m)
tall statue of Tamil Poet-Saint
Tiruvalluvar is on another rocjy islet. It is one of the biggest statues
in Asia, completed in 2,000 by sculptor
V. Ganapati Sthapati.
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Somehow,
I felt the place has become more famous for these two places than the
original Kanyakumari Temple. It is like Mount Abu now being more popularly
known as the centre for Brahmakumaris, than the i) two exquisite Dilwara Jain
Temples that it houses, and ii) the Çaìkara Maöh.
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Work in progress
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