Located in Kanyakumari, Kumari Amman Temple (Goddess devi Kaya Kumari) is one of the most sacred temples, considered as one of the 108 Shakti Peethas. The is temple situated at the confluence of the Arabian Sea, Bay of Bengal and the Indian Ocean, at the southern tip. Lying at the tip of peninsular India, the town is bordered on the west, south, and east by the Laccadive Sea. It has a coastline of 71.5 kilometres (44.4 mi) stretched along these three sides.
Dēvi Kanyā Kumāri) is a manifestation of the Hindu goddess Mahadevi in the form of an adolescent girl. She is described by various traditions of Hindu Dharma to either be a form of Parvati or Lakshmi. She is also worshipped as an incarnation of the goddess Bhadrakali by Shaktas, and is known by several names such as Shrī Bāla Bhadra, Shrī Bāla, Kanya Devi, and Devi Kumari.
After Sati’s death, Bhagavan Shiva carried her body around the world and did tandava dance causing universal imbalance. Bhagavan Vishnu used his Sudarshana Chakra (discus weapon) to cut the Sati’s corpse into pieces. These pieces of Sati’s body parts fell to the ground at 51 different places. These places are now known as Shakta pithas, and they are sacred to Hindus. It is believed that the back spine area of Sati’s corpse fell at Kanyakumari creating the presence of Kundalini Shakti in the region.
Architecture of Kumari Amman (Kanyakumari) Temple
The main deity of the temple, Devi Kumari is facing east. The Vigraha shows Goddess as a young girl with garland. The nose ring of the deity is known for its extraordinary luster. The presiding deity is in standing posture with an Akshamala (garland of Rudraksh) in her hands. There is an image of a lion in her pedestal indicating that she is the form of Adi Parashakti.
Kanyakumari Temple is surrounded by strong stone walls. The main entrance to the temple is via the northern gate. The eastern gate of the temple is kept closed on most of the days. It is opened only on special occasions and days such as new moon days during the month of Vrischikam, Edavam and Karkidakam (months in Malayalam calendar).
There are various others shrines within the temple complex dedicated to BhagwanSurya Deva, BhagwanGanesh, BhagwanAyyappa Swamy, Goddess Balasundari and Goddess Vijaya Sundari.
There is a four-pillar hall in the temple, each of which gives out sounds of Veena (a string instrument), Mridangam (a percussion instrument), flute and Jalatarang (porcelain instrument) respectively. The goddess is believed to remove the rigidity from the mind, and women pray for marriage at her temple.
Walking around the outer corridor and crossing the Navaratri Mandapam, the pathway leads to the second corridor encircling the shrine. At the entrance here, is the Kala Bhairava Shrine and the well “Patal Ganga Teerth” which provides water for the Devi’s Abhishekam. Next to this is the Dhwajastambha (flag mast). Kaal Bhairava protects the Shakti peetha temple and here in Kanyakumari temple, Kaal Bhairava is known as Nimish and Shakti is Sarvani.
Temple history
Dating back to more than 3000 years, this temple is not only religiously significant but also has great historical importance. The presiding deity of Kanyakumari Temple is Kumari Amman, also known as Bhagavathi Amman. Remarkable feature of the alluring Vigraha of the Goddess Kanya Kumari is the diamond nose ring of the Goddess. There are many popular stories related to the diamond nose ring. According to legend, the diamond nose ring was obtained from King Cobra. As per one popular tale, the shine reflecting from the nose ring is so strong that once a sailor mistook it as a lighthouse and ultimately hit the ship on the rocks. It is said that this is the reason why eastern door of the temple is kept closed and is opened only five times in a year, on special occasions.
The history of Kanyakumari Temple can be traced back in many ancient scriptures. In great Hindu epics Ramayana and Mahabharata, Nārāyaṇa (Mahānārāyaṇa) Upanishad, a Vaishnava Upanishad in the Taittiriya Samhita of Krishna Yajur Veda, this temple is mentioned.
Even in the Sangam works such as Manimekalai and Purananooru, there is mention of this temple. Purananooru is a classical Tamil poetic work and traditionally the last of the Eight Anthologies (Ettuthokai) in the Sangam literature. It is a collection of 400 heroic poems about kings, wars and public life, of which two are lost and a few have survived into the modern age in fragments. This anthology has been variously dated between 1st century BCE and 5th century CE. (Sangam literature is the name given to the earliest available Tamil literature. The Sangam age roughly extends between 300 BC and 300 AD, although most of the work is believed to have been composed between 100 CE and 250 CE.)
According to the legend behind the Kanyakumari Temple, demon Banasura had captured all devas and kept them in his cruel captivity. As per the boon he could be killed only by a virgin girl. Hence, upon devas prayers and pleadings, Goddess Parasakthi took the form of Kumari, the virgin girl so as to kill the demon.
However, when demon Banasura, mesmerised by the Goddess’s beauty, tried to marry her forcibly, she annihilated him with her Chakra Gadha, and released the devas from his capture. As per the legend, Saint Narada and BhagwanParasurama requested the goddess to stay on earth till the end of Kaliyuga. BhagwanParasuram later constructed a temple by the side of ocean; he then installed an Vigraha of the Goddess Kanya Kumari.
The author of Periplus of the Erythraean Sea (60-80 CE) has written about the prevalence of the propitiation of the deity Kanyakumari in the extreme southern part of India; “There is another place called Comori and a harbour, hither come those men who wish to consecrate themselves for the rest of their lives, and bath and dwell in celibacy and women also do the same; for it is told that a goddess once dwelt here and bathed.” The text Periplus of the Erythraean Sea is also known by its Latin name as the Periplus Maris Erythraei, is a Greco-Roman periplus written in Koine Greek that describes navigation and trading opportunities from Roman Egyptian ports like Berenice Troglodytica along the coast of the Red Sea and others along the Horn of Africa, the Persian Gulf, Arabian Sea and the Indian Ocean, including the modern-day Sindh region of Pakistan and southwestern regions of India. Kanyakumari town also finds mention in old Malayalam literature and in the accounts of Ptolemy and Marco Polo.
Kanyakumari was under the rule of the Chera Dynasty. In 1656, the Dutch East India Company conquered Portuguese Ceylon from the Portuguese East Indies, and this place was called “Comorin” which eventually became “Cape Comorin” during British rule in India. In 1956 when the states in India were reorganized on a linguistic basis, this place became part of the state of Tamil Nadu, separating from Kerala. Prior to that, it was administered by the Dewan Peishkar of Kottayam, as part of the Southern division of the Travancore state. In 2016, the town and its district were renamed to “Kanniyakumari”.
In Tantra, the worship of Prakriti is done in different methods: Dakshinachara (Right-Hand Path) (Sātvika rites), Vamachara (Left-Hand Path) (Rajas rites) and Madhyama (Mixed) (Tamasa rites) in different temples. The name of Devi in temples during Sātvika or Dakshina rites is ‘Shrī Bhagavati’ and Vaama (left method) rites is called ‘Maha Devi’ similar to Maha Vidya.
Kanya Kumari is worshipped as Bālambika, the child goddess. The goddess is considered as Katyayani, one of the Navadurgas . She is also considered as Bhadrakali by the devotees. Red Sarees and Ghee wick lamps are offered to the goddess by devotees.
Temple festivals
- Chitra Pournima Festival: on the Full moon day in May
- Navaratri festival: 9 day festival in (September–October).
- Vaisakha festival: 10-day festival in May–June culminating by a Thoni Ezhunellathu (deity taken in a boat festival). in May–June. During this festival Devi will be taken in procession both in the morning and evening, during Aarti the eastern door is opened. On the ninth day, the Thoni Ezhunellathu takes place. Devi will be taken round the water on the western part in a boat.
- Kalabham festival: The Vigraha is smeared in Sandal paste in the last Friday of the month of Karkidaka or Aadi, in July–August.
Tourist spots at Kanya Kumari
Thiruvalluvar Statue: This is a 7,000-ton stone statue of poet and philosopher Valluvar (the author of the Tirukkuṟaḷ, a collection of couplets on ethics, political and economic matters, and love, who was estimated to have lived around 500 CE). It has a height of 29 metres (95 feet) and stands upon an 11.5-metre (38 ft) rock that represents the 38 chapters of virtue in the Thirukkural. The statue standing on the rock represents wealth and pleasures, signifying that wealth and love be earned and enjoyed on the foundation of solid virtue. The combined height of the statue and pedestal is 133 ft (40.5 m), denoting the 133 chapters in the Thirukkural.
Vivekananda Rock Memorial: It is a popular tourist monument in Kanyakumari. The memorial stands on one of two rocks in the Laccadive Sea, located about 500 metres (1,600 ft) east of the mainland of Vavathurai, Kanyakumari. It was built in 1970 in honour of Swami Vivekananda who is said to have attained enlightenment on the rock. According to local legends, it was on this rock that Goddess Kumari performed austerity. A meditation hall (Dhyana Mandapam) is also attached to the memorial for visitors to meditate. The design of the mandapa incorporates different styles of temple architecture from all over India. It houses a statue of Vivekananda. The memorial consists of two main structures: the Vivekananda Mandapam and the Shripada Mandapam.
Ferries transport tourists from the mainland to Vivekananda Rock Memorial and Tiruvalluvar Statue. However, during maintenance work, as well as during rough sea, entry is restricted for tourists.
Gandhi Memorial Mandapam: This has been built on the spot where the urn containing the Mahatma‘s ashes was kept for public viewing before immersion. Resembling central Indian Hindu temples in form, the memorial was designed such that on Gandhi’s birthday, 2 October, the first rays of the sun fall on the exact place where his ashes were kept.
Kanyakumari Pier or Sunset View Point is considered one of the iconic locations in Kanyakumari. It is situated at a point where three oceans meet: the Bay of Bengal, the Laccadive Sea, which is connected to the Indian Ocean, and the Arabian Sea.
Kamarajar Mani Mantapa Monument was raised and dedicated to K. Kamarajar, a freedom fighter, former Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu, and President of Indian National Congress. He is also popularly known as “Black Gandhi” among the masses. Like the Gandhi Memorial Mandapam, this monument is where Kamarajar’s ashes were kept for the public to pay homage before immersion into the sea.
Near Kanyakumari’s southern shore stands a monument to the memory of those who died in the 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake and tsunami, an underwater megathrust earthquake that claimed around 230,000 lives in many countries, including India, Sri Lanka, Somalia, Thailand, Maldives, and Indonesia.
Kanyakumari and its surroundings are believed to be part of the land which was created by Parasurama, an incarnation of BhagwanVishnu.
Kanyakumari is one of the rare places where one can view both the sunrise and sunset over the ocean. This is due to its geographical location at the southernmost tip of India, where the Bay of Bengal, the Indian Ocean, and the Arabian Sea meet. The confluence of these water bodies and the breathtaking views make both sunrise and sunset in Kanyakumari special.
How to Reach Kanyakumari Temple?
By Air:
Thiruvananthapuram Airport Is the Nearest Airport Which Is around 100 km away.
By Rail:
Kanyakumari Railway Station is around 1 km and Nagercoil is the Nearest Railway Junction, which Is 16 km Away.
By Road:
Buses & Other Private Vehicles Ply Directly from Nagercoil which is 20 km away and Kulachal which is 3 km away. National Highway 44 that connects Srinagar to Kanyakumari is the longest highway in Bharat (4112 kms).
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