Dawn and dusk! Rise and fall! Origin and end! Every day Kanyakumari wakes up with these three stories to tell.
Marvel at the roaring epic beauty that the growing number of resorts and other industrial developments have failed to mar at all. The fishing communes retain the rustic charm that mesmerizes. Apart from the natural, mythical and spiritual essence, Kanyakumari has a lot up its sleeve. The Vatta-Kottai (Ring Fortress) with the sea on either side, the centuries-old Guganatha Swamy shrine, Suchindram Temple and Bay Watch water theme park are just the tip of the iceberg.
Surreal experience of seeing the sea as far as your eyes can see. A curious mix of coconut palms and a tangle of tamarind trees that grace the shoreline. Even if you’ve never been a morning person, now is the best time to try to get up at dawn.
As the trinity of the Arabian Sea, the Bay of Bengal and the Indian Ocean compete to catch their fair share of the sun’s purest rays, the entire sky seems to disperse in vibrant flashes of colour. Magic of Triveni Sangamam! It’s so achingly charming that you get rooted to the spot. As joyous as a lovers’ reunion after the curse of separation, the simultaneous sunset into the sea and the graceful rise of the moon over the restless ocean leave you wanting more. All this while the sweet-smelling zephyrs tickle you! Enjoy the heavenly feeling that only Kanyakumari can offer.
Once you have snapped out of your reverie, you will be amazed at the countless gatherings and the initiation of activities such as yoga, meditation, Carnatic music practice, chanting from the nearby temples, and even intense discussions on spirituality and philosophy. The street vendors will already have filled the place with curios and trinkets. Go slow if you are not good at haggling. Soon the classic smells of tea, sambhar, dosa and all those South Indian breakfast delicacies fill the air.
Soothe your grumpy tummy and take the first ferry to Vivekananda Rock Memorial surrounded by the sea and rocks. The statue emits an ethereal glow in the morning rays. And oh, the views of the city and windmills on land colliding with the vast expanse of blue water is a sight to behold! Just across from the monument is the Kumari Amman Temple on the mainland. You can see the footprints of the Virgin Goddess! Test if you can make out the glitter of Goddess’s nose ring. You can find children collecting supposedly seven colored sands around this area in bottles to take home.
If you like to spend the evening ideally strolling along the beach, you will surely come face to face with the lighthouse here. Not that many bother to take a look at it. But typical of most Kerala coastlines, the Kanyakumari shorelines also turn wild on certain dark and stormy nights, which you can see from your hotel window. The flashes of the lighthouse illuminate the terribly tumultuous waves. You really appreciate the famous phrase ‘terrible beauty is born’.