#171: A Trip To Kanyakumari - The Southern Tip Of India
And How To Create a Compelling Beginning Of A Travel Story
It was as though the temple door had transformed into a magnet. Every devotee previously busy taking selfies by the ocean or buying nicknack from shops, gathered in the small compound in front of the eastern door precisely at 3:45 pm. We managed to arrive a few minutes early and secured a good spot.
However, that didn't matter much.
Soon, children and women managed to squeeze in, followed by men, and the scent of sweat mingled with the fragrance of jasmine braids, filling our already tiny personal space.
The temple door was scheduled to open at 4:00 pm. It was already ten minutes past four, and there was no sign of it opening anytime soon. Someone from the back shouted that the temple wouldn't open because it was Dussehra day, and the main deity had been taken away to participate in a procession. People began to disperse. We glanced at our guide, who singled for us to hold our ground."
Moments later, the temple door swung open, and an inevitable stampede ensued. Those who had moved out forcefully pushed their way back, eager to reclaim their original spots. Men used their hands to shove, women employed their shoulders, and children found themselves caught amidst the rush, their mothers pulling them along.
I clung tightly to my shoulder bag, which held our passports, credit cards, and all our cash. My concern for these valuables outweighed my concern for my own safety. I felt like I was floating rather than walking as I made my way inside the compound.
Once inside, the queue formed in a manner similar to how the stampede began. People jostled from all sides to get closer to the steel barricade. Our guide rescued us, guiding us to a long corridor and explaining, "Most visitors are tourists who don't know about another entrance to the inner sanctum. Being a local, I'm aware." Relieved, we followed him as he shared the temple's significance and the story of its main deity.
We were in Kanyakumari, the southernmost tip of India, marking the final temple visit in our fifteen-day tour of South Indian temples. Kanyakumari is a significant pilgrimage site for Hindu devotees, and we happened to be there on an auspicious day. During October, the temple observes a ten-day worship of three goddesses: the first three days for goddess Durga, the next three for goddess Sarasvati, and the final three for goddess Parvati. On the tenth day, a grand procession takes place.
According to legend, Devi Kanya, an avatar of Goddess Parvati, was left waiting by the groom, Lord Shiva, on her wedding day when he failed to appear. The story goes that Lord Narada tricked Lord Shiva by mimicking the sound of a rooster to falsely declare the morning earlier than it actually was. Shiva, believing that the auspicious moment for the wedding had passed, returned to his mountain.
Lord Narada had a good reason for this trickery. With his ability to see the future, he foresaw the havoc that a demon named Bana would wreak, and he knew that only a virgin girl, Devi Kanya, could defeat him.
When Lord Shiva didn't show up, Devi Kanya began intense meditation to please him at the very spot where the temple now stands. The demon Bana attempted to disrupt her meditation by trying to convince her to marry him. This angered Devi Kanya, leading her to transform into Bhadrakali, the destroyer goddess, and she vanquished the demon.
Every year, on the tenth day of the festival, a grand procession commences from the temple, heading toward the location where the demon Bana met his demise, and there, the battle against evil is reenacted.
The Kanyakumari temple, initially constructed by the Pandya emperors in the eighth century and later rebuilt by the Vijayanagara, Chola, and Nayaka kings, showcases the distinctive Dravidian architectural style, boasting three sanctums. The primary deity, goddess Parvati, resides in the innermost sanctum, adorned in a green sari with an ornate, glistening nose pin, either made of gold or a diamond (although we could only catch a fleeting glimpse). While not as ornate as temples in Madurai or Tanjavur, it still features some of the finest stone statues. The temple's pillars are adorned with exquisite carvings of women carrying oil lamps, which illuminate the temple on auspicious days.
Kanyakumari is also the site of the Triveni Sangam, where three seas - the tranquil Bay of Bengal, the tumultuous Arabian Sea, and the deep Indian Ocean - converge. The remarkable phenomenon is that the waters from these seas do not mix; you can clearly distinguish the emerald green water of the Bay of Bengal, the light blue of the Arabian Sea, and the deep blue of the Indian Ocean. It is considered auspicious to bathe in the Triveni Sangam, a ritual my husband and I dutifully performed by sprinkling the water on our heads.
Two prominent landmarks captivate those who stand at the southernmost tip of India: Vivekananda Rock and the Thiruvalluvar Statue. Legend has it that Swami Vivekananda, a philosopher and reformer, swam into the sea to meditate at this very spot until he attained enlightenment and made the life-altering decision to become an active sannyasi, dedicating himself to serving the people.
He is renowned for his impactful speech delivered at the Parliament of Religions in Chicago in 1893.
The Thiruvalluvar Statue is an impressive 41-metre-tall (133 ft) stone sculpture portraying the renowned Tamil poet and philosopher Valluvar, who authored Thirukkural, a trilogy of books on Virtue, Wealth and Love.
Two intriguing details about this statue: the total height, including the pedestal, is 133 feet, symbolizing the 133 chapters within the Thirukkural. The pedestal itself stands at 38 feet, representing the 38 chapters of Virtue, the initial book of the Thirukkural trilogy.
Kanyakumari is most renowned for its breathtaking sunset and sunrise views. There are two key locations to experience these natural spectacles: one near the Kanyakumari Temple, and another at a secluded spot further up, which happened to be our choice. I was informed that during the month of March, a remarkable sight can be witnessed as the sun sets and the moon rises simultaneously.
Well, we missed the event by seven months, but the sight of the sun setting was still quite spectacular.
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