History of Kanyakumari District

Kanyakumari District takes its name from the town of Kanyakumari, at the southern tip of India. Kanyakumari District is also sometimes called Kumari District. The town of Kanyakumari is geographically a cape. During the British Raj, Kanyakumari was bestowed the title of Cape Comorin, necessitated perhaps by the Englishman\'s inability to pronounce local names.

This place has been a great center for art, culture, civilization, and pilgrimage for years. It was also a famous center for commerce and trade. During the early part of the eighth century AD Islam entered the southern part of India through the sea route with traders and missionaries. Through St. Thomas, one of the twelve Apostles of Christ, Christianity arrived in this area in AD 52. Islam, Christianity and Jainism have greatly contributed to the architectural wealth and literary heritage of this place. Kanyakumari was also under the control of the Cholas, the Cheras, the Pandyas and the Nayaks who were great rulers of south India.

For about four centuries, Venad was ruled by powerful kings who were consistently making incursions into the Pandyan territories. As a result the Vijayanagar kings proceeded against Venad. In 1609 Kanyakumari fell into the hands of Viswanatha Nayak of Madurai, while the remaining parts of Nanjilnadu was under Venad. Later Venad was expanded towards the Northern Kerala, and came to be known as Thiruvithamkoor or Travancore. Padmanabhapuram near Nagercoil was the capital of Travancore.

In spite of the troubles encountered in the southern border of Venad, Marthanda Varma expanded the kingdom northwards to Aluva and expanded the kingdom of Travancore. As a result, the present day Kanyakumari District came to be known as Southern Travancore. In 1745, the capital was shifted from Padmanabhapuram to Thiruvananthapuram.

The rule of the Travancore royals finally ceased in 1947 when Travancore had to join the independent Indian Union. In 1949, Kanyakumari district became part of the newly constituted Travancore-Cochin state. The majority of the people of South Travancore Taluks (Kanyakumari District) were Tamil-speaking and a popular agitation for merging the Tamil majority areas of South Travancore to Madras State (now Tamil Nadu) was started during this period. The State Reorganisation Commission of India also recommended this. Accordingly, the Indian States Reorganisation Act of 1956 was passed and Kanyakumari District was formed on 1 November 1956 with the four Taluks, Viz., Agasteeswarem, Thovalai, Kalkulam and Vilavancode from Travancore, merged with Tamil Nadu.

On 26 December 2004, the Indian Ocean Tsunami that struck several countries of South Asia, South-East and Africa caused havoc in the coastal areas of the district, with the western coast of the district severely affected. Casualties were close to 900 and several hundreds were missing or injured. Social organizations from several countries and the Government have since been working on rehabilitating the affected people and property. 

Thousand Pillar Hall

The Aayiram Kaal Mandapam or thousand pillar hall is of very high sculptural importance and contains 985 (instead of 1000) magnificiently carved pillars and maintained by the ArchaeologicalSurvey of India. The thousand pillar hall is supposed to have been built by Arya Natha Mudaliyar, the Prime Minister of the first Nayaka of Madurai (1559-1600 A.D.), the founder of 'Poligar System'. An equestrian statue of the Mudaliyar flanks one side of the steps leading to the 'mandapam'. Each pillar is sculptured and is a monument of the Dravidan sculpture. There is a Temple Art Museum in this 1000 pillars hall where you can see icons, photographs, drawings, etc., exhibiting the 1200 years old history. Just outside this mandapam, towards the west, are the Musical Pillars. Each pillar, when struck, produces a different musical note. The kalyana mandapa, to the south of the pillared hall, is where the marriage of Shiva and Parvati is celebrated every year during the Chithirai Festival in mid-April.

Vivekananda Rock

The Vivekananda Memorial at Kanyakumari is also one of the important tourist spots and attracts many Hindus. According to local Christians, the place which is now called Vivekananda rock was once actually a small rock with a cross on it to inspire local Christian fishermen, the Paravas, while they were at sea. But according to the Hindus who built the Vivekananda Memorial, it is the place where Swami Vivekananda meditated for some time before attending the World Parliament of Religions at Chicago in 1893. Ironically there is no evidence of Swami Vivekananda visiting Kanyakumari. The religious significance has been a point of contention."

Stating that 'there is no evidence that Vivekananda visited Kanyakumari' and also that, 'there once rested a Cross on the rock'. This claim according to 'local fisher men' , was raised-up as an almost-true statement and the Vivekananda visit is shooted-down completely. This claim was even not cited. It seems to me that some immediate attention needed here

Meenakshi Amman Temple

According to Hindu legend, Lord Shiva came down to earth in the form of Sundareswarar to marry Meenakshi, an incarnation of Parvati, Shiva's divine consort. Parvati had earlier descended to earth in the form of a small child in response to the great penance of Malayadwaja Pandya, the ruler of Madurai.After growing up to adulthood, she began ruling the city. The Lord appeared on earth and proposed to her. The marriage was supposed to be the biggest event on earth, with the whole earth gathering near Madurai. Lord Vishnu, the divine brother of Meenakshi, was traveling to preside over the marriage from his holy abode at Vaikundam. Due to a divine play, he was tricked by god Indra and delayed on the way. Meanwhile, the marriage was presided over by a local god Koodal Azhahar. This angered Lord Vishnu, and he swore never to enter the city, settling on the outskirts at a beautiful hill called Alagar coil. He was later appeased by other gods, and he proceeded to bless the divine couple - Shiva and Parvati.

Both the marriage and the Vishnu's pacification are still celebrated as the biggest festival in Madurai, called Chithirai Thiruvizha also called as Azhakar Thiruvizha (the festival for the Beautiful Lord).A detailed article on the divine marriage can be found here.

The divine couple are believed to have ruled the region for a long time. It is not clear what happened to the place after they left. Another legend says that Shiva's idol, in the form of the lingam, was discovered by the God of heaven, Indra, who built the original temple. This tradition is still followed in the temple - the deity is accompanied by a model of Indra's vehicle, during festive processions.

About Kanyakumari District

Kanyakumari District :

Kanyakumari District is a district of TamilNadu state, India and also the southernmost land area and district of mainland India. Kanyakumari District is one of the 30disticts of tamilnadu state, and also the smallest. The district takes its name from the tourist town of Kanyakumari, which is at the tip of the Indian Peninsula and faces the Indian Ocean. The headquarters (capital) of the District is nagercoil, which is 22 km from Kanyakumari town. The district is a land of tourist attractions with many historic and religious sites that are centuries-old and also endowed with great natural beauty, both on the coasts and the mountainous interior, with a rich variety of flora and fauna.

Location:

Kanyakumari is a town located in the district of Kanyakumari in the state of Tamil Nadu, India. Situated in the southernmost part of the country the town is also famous by the name of Cape Comorin. The point of confluence of the Arabian Sea and the Bay of Bengal into the Indian ocean, the region is a proud owner of the vast stretches of beaches and the crystal clear blue water of the sea. The hills of the Western Ghats grace the interior part of the town. Immensely popular with the tourists from all over the world, the place is well known for the temples and 'ashrams' located at the region.

Nearest Airport / Railway Station:

The Trivandrum international Airport is the nearest airport to Kanyakumari, located at the distance of 80 kilometers from the town. Several domestic and international flights connect this airport to the rest of the country and various parts of the world. The nearest railway station to Kanyakumari is the Kanyakumari railway station that is located at the distance of 1 kilometer from the beach of Kanyakumari. The station is connected to major cities of the country by numerous trains.

Highlights:

Kanyakumari Temple also known as Kumari Amman temple, Vivekananda Memorial, Gandhi Memorial, Thiruvalluvar Statue, Government Museum, The Sangam, The Lighthouse Best Time to Visit: The best time to visit Kanyakumari is during the winter season in the months of October to March when the weather remains soothing and pleasant. 

 History of Kanyakumari:

The town of Kanyakumari has attained its name from the Kanyakumari temple or the Kumari Amman situated in the town. The temple worships Kanya Devi, the incarnation of Goddess Parvati. It is believed that Goddess Parvati was supposed to get married to Lord Shiva at this place but as he failed to turn up on the wedding day, the Goddess vowed lifelong virginity. According to another legend, Kanyakumari is the piece of land that Lord Hanuman dropped while carrying the hill having the medicinal herb known popularly by the name of Mrita Sanjivani to Lanka. Kanyakumari emerged to be an important center for trade and commerce during the 8th century. It has a civilization and culture dating back to hundreds of years.