Kanyakumari is adjacent to the sea and hence enjoys a maritime climate all the year round. However, the summers are sweltering and the temperature may soar to as high as 34.8°C. The ideal time to visit Kanyalumari would be from October to March and the cottons would be ideal as far as clothing is concerned. So make a trip to Kanyakumari and come back with some of the memorable moments spent there.

The southmost part of the town is marked by Kumari Amman temple directly north of it, the bazaar starts and north of the bazaar three or four lanes harbour most of the hotels in town. Everything, including the train station, is in easy walking distance. If you anyhow prefer a rickshaw, you reach most of the places for 20Rs only.

Kanyakumari is a place that is sure to fascinate every kind of tourist. No matter if you are devout pilgrim, a nature freak or a history aficionado or just want to have some fun under the sun- Kanyakumari’s ethereal charm is sure to leave you spellbound.
 

    * Kovalam: Tourists visiting Kanyakumari generally take a break for a day to visit Kovalam, 75 km away, one of the best beaches in India.

    * Suchindram: Suchindram just 14 km from Kanyakumari enjoys a special status for itself with its innumerable deities of Hindu pantheon.
 
   * Tiruchendur: Tiruchendur just 89 km from Kanya Kumari is a much venerated place for devotees of Lord Kartikeya(Murugan) as here is located one of the six Aarupadai shrines of Murugan.
  
* Marunthuvazh Malai: Just 9 km away on the way to Nagercoil is Marunthuvazh Malai also known as Maruthuva Malai. At a height of 800 feet there is a Shiva temple here

Distance Chart :

      Calicut - 501 km
      Coimbatore - 427 km
      Cochin - 304 km
      Chennai - 744 km
      Ernakulam - 330 km
      Madurai - 240 km
      Pondicherry - 570 km
      Trichy - 372 km
      Tirunelveli - 89 km

Kanyakumari is very well connected to all the major cities in the Southern India. Tourist buses, both luxury coaches and state transport buses ply in and out of Kanyakumari with good frequency.

Tirunelvelli is the nearest rail head around 80 km away. Trains from stations of Delhi, Mumbai and Trivandrum come to Kanyakumari through a broad gauge railway network.

The nearest airport is Trivandrum, which is some 80-km away from here. The airport is frequented by flights from all the major cities of India.

CAPE FESTIVAL AT KANYAKUMARI

Celebrated In : KanyaKumari, Tamilnadu
Duration : 3 days
In the month of : October

Kanyakumari, also known as "Cape Comorin" is located at the southern most tip of India, where the Bay of Bengal, Indian Ocean and the Arabian Sea meet. A dip in the ocean here is considered holy, but the sea is rough here and not fit for bathing. This is the only place in India, where the sunset and moonrise can be viewed simultaneously on a full moon day.
The Vivekananda memorial set amidst the sea is a place known to give mental emancipation. The Cape festival is celebrated on a large scale for three days at Kanyakumari. The festival is marked by a series of cultural programs.

Kanyakumari festivals are integral parts of the culture of Kanyakumari, reflecting the religious beliefs and practices of the native population. Throughout the year, the district experiences a series of colorful, festive events, offering insight into the diverse cultural activities of the land. In fact, different types of Kanyakumari festivals infuse new life and hope into the minds of the natives, who are almost exhausted, struggling with the daily drudgeries of life.

Some of the most important festivals that are held over here include Chaitra Purnima Festival, Cape Festival, Navratri and Holy. Chaitra Purnima Festival, Kanyakumari is usually being celebrated in the first week of the month of May, whereas Navratri takes place in the last week of October. Holy, on the other hand, is said to be the annual festival of the Roman Catholic Church that is celebrated in the fourth week of December.

Kanakamoolam Fair is another very popular festival of Kanyakumari. This fair is celebrated at Vadaseri, Kanyakumari district on Sundays and Thursdays.

Since people of Kanyakumari are highly religious people, the religious festivals play a great role in the lives of the residents. Some among these types of festivals include the following:

    * Vaisakha festival
    * Car festival
    * Float festival
    * Kalabham festival

Among the above-mentioned festivals, the Vaisakha festival is held in the Tamil month of Vaikasi, whereas the Kalabham festival is celebrated in the month of Aadi.

Kumari Amman Temple

Kumari Amman Temple, a popular pilgrimage of Kanyakumari located on the seashore, was built by the Pandya kings in 8th century and extensively renovated by the Chola, Vijayanagar and Nayaka rulers. The temple is dedicated to the virgin Goddess Devi Kanyakumari who is supposed to have done penance here so that she could marry Lord Shiva.

The magnificent structure of this temple is reflected in its Navaratri Mandapa which has been beautifully painted and carved. The image of Mahishamardini (Durga killing demon Mahisha) is highly fascinating. Inside the temple there is an 18th century shrine with the foot prints of the goddess Kumari who performed her penance at this spot.

Church of Our Lady of Joy

The “Church of Our Lady of Joy” built by St. Francis Xavier is located at the southern edge of the town. The church is believed to have been founded in the year 1540. The sandy beaches and the multi coloured granite rocks are among other attractions here.

The Church of St. Xavier enjoys a great fame and is visited by large numbers of devotes during the annual festival celebrated in between November and December which lasts for 10 days.

Monuments

Thiruvalluvar Statue

Near the Vivekananda Memorial, there is an imposing 40-m high statue of Tiruvalluvar, the 1st century BC Tamil poet, who wrote the epic Tirukural, often considered as one of the greatest classics of Tamil literature.

Kamarajar Manimandapam

Kamarajar Manimandapam
Kamarajar Manimandapam
Another remarkable monument of this district is Kamarajar Manimandapam which is dedicated to Late Sri Kamarajar, a freedom fighter and former Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu, also President of Indian National Congress before independence. He was known by the name of Black Gandhi among the masses and king maker during congress regime. This building, where his ashes were kept for general mass to pay homage before immersion into the sea is today widely visited by people of the state to show their gratitude.

Udayagiri Fort

Udayagiri Fort
Udayagiri Fort
Udayagiri Fort is a worth visiting site in Kanyakumari owing to its magnificent structure and quite surrounding atmosphere.

The fort was rebuilt in the reign of Marthandavarma, the Venad King, during 1741-44. In the early days, the fort was of strategic importance. Prisoners captured in the campaign against Tippu were confined in this fort for sometime.

Recently, the district administration has established Biodiversity Park here in collaboration with the forest department. Tourists can see deer, ducks, fountains, birds and over 100 varieties of trees inside the fort.

Mathur Hanging Bridge

The Mathur Hanging Bridge is the tallest as well as the longest trough bridge in Asia, with a height of 115 feet and a length of one kilometer. Completed in 1966, this bridge has become a place of attraction for hundreds of tourists visiting every day. This is situated in Mathur, hamlet of Aruvikkarai revenue village in Thiruvattar Panchayat Union. The Kanyakumari District Administration has recently put up a staircase from top to the bottom of the bridge and has also built a children's park and bathing platforms over here to attract more tourists.

Padmanabhapuram Palace

Padmanabhapuram Palace
Padmanabhapuram Palace
Padmanabhapuram is an ancient town and also one of the four municipalities in the district situated just 55 Km. south of Trivandrum, about two km. east of Thuckalay and 35 km. from Kanyakumari on the Trivandrum-Cape Comerin road. This town has a magnificent fort spread over an area of 187 acres. The palace is present at the very centre of this Fort, amidst hills, dales and rivers. The palace is under the control of a Curator of the Archaeological Department of Kerala Government. The prime attractions of this palace are the Entrance Hall, Uppirika Malika, and the Navarathri Mandapa.

Vivekananda Rock Memorial

Just off the coast, on a small rocky island lies Vivekananda Memorial, a place visited by large number of tourists. This is the spot where Swami Vivekananda, the great philosopher of India meditated before attending the World Religious Conference in Chicago in 1893. The Memorial commemorates the visit of Swami Vivekananda to “Shripada Parai” during 24th, 25th and 26th December 1892 for deep meditation and enlightenment.

Mahatma Gandhi Memorial

Mahatma Gandhi Memorial
Gandhi Memorial
The Gandhi Memorial located near the Kumari Amman Temple, is the place where the ashes of Mahatma Gandhi, the Father of Nation were kept before immersion. The building is designed in such a way that every year on October 2nd (Gandhiji’s birth day), at mid day the sun rays directly fall on the exact spot where his ashes were placed.

This beautiful monument was completed in 1956. Its central shape is 79 feet high representing the age of the Mahatma. The memorial was transferred to the administrative control of the Public (Information and Public Relations) Department from Public Works Department of Government of Tamil Nadu in the year 1978.

 Trek: Kanyakumari is not all water. There are some hills and forests too. A trek to reach the top of Maruthnuval Malai 9 km north of Kanyakumari or a visit to Kalakkad or Pechipparai forests is an adventurous experience that cannot be missed.
  
Horse riding: If you are with children and happen to be in the Beach around sunset then this is one attraction you just can’t fend off. Like most of the Beaches, Kanyakyumari also offers a ride down the Beaches on Horseback.

 

Watching the Sea by night:

If you do not stay overnight at Kanyakumari you will miss something that you will regret for over. It’s a great experience to watch the sea at night. To see the waves reacting to the pull of moon is an experience of a life time

Shopping can be a fun at Kanniyakumari. Government emporiums like Co-optex (9 am to 8 am) near Gandhi Mantap, the Poompuhar Handicrafts Emporium at Sannathi Road give good shopping options. Besides  innumerable beach side stalls selling items like sea-shells, cotton saris, palm leaf items, wooden handicrafts, trinkets etc are found all over Kanniyakumari.  Do not forget to buy a pack of colored sea sand this is a specialty here. 

Government Museum at Kanyakumari, Tamil Nadu   
   
The Government Museum at Kanyakumari in the state of Tamil Nadu was established in the year 1991. It is exactly located in the Gandhi Memorial Road. This museum was built as a multipurpose museum.

The objects that have been displayed in the museum include objects of art, anthropology, archaeology, numismatics, philately, botany, zoology and geology. People who are interested to visit the museum may come between 9:30am to 5pm except on Fridays, second Saturdays and National holidays.
 

Pechiparai Reservoir

Pechiparai Reservoir is one of the few places in India that is definitely worth seeing, even if it is not a cultural or historical sight seeing place. Pechiparai Reservoir is situated some 43 kms away from the area of Nagercoil, close to the Pechiparai village of Kanyakumari district. The pechiparai reservoir was originated by the groundwork of the pechiparai dam! The reservoir plays a major role is supplying the drinking water and it is also used in irrigation of crops. The pechiparai reservoir holds the least storage capacity of just 22.49%, but it assists the farmers to use the water in order to take care of their crops. 

Kanyakumari Weather
Temperature:     Max 35°C, Min 21°C
Rainfall:     1188.6mm per annum
Best Time:     October to March

You can plan your tour to Kanyakumari in any season of the year. Being a coastal region, harboring at the confluence of the three oceans, Kanyakumari has a placid weather with little fluctuation to its weather temperaments. However the ideal time to visit is between October and March.

With the tropic climate, Kanyakumari has April to June the hottest with temperature reaching out to maximum 350C. November to February is the coolest period with temperature hovering around 210C. Northeast Monsoon brings gentle sweep of rains between October and December.

Tourist Information Center
1 Tourist Information Centers(Govt)
Govt. of Tamil Nadu Tourist office –
Beach Road, Kanyakumari,
Tamil Nadu, India.

Information Centre –
Vivekanada rock memorial, Beach road,
KanyaKumari, Tamil Nadu, India.
Tel. - +(91)--06543—71250

State Bank of India
HOTEL SANKAR'S GUEST HOUS,
4/75-A MAIN ROAD,
KANYAKUMARI, TAMIL NADU - 629701

Sunset and Sunrise
    Cape Comarin at Kanyakumary is the Southernmost point in India. It has a special place in Indian history. The ashes of Mahatma Gandhi were laid here, and there is a Memorial here to commemorate him. The town is mainly visited to see the sunset and sunrise, both of which can be seen from this extreme point.
Temple    

Temples
    Cape Comarin or Kanyakumary is in the state of Tamil Nadu, and so the temple there can usually be visited by non-Hindus, which is not often possible in Kerala. On the way to Cape Comarin, there is an even more impressive temple which can be visited at Suchindram, and the Padmanabhapuram Palace is a classic of Keralan architecture.
Medicine Mountain    

Maruntha Malai Medicine Mountain
    A few km North of Cape Comarin the dramatic Travancore Hills frame the bright paddy fields bordering the road. The most prominent peak has a whole epic from Hindu mythology attached to it, telling that it is part of a mountain full of medicine plants ripped out of the Himalayas. Today it is an important source of Ayurvedic curative herbs, and can be visited by a 6 hour hike.