Friday, March 29, 2013

Kanyakumari

Back from vacation.  Now I can take some rest.
 
These photos are from my last year’s vacation.  Never found time, so far, to share with y’all.
 
Kanyakumari is the southern most tip of India.  Named after virgin goddess Kanyakumari Amman.  Very beautiful is an understatement.
 
Sunrise at Kanyakumari.  Very enjoyable.  Sand in the beach is multicolored.

Statue of Thiruvalluvar.  95 feet high.

 Swami Vivekananda Rock Memorial.  This is built on a small island rock which is 660 feet (200 meters) from the shore.

On the Memorial

 
View from our hotel room.
 
Thanumalayan Temple at Suchindram.  We were told this is the only temple where all the 3 Gods (Shiva, Vishnu, and Brahma) are worshiped in a single place.  Also, the Hanuman in this temple is very famous.  Built in 17th Century.
 
Padmanabhapuram Palace.  Built in 1744 AD by a Kerala King Marthanda Varma.  It is 40 km (25 miles) from Kanyakumari and 60 km (38 miles) from Thiruvananthapuram.  Though located in Tamilnadu, this is maintained by the Kerala Government.
 
Main attraction is the clock tower. Erected in 1832 AD and still works. We were told the clock chiming is heard (in the night) for about 3 kms in the surroundings.
 
Close up of the clock tower.
 
Council Chamber (Mantrasala)
Ceiling – Wood Carving
 
Hanging Lamp
 
Royal Toilets (His and Her) (i think)
 
 
Mathur Aqueduct.  About 60 km from Kanyakumari.  One of the longest and highest aquedects in the world.
 
 
 
I have already written about Muttom Beach.

There are so many other interesting places to see in Kanyakumari District. But these are the ones we could squeeze in 3 days.

18 comments:

  1. Very nice photograph, esp. the first one!

    Sucheendram Hanumaar is very huge. We had visited this place many years ago! I remember reading the old Tamil letters on the walls.

    The palace looks so cool and bright! Nice pictures. Thank you, SG!

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  2. Nice pictures. Kanyakumari is on my wishlist. I will be visiting it pretty soon. Right now I am trying to complete the north side.

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  3. Thanks for your comments Sandhya. I am glad you liked these pictures.

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  4. Thanks for your comments Neha. When you visit Kanyakumari, please do visit the Muttom Beach.

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  5. I have visited the Vivekananda rock, but the Tiruvalluvar statue was not there at that time! I have also visited the palace. I still remember the courtroom. But I think it's time for another trip to the Southern most part of India. I still remember how windy it is on the rock... We were barely able to stand!!

    Destination Infinity

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  6. Thank you for taking us for a trip to one of the loveliest spots of India. I feel like writing something like verses on that,
    'Mother sea Arabian,
    Father ocean Indian and
    Sibling bay Bengal
    Pamper me in lap.
    Oh!Lucky I am
    And pretty I am.'

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  7. Lovely pictures SG!! I used to go often to KK as part of my work. The Muttom church is lovely. It was featured in a Tamil movie long ago. I have unfortunately never visited the Padmanabhapuram palace. I made two attempts and each of those times it was closed!
    I hope you had the chance to drive through the inner villages of the place. It is beautiful. though not as clean as Kerala it is still cleaner than the rest of TN

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  8. Thanks for your comments Rajesh. It was very windy. We were told sometimes they stop the ferry due to low water level.

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  9. Thanks for the nice poem Sarala. Yes, it is very pretty.

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  10. Thanks for your comments Meera. That movie is Kadalora Kavidhaigal. The palace is worth the visit. Yes, we did enjoy those villages on our way to the palace from Kanyakumari.

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  11. The verses Kanyakumari speaks about her,hope you understood it.

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  12. Beautiful post... A marathon post... but you covered almost... expect some more place thirpparappu, udayagiri fort (nearby padmanabhapuram palace), maruthwamala etc... i hope you visit again... i liked your post...

    thanks for sharing

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  13. Thanks for your comments Krishna. And, welcome to my blog. Will certainly visit the places you have mentioend next time.

    Krishna, please visit here as often as possible. Thank you.

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  14. Lovely pictures! Kanyakumari is on our must travel list!

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  15. Thanks for your comments Shilpa. It is a beautiful place.

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  16. i always wanted to go to kanyakumari but never got a chance .. anyways, seeing kanyakumari through your post now :-)

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  17. I love love love Kanyakumari. Visited it when I was a kid and hardly remember the details, except for the fact that it was a great trip. Want to visit it again someday.

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