Kanyākumārī (कन्याकुमारी).—(KANYAKŪPA; KANYĀTĪRTHA) General information. Mahābhārata makes references in many places to Kanyākumārī, the southern extremity of former Kerala and Gokarṇa, the northern boundary. It must, therefore, be surmised that these two holy places were very ancient ones. Vana Parva, praises Kanyākumārī at many places. If any one bathes at this place one will become very famous. (Anuśāsana Parva, Mahābhārata).
Story of Kanyākumārī (KANYAKŪPA; KANYĀTĪRTHA) General information. Mahābhārata makes references in many places to Kanyākumārī, the southern extremity of former Kerala and Gokarṇa, the northern boundary. It must, therefore, be surmised that these two holy places were very ancient ones. Vana Parva, praises Kanyākumārī at many places. If any one bathes at this place one will become very famous. (Anuśāsana Parva, Mahābhārata). Chapter eightyfive of Araṇya Parva, of Bhāṣā Bhārata speaks praisingly of Kanyākumārī and Gokarṇa among other places. It says thus: "If you visit Ṛṣabhācala of Pāṇḍyadeśa you will get the benefit of conducting an Aśvamedhayāga. Then you must go farther south and take a dip in Kanyātīrṭha. The touch of that water absolves you of all sins. Then visit Gokarṇa situated in the ocean famous in all the three worlds and worshipped by all." >From this it is to be understood that ot the time of Mahābhārata Kanyākumārī was part of Pāṇḍyadeśa and that Gokarṇa was an island. Purāṇic stories about Kanyākumārī. There are several stories regarding the origin and renown of Kanyākumārī in the Purāṇas. The most important ones are given below. Absolver of sins. The wife of a brahmin named Apañcika living in Kāśī became unchaste and to wash away her sin she came to Kanyākumārī walking all the way and did penance there, daily bathing in its waters. She attained Salvation and it is believed that a bath in its waters would absolve anybody of all his sins. (Maṇimekhala). Cakra tīrtha of Kanyākumārī. Puṇyakāśī, daughter of Mayāsura, once went to Kailāsa and worshipped Śiva. After three yugas Śiva appeared before her and asked her what she wanted. She replied that she wanted to be merged in Śiva always. Śiva then said 'Three hundred and sixtyfive days would make a year. Four lakhs and thirtythree years would make a Kali Yuga. Kṛta, Tretā, Dvāpara and Kali are four Yugas and when two thousand such Yugas are over Brahmā finishes a day. Such thirty days make one month and twelve months, a year for Brahmā. When such hundred years of Brahmā are over the great deluge comes. Such ten deluges make a nāzhikā (twentyfour minutes) of Viṣṇu. Counting thus when you pass ten Viṣṇu deluges Śiva passes a second. Then is the time for the fulfilment of your desire. Till that time you sit in meditation on the shores of the south seas. Your hermitage would be known as Kanyākṣetra or Tapaḥ Sthala. During your stay there you must kill all the wicked people like Bāṇāsura and give relief to the people. I will also come and stay with you there then." Puṇyakāśī after prostrating before Śiva went to the south seas. Taking a Japamālā (necklace for prayer) in her hands she assumed the name Kanyākumārī, and started her penance. After conquering all the three worlds demon Bāṇa was having a wicked rule over his people when he saw Kanyākumārī and asked her to be his wife. He approached her with his wicked servants Durmukha and Durdarśana. But Kanyākumārī flatly refused and in the battle that ensued, Bāṇāsura fell dead by the Cakrāyudha (Discus) of Devī and at that spot is the Cakratīrtha. (Skanda Purāṇa). (3) The phantom child which escaped from the hands of Kaṃsa at the time of the birth of Śrī Kṛṣṇa was that divine lady Kanyākumārī. (Padma Purāṇa). The Geographical view. It is said that there was an extension of the present continent to the south and that expansive land called Lamūria was later submerged in waters. There is a description of such an extended land in some of the old literature like Cilappadikāram." Kanyākumārī which was called 'Kumāri-ambādi' also was the first setu; Dhanuṣkoṭi the middle setu; and Koṭikkara, last setu. (Setu Purāṇa) In History. Kanyākumārī had attracted the attention of foreigners long before Christ. Herodotus who lived in the third century B.C. has written about Kanyākumārī in one of his books. In the book 'Periplus' written in 60 A.D. there is a mention of Kanyākumārī. It says: "Pious persons at the fag end of their lives dedicate their lives to God and go to Kanyākumārī on a pilgrimage and stay there accepting an ascetic life. A divine lady bathed in the holy waters there grants you 'darśana'." Ptolemy, another traveller who lived two thousand years ago, refers to Kanyākumārī in his book as 'Komaria Akron'. He had bathed in those waters and worshipped in the Kanyākumārī temple. Marco Polo of Venice who had travelled these parts in 1243 A.D. has written of his worshipping in the Kanyākumārī temple. He has also recorded having seen thirty miles from Kanyākumārī a glittering figure like that of the Pole-star. Ibn Batūtā who lived in 1203 A.D. has referred to Kanyākumārī in his book as Rāskuṃhari Dominating the southernmost point of the Indian peninsula and scanning the three seas is a temple dedicated to the Goddess Kanya Kumari, one of the few ancient and venerated Amman temples in Tamil Nadu that existed even before the period of the Later Cholas when separate independent Amman shrines and temples as adjuncts to the central shrine came to be built. An inscription of Parantaka I’s dated in his 9th year confirms that the Chola king was well in control of the Pandyan region; it specifies the boundaries of the temple land (ARE 108 of 1896). From an inscription attributable to Rajendra (perhaps II), we learn that this centre also bore the name of Gangaikondasola-puram, derived from a surname of Rajendra I. K Rajaram IRS 2924 ---------- Forwarded message --------- From: 'gopala krishnan' via iyer123 <[email protected]> Date: Mon, 2 Sept 2024 at 09:36 Subject: [iyer123] KANYAKUMARI DEVI TEMPLE-KANYAKUMARI To: Iyer <[email protected]> KANYAKUMARI DEVI TEMPLE-KANYAKUMARI DISTRICT-TAMILNADU-COMPILED Dear friends, I was selection grade junior Engineer during 1976’s at Nagerkovil and I was in charge of Kanyakumari telephone exchange. During the period I had been to the temple many times, mostly with officers of the telecom department. After retirement I visited the temple in 2006 with my wife to complete certain offerings. It is told if any offering made to other temples and forgotten, Kanyakumari temple is the parihara sthalam, making offerings in the temple. A few interesting information about Kanyakumari are also added. Hope a divine reading. Gopalakrishnan 2-9-2024 1. INTRODUCTION Kanyakumari is at the southernmost tip of India and off its shores meet three seas; the Arabian Sea, the Indian Ocean and the Bay of Bengal. It derives its name from the virgin Goddess Kanyakumari whose temple is situated here on its shore. It is referred to as "The Land's End". The city is situated 90 kilometres south of Thiruvananthapuram city, and about 20 kilometres south of Nagerkoil, the headquarters of Kanyakumari district. 2 LOCATION. Kanyakumari is a railway terminus and can be reached from any part of the country by rail via Trivandrum or Tirunelveli. There are buses from all cities in Tamilnadu and some places in Kerala state to Kanyakumari. The nearest airport is in Trivandrum about 86 Km away. On the shores of the city is a temple dedicated to the goddess Kanya Kumari (the virgin goddess), after which the town is named. Kanyakumari has been a town since the Sangam period and was referred to in old Malayalam literature and in the accounts of Ptolemy and Marco Polo. 3 ETYMOLOGY The place derives its name from the goddess Kanya Kumari, considered to be the sister of Krishna. The goddess is believed to remove the rigidity from the mind, and women pray for marriage at her temple. In 1656, the Dutch East India Company conquered Portuguese Ceylon from the Portuguese East Indies, and the name eventually corrupted to "Comorin" and was called "Cape Comorin" during British rule in India. In 2016, the town and its district were renamed to "Kanniyakumari" by the Government of India and the Government of Madras. 4 THE TEMPLE The main entrance to the temple is through the northern gate though the deity is facing east. The eastern entrance is kept closed except on special occasions when the deity is taken out for ceremonial bath. Three corridors surround the sanctum. The outer corridor has no special shrines, but after a walk round it the devotees cross the 'Navarathiri mandapam' and a pathway leads to the second corridor encircling the shrine. There stands the flag mast or 'Kodisthambam'. From here you can have a clear view of the Goddess. A move further forward will take you in front of the sanctum. The Goddess stands with rosary in one hand as if in prayer. It is believed that Parasurama installed the Idol made of blue stone. After worshipping the Goddess, the devotees walk around the inner corridor where the shrines of Vinayagar and Thiagasundary can be seen. 5 LEGEND Many aeons ago Banasura, the demon king, harassed the Devas and imprisoned them. Unable to bear his atrocities the Devas sought the help of Lord Vishnu, the protector of the Universe. He advised them to pray to Goddess Parasakthi who alone could banish him. So the Devas started a 'yagna' to propitiate the Goddess who appeared and promised to destroy Banasura. It was pre-ordained that only a virgin could kill Banasura, so she arrived here as a Kumari (virgin) and started a penance to attain the special powers before setting off to kill Banasura. Lord Shiva (Lord of Suchindram temple about 11 km away) saw this beautiful virgin and wanted her as his wife. He let the Devas know this and wanted them to make arrangements for the wedding. The Devas, having known that only Kumari could kill Banasura, did not want the marriage to go ahead. So they sought the help of Narada, the celestial roving trouble-shooter, to stop this wedding. Arrangements for the marriage were made and an auspicious time was fixed as midnight of a certain day. On the appointed day the Lord left Suchindram and travelled with his entourage to where the bride was residing. As he was approaching the abode of this virgin incarnation, Narada played his trick. He turned himself into a cock and crowed, signifying the approach of dawn. On hearing this, the Lord thought that he had missed the auspicious time and returned to his abode. The Goddess Kanyakumari was waiting eagerly for the arrival of the groom. When the groom did not turn up at all she was disappointed and in a rage cursed all the articles, ornaments and the food that had been prepared for the wedding. They turned into sand and seashells that had scattered along the seashore. That is why you see an abundance of coloured sand and seashells of every shape and form along the sea front in this town. Banasura heard about the beauty of the virgin Goddess and came to request her hand in marriage. When the Goddess refused, the demon king tried to take her by force. As he drew his sword the Goddess killed him with her 'Chakrayutham'. The Devas were thus restored to their kingdoms and the relieved Devas requested her to remain there protecting them forever. 6 THE DEITY Kanya Devi is now considered a virgin goddess who blesses pilgrims and tourists who flock to the town. Her temple in Kanyakumari is a Shakta pitha: a holy shrine in the Shaktism tradition of Hinduism. The temple is the first Durga temple created by Lord Parasurama and one of the 108 Shakthi Peethas. It is mentioned in the Ramayana, Mahabharata, and Purananuru. Poojas are performed as in other Devi temples. Kerala Nampoothiries are priests in the temple. As in other Tamilnadu temples, ghee lamp is an important offering. Most pilgrims perform archana in the temple. On the way to the temple on either side, there are shops providing offering items. 7 MAIN FESTIVALS AND OPENING TIMES The main festivals are held in the Tamil month of Vaikasi (May/June) and the Navarathri festival in September/October. The temple is open to the public from 4.30 AM to 11.45 AM and 5.30 PM to 8.45 PM. Male worshippers are required to remove their shirts before entering the temple. 8 INTERESTING FEATURES A small rocky hill called the Vivekananda hill raises from the sea. It is on this hill that Swami Vivekananda had meditated before his tour of the West where he made his famous speech on Hindu philosophy. There is a boat service to reach this hill where a memorial to Swami Vivekaknanda had been built run by Poompukar Shipping Corporation nowadays. The boats operate only if the tides are calm in the sea. Sun rise and Sunset Another feature of this place is that one can witness from the same spot the spectacle of the setting Sun and the rising Moon almost simultaneously on full-moon evening. This spectacle is visible only between October 15 to March 15 but the Sun rise can be seen throughout the year if the sky is clear. 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. Gandhi mandapam There is also a memorial to Mahathma Gandhi on the seashore commemorating the immersion of his ashes at this spot. Each year on October 2nd (Gandhi's birth date) at noon the Sun's rays fall exactly on the spot where the urn of his ashes was kept for public dharshan (viewing). Kamarajar Mani mantapam 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. 9 TSUNAMI MEMORIAL, KANYAKUMARI 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 mega thrust earthquake that claimed around 230,000 lives in many countries, including India, Sri Lanka, Somalia, Thailand, Maldives, and Indonesia. 10 HELIPORT Kanyakumari has heliports for VVIP visitors at the Tri Sea Hotel on Beach Road. -- To go to your groups page on the web, login to your gmail account and then click on https://groups.google.com/ --- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "iyer123" group. To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to [email protected]. 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