Kanyakumari

Kanyakumari or Kanniyakumari is a town on the southernmost tip of the mainland of India, in the state of Tamil Nadu. It is also known as Cape Comorin.

Understand


India is one of those privileged lands which have high mountains as well as oceans and sea shores. It also has its shores shared between three great seas - the Bay of Bengal, the Arabian Sea and the Indian Ocean. The confluence of these three seas can be witnessed in Kanyakumari. This unique phenomenon has made this little town in the southernmost tip of India a significant destination for religious or pleasure trips.

The fame of Kanyakumari attracts prominent people such as Swami Vivekananda and Mahatma Gandhi. It's not by coincidence that there are memorials named after these two figures. Moreover, Kanyakumari is one of the few places in the world where one can witness both the sunset and sunrise at the same beach due to its geography.

The oldest and the most ancient landmark in this town is the temple of Goddess Kumari who prayed to Lord Shiva to be accepted as wife by him. The name of this place was given after the name of the Goddess. During the British Raj, it was also known as "Cape Comorin", probably a British spoilt version of 'Kumari', meaning virgin. The town is so small that an enthusiastic tourist can walk across the town. For less walking enthusiasts, buses are available and the fares are very low. The auto rickshaws fares are also very reasonable. In short, travelling in and around Kanyakumari is not expensive.

By plane

 * Thiruvananthapuram of neighbouring state Kerala, is the nearest international airport, with direct flights from the Middle East, Singapore, Maldives and Sri Lanka. And is served by Air-India, among others.  From there it takes about three hours by train or bus or taxi. The taxi charges are pretty cheap, about ₹9-10 per km, and should be around ₹1000, for a trip to Kanyakumari from the Thiruvananthapuram International Airport.
 * Alternatively, if you cannot reach Thiruvananthapuram directly from your place, you can reach Chennai (Madras) the state capital and then take either train or bus to reach Kanyakumari. Note that travelling to Kanyakumari is a bit tiresome via road, especially for Westerners, as the travel time is about 14-15 hours and the climate is pretty hot (30-35°C during summer and 25-30° during winter) throughout the year. Insist on a II tier air-conditioned coach as this is pretty cheap, about ₹1200. A local flight travel to Thiruvananthapuram is also a viable option, but the ticket prices are slightly higher, ranging from ₹1500 and can go up to anywhere around ₹5000. In India, the faster you book/plan your travel, the more you save on tickets.
 * Alternatively reach Kochi, Kozhikode, Bangalore, Mumbai, Delhi, Kolkata and then by train.

By train
Very well connected and served by rail to all major cities in India like Chennai, Thiruvananthapuram, Kochi, Bangalore, Mumbai, Delhi, Kolkata and Coimbatore. And from here starts the second longest train route of India, Kanyakumari to Dibrugarh and Katra



By bus
Buses are frequently available from Nagercoil, the closest major transport hub. Long-distance buses are available from Chennai, Coimbatore, Madurai, Bangalore etc.

Get around
Most people travel around Kanyakumari using a hired vehicle. Auto-rickshaws (tuk tuks) are available, along with buses. Buses are about ₹15 from the station to the point, and ₹7.5 from the bus station to the point.

If your train comes into Nagercoil, there are busses to Kanyakumari from right outside Nagercoil junction station starting at 5:20AM (ish) and meant to be on the half hour every hour. Although you just have to keep asking.

See
The main attraction of Kanyakumari is the Vivekananda Rock and the Thiruvalluvar Statue. If you can escape from the crowds, you can visit Vivekanandapuram (the only peaceful area in Kanyakumari) maintained by the Ramakrishna Mission. It has its own lodging and boarding arrangements. If you'd like to see the sunset or sunrise, it is recommended that you see it from the beach at Vivekanandapuram. It is not recommended that you visit Kanyakumari in December–January; the crowds are at its peak during these months.

The temple of Goddess Kumari is rather small by South Indian standards, but comes with the usual ingredients of Pujaris (Hindu Priests), Poojas, Kumkums, and Prasad (sweet offerings made to the Gods). All men are supposed to enter the temple with bare torsos as it deemed to be a mark of respect to the Devi. You should be careful about the touts in the temple.

Do
Vivekananda Rock memorial has a special meditation room which is absolutely quiet. One could meditate there. People also wet their feet on the shores of the ocean before entering the temple as the waters considered sacred. Bathing is banned in many parts of the beach (though you may find some people bathing) due to a number of tourists dying each year from the powerful ocean waves. For bathing in the sea, consider Vattakotta (meaning: Round fort) beach, situated about 6 km from Kanyakumari. Naked bathing or bathing with bikinis are a taboo not only in Kanyakumari but also in nearly all beaches in India. Beaches in Goa and Pondicherry, are a bit different, as a majority of people visiting there are foreigners.

Buy
Tourists can buy a lot of interesting items -- straw hats, conches, sea shells, and cheap electronics. There are some small shops where one can get a customized conch with names or quotes inscribed. These items can serve as a memorable item for your trip. Electronics available at Kanyakumari are dead cheap but, since all of them are imported from China, their quality of them is always sub-par. It's always good to avoid the electronics shops and the associated hagglers. Hair bands and clips made of coconut shells are worth the money and you may have to ask the shopkeeper if one is not available at the display. Starfish shells (for decorating your indoors), sea shells of various sizes, kaleidoscopes, and colourful sand packets (not artificially coloured), collected from different parts of the beach, and used especially for decorating your indoor showcases, are also available. The cost of the majority of these commodities starts from ₹20 and upwards. There are some antique shops too unlike handicrafts these original antiques give you pleasant surprises. Antiques like kavadi, paintings and South Indian lamps are worth the money.

Eat
The food in Kanyakumari is more of the classic South Indian style. It is mostly vegetarian, and maybe even some Tamil favourites including idlis, sambar, dosa, and related are available. Typical South Indian vegetarian food is available. In some cases, they may serve you the food on the traditional banana leaf. South Indian food is more of an acquired taste for some people from the Western part of the world. It is different but still good. Do not expect much as far as Western-style breakfast foods or western style foods.

Meals available at Kanyakumari are of the classic South-Indian type with rotis (roasted unleavened flatbread, similar to Mexican-style wheat tortillas).

North-Indian style meals are available in some Rajasthani/Punjabi-style restaurants. A one-time meal of a "thali" will cost around ₹70. There are other eating options where a la carte meal may cost more.

Non-alcoholic
Avoid bringing alcohol to the beach as this place is a pilgrim centre and it's considered taboo to booze. (That said, there are loads of discarded high-alcohol content liquor bottles all around various parts of the beach slightly away from the developed/tourist zone, so it's obviously not that unheard of!)

Coconuts
Kanyakumari has a lot of tender coconut shops selling tender coconuts for ₹30. The orange variety of tender coconut, which is plentiful in this area and is priced the same, is worth trying as it's much tastier than the green-coloured one.

Juice
Though there are a lot of fresh juice stalls, it is perhaps best to avoid them as the stalls are seldom clean and the ice they add to the juice may be contaminated. It may have many water-borne diseases of the digestive tract. If you get sick, you can treat it with antibiotics or Flagyl.

Bottled drinks
Bottled drinks are readily available, and usually safe to drink. Note that bottled drinks are always priced higher (about ₹2 to ₹5 higher) than the MRP in these areas. Of bottled drinks, ThumsUp (Cola flavoured) and Limca (Lime flavoured), both branded by the Coca-Cola Company, are worth tasting as they are tailored specially for the Indian market.

Alcoholic
At least one of the hotels in the middle of town have a subterranean bar. Just walk down the hill a little before the boat ramp, scroll around and you'll find one. Air-conditioned, various beers for ₹120, and an extensive (and refreshingly non-South Indian specific) menu were on offer at the one roughly diagonally opposite Hotel Sea View, back north down the street away from the water and Hotel Sea Face.

Sleep
There are numerous hotels, residencies, etc., in and around Kanyakumari and therefore, staying over is not a problem. But there are agents, touts and brokers in every nook and corner looking for unsuspecting tourists. Eschew buying or booking rooms from them, as many a time you end up paying a lot more than the actual price. Vivekananda Kendra can be a good option for people looking for decent, yet cheap accommodation, but it's around 3 km from Kanyakumari. Prefer hotels near the beach especially if you want to watch the sunrise right out of your bed! Note that, you should quote this preference when booking the room or else, you'll always be given a room without a window opening out to the sea. Moreover, many times, these rooms are in great demand and you'll find yourself shelling out an extra ₹400-500 for such a room. Hotel Sea View, Hotel Sangam and a couple of other hotels offer such rooms and the rent is about ₹1100 for 12 hr. Many rooms are priced for 12 hr and not per day, especially during the peak season.



Go next

 * Suchindram - A noted pilgrim centre in the south, hosting the famous Sivathanumalaya temple.
 * Swamithoppe - The religious headquarters of Ayyavazhi and the most important pilgrim centre of Ayyavazhis.
 * Thiruvananthapuram (Trivandrum) — The capital city of Kerala is 85 km from Kanyakumari.