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| Kanyakumari |
Kanyakumari and near by places will blow your mind. This is one of the rarest places in the world where you could visit a palace, an amusement park, dams, waterfalls, temples, mountains, beaches, forts, windmills, historical monuments, famous bridges, museums, memorials, wildlife and the greenness in and around this city. All these places are enhanced further by the magnificent Western Ghats. Most people are not aware of what Kanyakumari could offer. Most outside People come here to visit Kumari Amman Temple, Vivekananda Rock, Thiruvalluvar Statue and Padmanabhapuram Palace. Few local people know about other significant places and visit these places as they wish as they are local to the city. I would advice people coming to Kanyakumari to plan ahead and make sure you have enough time to cover at least half of the places I have mentioned here. Here you could see unmatched beauty else where in the world. I would call this place "A little Kerala in Tamilnadu". Kanyakumari and surrounding places can mesmerize you by their beauty even better than Kerala.
Places to Visit in Kanyakumari:
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| Kumari Amman Temple |
Kumari Amman Temple - This temple is one of the Shakti Peethas dedicated to Lord Parvati. This temple goddess is named as Bagavathi amman or Kumari amman. The diamond nose-ring of the goddess is famous and this ring said to be visible from sea.
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| Vivekananda Rock |
Vivekananda Memorial or Vivekananda Rock - Swami Vivekananda meditated in one of the rocks southeast of the Kumari amman temple. In his memory, Vivekananda memorial was built and the rock named after him. The ferry services are available to reach the rock from north of the Kumari amman temple.
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| Thiruvalluvar Statue |
Thiruvalluvar Statue- This statue is dedicated to Tamil poet Thiruvalluvar. This 133 feet statue was recently built. The ferry services are available from the same place where you catch a ferry to Vivekananda rock.
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| Kanyakumari - Sunrise |
Sunset and Sunrise at Kanyakumari - The sunset and sunrise point are very famous tourist places. As three seas are merged together at Kanyakumari, Sunrise and Sunset are breathtakingly beautiful. These points are close to the Kumari amman temple.
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| Kamaraj Memorial |
Kamaraj Memorial or Kamarajar Mani Mantapa Monument – Mr. Kamarajar’s ashes were kept at this location for Public to pay homage before immersing in to the sea. This place is located next to Gandhi memorial.
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| Gandhi Memorial |
Gandhi Memorial – Mahatma Gandhi’s ashes were kept at this location for Public to pay homage before immersing in to the sea. This memorial is located just few yards southwest of Kumari Amman temple.
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| Baywatch |
Baywatch Amusement park – This sea view amusement park is located close to the major tourist points in Kanyakumari. This park is located 2.5 kilometers west from Kumari Amman temple on Sannathi Street.
Wax Museum – This museum is located inside Baywatch amusement park. This museum is only one of its kinds in India.
Nearby Attractions:
I understand that there are so many places around Kanyakumari and visiting these places with no proper planning would be a cumbersome. I tried to put itineraries which would reduce the trips needed to visit these places.
Kanyakumari – Nagercoil – Thuckalay – Pechiparai trip:
Start from Kanyakumari to reach Thuckalay via Nagercoil. In and around Thuckalay, you could cover the palace, Udayagiri fort and the church. From Thuckalay, you can catch Pechiparai road through Marthandam or Thiruvattar or Kulasekaram. But try to use the first two routes which would give you a chance to visit the places in Thiruvattar. After crossing Thiruvattar and Kulasekaram, you need to deviate from Pechiparai road to reach Thiruparappu. After Thiruparappu, you can join the Pechiparai road again to reach Pechiparai.
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| Thuckalay Palace |
Padmanabhapuram Palace, Thuckalay – This seventeenth century CE palace is palace of the Travancore kings. This palace is entirely made of woods. It is located 35 kilometers from Kanyakumari and the route is Kanyakumari – Nagercoil – Trivandrum road.
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| Udayagiri Fort |
Udayagiri Fort – This seventeenth century fort cum Bio Diversity Park is located thirty one kilometers from Kanyakumari, nearer to Thuckalay.
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| Thiruvithamcode Arappally |
Thiruvithamcode Arappally or Amalagiri or Thomaiyar Kovil – It is believed that this church was built by St.Thomas in 57 CE and named by Chera king Udayancheral. But there are no proper evidences to back this claim. Sangam literatures or any other documents never mentioned about Christianity in ancient Tamilnadu. This church is located forty kilometers from Kanyakumari on Trivandrum road, nearer to Thukalay.
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| Sri Adikesavaperumal Temple |
Sri Adikesavaperumal Temple, Thiruvattar – This temple is one of the 108 divya desams and located 50 kilometers from Kanyakumari, towards Trivandrum.
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| Mathur Hanging Trough |
Mathur Hanging Trough, Mathur, Thiruvattar – It is an aqueduct that carries irrigation water through a canal between two hills. It is located at Mathur nearer to Thiruvattar.
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| Chitharal Jain temple |
Chitharal Jain Monuments, Thiruvattar – This place is historically known as Thirucharanathupalli and located fifty five kilometers from Kanyakumari, nearer to Marthandam. The rock shelters and idols of Jain are dated back to ninth century CE.
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| Thiruparappu Waterfalls |
Thiruparappu – This town is famous for its waterfalls and temple. Many movies have been cinematographed by the waterfalls. The ancient Shiva temple here is one of the twelve temples of Shivalaya Ottam pilgrimage. This is located fifty eight kilometers from Kanyakumari.
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| Thirunanthikarai Rock-cut temple |
Thirunanthikarai temple – This seventh century CE rock-cut cave temple of Pallava is located sixty kilometers from Kanyakumari, nearer to Pechiparai.
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| Pechiparai Dam |
Pechiparai Dam / Chittar Dam – Both the dams are nearer to Pechiparai town. This place is located sixty five kilometers from Kanyakumari and it can be reached from Kanyakumari – Nagercoil- Thackalay – Tiruvattar – Kulashekaram – Kalilal – Pechiparai.
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| Kodhayar Forest |
Kodhayar – This forest is sixty kilometers from Kanyakumari nearer to Pechiparai and it is very famous for wild bisons. The drive to Kodhayar is very scenic. Special permission needs to be obtained from Forest department to visit this forest.
Kanyakumari – Nagercoil – Keeriparai trip:
On the way to Keeriparai from Kanyakumari through Nagercoil, you could visit the following places in the order given. First stop would be at Thittu Vilai to visit the Mukkadal dam. The next stop would be Azhagiyapandiapuram to hike Olakaruvi waterfalls. The final stop of the trip would be at Keeripari itself where you could visit Vattaparai falls, the sanctuary and Perunchunai dam.
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| Mukkadal Dam |
Mukkadal – This sixteenth century CE dam built across Vambaru River is the main fresh water supply for Nagercoil. This is a famous picnic spot among locals. It is located thirty kilometers from Kanyakumari.
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| Ullakarvi Waterfalls |
Olakaruvi(Ullakarvi) waterfalls – This waterfalls is nearer to Azhagiyapandiapuram village located thirty five kilometers from Kanyakumari. One hour trekking should be done from the village to reach the falls. There are two falls, lower falls and higher falls. It is advised that only people with good heath can attempt this adventurous travel. Also make sure to travel along with group as the path to the falls goes through dense forest.
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| Vattaparai Falls |
Vattaparai Falls, Keeriparai – Keerapari is located forty five kilometers from Kanyakumari and it is surrounded with waterfalls. This is a place for natural-lovers. There are two hidden treasures in this reserve forest, Vattaparai falls and Kalikesam falls. These two falls are less popular among tourists, which offer serence and peaceful places.
Kanyakumari wildlife sanctuary - This sanctuary has many flora and fauna and is a reserved forest. It is located fifty kilometers from Kanyakumari. You can get more travel information by contacting the forest officer at 175, College Road, Municipality campus, Nagercoil. Phone – 045652 – 233305
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| Perunchani Dam |
Perunchani Dam: This dam is located nearer to Keeriparai.
The coastal trip:
This route is not a straight route and you got to make few extra turns to reach the places of interest. But I strongly believe that you would not regret it as your mind will be amazed by the places on this route. The route would be Agastiswaram, Chothavilai beach, Sanguthurai beach, Muttom, Mandaikadu, Colachel and Thengapattanam. All these places are on the coastal area, located west of Kanyakumari. To visit Maruthuvamalai and Swamithoppe, you have to deviate from the route at Agastswaram and travel three kilometers to reach Swamithoppe.
Agastiswaramudiyar Temple, Agastiswaram – This town is named after the great sage Agstya and the temple was visited by the sage. This temple is located six kilometers east of Kanyakumari.
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| Marunthuvazh Malai |
Maruthuvamalai(Marunthuvazh Malai) – This hill is southernmost tip of the Western Ghats. It is believed that this hill is a fragment of Sanjeevi Mountain. A piece of Sanjeevi Mountain fell down here when Hanuman carried the mountain from Mahendragiri to Lanka. It is located close to Agateeswaram.
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| Swamithoppe |
Swamithoppe – This place is the head of all Worship centers of Ayyavazhi, and the place where Ayya Vaikundar is said to have performed the Tavam. It is located 10 kliometers from Kanyakumari. Swamithope pathi, Ambalappathi, Muttappathi, Tamaraikulampathi, Pooppathi are the five main worship places of Ayyavazhi, called Panchappathis. All these places are located with in a fifteen kilometers radius of Kanyakumari
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| Chothavilai Beach |
Chothavilai Beach – It is located twelve kilometers from Kanyakumari. Nearer to this beach, there is a lagoon at Manakudy.
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| Sanguthurai Beach |
Sanguthurai Beach – This beach is located fifteen kilometers from Kanyakumari and famous for its palm-fringed sand beach.
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| Muttom |
Muttom – It is a small fishing village, located thirty five kilometers from Kanyakumari. This village has become tourists’ hot spot when well known Tamil film director Bharatiraja filmed couple of famous movies here. This village has a beautiful church on the back drop of Indian Ocean.
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| Mandaikadu Bhagavathi Amman Temple |
Mandaikadu Bhagavathi Amman temple – Marthanda varma built this temple. It is believed that Sri Sankaracharya perfomed pooja. This temple is famously called as a Sabarimala for women. This temple is located thirty three kilometers from Kanyakumari.
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| Colachel Beach |
Colachel(Kolachel) - This historically famous town where Dutch were defeated by Marthanda Varma in seventeenth century war. There is also a recent finding that this port was functional even during sangam period. The beach here is very popular among locals. This town is located forty kilometers from Kanyakumari.
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| Thengapattanam Beach and Estuary |
Thengapattanam Estuary – This estuary where river meets sea is a nice beach with coconut groves. This place is located fifty five kilometers from Kanyakumari. The catamaran ride on the river is famous here.
The random trip:
If you are coming from Tirunelveli, prefer to take Tirunelveli – Nagercoil – Kanyakumari route. In this route you will cover the wind farm, Nagercoil and the Suchindram temple. From Kanyakumari, you could travel to Vattakottai separately if this place should not be missed in your itinerary.
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| Aralvoimozhy Wind Mills |
Aralvoimozhy – The wind farm in this town is the largest in Asia. This town is famous for a catholic church where Devasahayam pillai was martyred. It is located thirty three kilometers from Kanyakumari on Nagercoil to Tirunelveli road.
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| Nagercoil Nagaraja Temple |
Nagercoil – The capital of Kanyakumari district has its own places to add to the lengthy list of tourist places in the district. The Nagaraja temple, Kriishnancoil, St.Francis Xavier’s church are the few important places in this town.
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| Suchindram Temple |
Suchindram Thanumalayan Temple – This temple is architectural marvel, known for its stone works. The Main tower of the temple was built around seventeenth century CE. But records show that this temple dates back to nineth century CE. This temple is famous for musical pillars, thousand pillars hall, 22 feet Hanuman statue, 13 feet Nandi statue. This main deity Shiva linga represents Lord Shiva, Lord Vishnu and Lord Brahma.
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| Vattakottai |
Vattakottai Fort and Vattakottai Beach – This eighteenth century CE fort stands tall by having sea on one side and western ghats on another side. The view from this fort is picturesque. The beach nearer to the fort is famous for its black sands. This place is located seven kilometers from Kanyakumari.
