KANYAKUMARI

KANYAKUMARI-CAPE COMORIN

The southern-most tip of India is Kanyakumari. The Arabian sea, Bay of Bengal and the Indian ocean meet here. It is an important pilgrim center. Sunrise and sunset are spectacular, especially on full moon days. With long stretches of sands of many hues, the beach offers a welcome change.
A variety of shells are on sale on Kanyakumari beach.


HOW TO REACH:
The nearest airport is in Thiruvananthapuram, 80 km away. Kanyakumari is well-connected with all places by rail and road. Local transport is bus, auto rickshaw and taxi.
Altitude: sea level; temperature: ranges from 20 to 35 deg C.
Rainfall: average 102 cms; clothing: cotton; visiting season: round the year.
Languages: Tamil, Malayalam, English.
Places of interest: Vivekananda Rock memorial: This memorial to Swami Vivekananda was built in 1970. Vivekananda was a social reformer and saint of modern India. He is supposed to have meditated on the rock where the memorial stands. Ferry service is available. Visiting time is from 8 am to 4 pm. Gandhi memorial and Guganathaswamy temple are two other tourist spots in the area. Kumari Amman temple is a famous place of worship where Parvathi is worshiped as virgin goddess who did penance to wed Lord Shiva. There is a nice picnic spot some 6 km away, Vattakottai (Circular Fort). It is an 18th century fort overlooking the sea. Nagercoil where the Nagaraja temple is situated is 19 km from Kanyakumari. Nagaraja is the serpent god, the presiding deity. Sand from the spot is given as prasadam. The entrance has a Chinese style. Suchindram (13 km) has a unique temple dedicated to the trimurthies - Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva. The musical pillars and the 18-foot high Hanuman statue are artistic attractions. There are also inscriptions dating back to the 9th century AD. Udayagiri Fort, 34 km away from Kanyakumari, was built by King Marthanda Varma (1729-58) AD. This fort had a foundry for making guns. The Raja's general, De Lennoy's tomb is also situated in the fort. De Lennoy was a European taken prisoner by Marthanda Varma Raja when he defeated the Dutch at Colachel. De Lennoy turned out to be, in course of time, the Raja's trusted general. Thiruparappu waterfalls (60 km) has a temple of the finest architecture and paintings. Muttam (32 km) is a good beach and lighthouse. Tiruchendur (91 km) has a temple overlooking the Bay of Bengal. It is one of the abodes of Lord Subramanya. There is a steady stream of devotees. Kalakkadu and Mundanthurai are two wildlife sanctuaries which can be visited from Kanyakumari.

Posted by ARUNN,NAGERCOIL.
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TRAIN TIME TABLE NAGERCOIL & NEAR BY LOCATIONS

NO: TRAIN NAME: SOURCE: DEP.TIME: DESTINATION: ARR.TIME:


2515 Guwahati Exp Trivandrum Cntl 12:45 Guwahati 5:50

2522 Raptisagar Exp Eranakulam Jn 9:30 Barauni Jn 22:50

2636 Vaigai Exp Madurai Jn 6:45 Chennai Egmore 14:40

2638 Pandian Exp Madurai Jn 20:45 Chennai Egmore 5:45

2641 Tirukkural Exp Kanyakumari 19:15 H Nizamuddin 18:00

2643 Nizamuddin Exp Trivandrum Cntl 14:15 H Nizamuddin 17:05

2659 Gurudev Express Nagarcoil Jn 14:35 Howrah Jn 13:55

2660 Gurudev Express Howrah Jn 23:15 Nagarcoil Jn 22:15

2665 Kannyakumari Exp Howrah Jn 16:05 Kanyakumari 11:20

2666 Cape Howrah Exp Kanyakumari 7:50 Howrah Jn 3:20

2667 Nagercoil Exp Chennai Egmore 19:00 Nagarcoil Jn 8:10

2668 Chennai Exp Nagarcoil Jn 19:40 Chennai Egmore 8:50

2689 Nagercoil Exp Chennai Central 18:05 Nagarcoil Jn 10:50

2690 Ncj Chennai Exp Nagarcoil Jn 19:40 Chennai Central 12:15

2693 Pearl City Exp Chennai Egmore 18:30 Tuticorin 6:15

2694 Pearl City Exp Tuticorin 19:45 Chennai Egmore 7:40

2696 Tvc Chennai Exp Trivandrum Cntl 17:15 Chennai Central 9:30

2697 Trivandrum Exp Chennai Central 16:00 Trivandrum Cntl 7:00

2977 Maru Sagar Exp Eranakulam Jn 19:55 Jaipur 14:05

2978 Maru Sagar Exp Jaipur 10:05 Eranakulam Jn 4:30

6041 Alleppey Exp Chennai Central 21:15 Alleppey 10:50

6042 Chennai Express Alleppey 16:10 Chennai Central 6:05

6123 Anantapuri Exp Chennai Egmore 19:30 Trivandrum Cntl 11:35

6124 Anantapuri Exp Trivandrum Cntl 16:20 Chennai Egmore 8:40

6127 Ms Guruvayur Exp Chennai Egmore 7:25 Guruvayur 6:10

6128 Guv Chennai Exp Guruvayur 21:00 Chennai Egmore 20:10

6203 Tirupathy Exp Chennai Central 16:35 Tirupati 20:05

6302 Venad Express Trivandrum Cntl 5:00 Shoranur Jn 12:45

6303 Vanchinad Exp Eranakulam Jn 6:05 Trivandrum Cntl 10:35

6304 Vanchinad Exp Trivandrum Cntl 17:30 Eranakulam Jn 22:05

6305 Cannanore Exp Eranakulam Jn 6:45 Kannur 12:50

6306 Ernakulam Exp Kannur 14:30 Eranakulam Jn 20:25

6307 Cannanore Exp Alleppey 15:00 Kannur 23:15

6307E Cannanore Exp Eranakulam Jn 16:20 Kannur 23:15

6308 Alleppey Exp Kannur 5:00 Alleppey 12:55

6308E Ernakulam Exp Kannur 5:00 Eranakulam Jn 11:25

6339 Nagarcoil Exp Mumbai Cst 12:05 Nagarcoil Jn 3:00

6340 Mumbai Express Nagarcoil Jn 7:00 Mumbai Cst 21:10

6339 Nagarcoil Exp Mumbai Cst 12:05 Nagarcoil Jn 3:00

6340 Mumbai Express Nagarcoil Jn 7:00 Mumbai Cst 21:10

6341 Trivandrum Exp Eranakulam Jn 5:50 Trivandrum Cntl 10:10

6342 Ernakulam Exp Trivandrum Cntl 17:00 Eranakulam Jn 21:20

NANJIL NADU

NAGERCOIL

Coordinates: 8°10′N 77°26′E / 8.17, 77.43

Nagercoil (Tamil: நாகர்கோவில்) is a city and a municipality in Kanyakumari district in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. It is the southernmost city in South India, situated close to the tip of the Indian peninsula. The town is also the administrative headquarters of Kanyakumari District. It was a part of Kerala, the erstwhile Travancore state, till almost a decade after India's Independence from Britain in 1947. In 1956, it was merged with Tamil Nadu. In its earlier days, the town and its surroundings were known as Nanjilnadu.

TRADITIONAL

COOL...COOL...SPOTS

Scenic view at Thottiyodu, on the Nagercoil-Thiruvananthapuram highway
Muttom, a coastal village, is another popular place with tourists. The terrain in this village and its surroundings is hilly and from a height one can see an idyllic view of the place, with a Portuguese style church standing in the middle of the village. The beach-area is somewhat rocky. There is also a 100-year old lighthouse. The lighthouse, though near the sea, is situated on a land mass some 105 feet above sea level. The lighthouse originally came up here in olden days, because of the presence of a huge rock, near Muttom called 'Crocodile Rock'. The floors of the lighthouse have lot of holes as for architecture aesthetic and it will be scary for some to reach the top. Another attractive feature of this area, is a ravine-like area with reddish earth (soil) and casurina trees near the sea-side. This place with very popular with Tamil and Keralite film-makers.
Sanguthurai Beach, about 8 km from Nagercoil is a palm-fringed and sandy beach. Sothavilai Beach is another good beach, about 7 km from the heart of town. Both beaches were hit by the Indian Ocean Tsunami, but authorities have taken steps to improve facilities again. There is a very good lagoon (estuary - place where the river meets the sea) at Manakudy - 10 km from the town.
Panchappathis, the five holyplaces of Ayyavazhi, all situated within 20 km circle from Kanyakumari

Fresh water supply to the town is from the Mukkadal Reservoir, about 8 km from the town, in the interior - itself a very scenic place, with a small bushy island in the middle of the dam. The dam is surrounded by hills of the Western Ghats.
Madhavalayam is the small Muslim village and it has very ancient historic values and most of the people doesn't know much about it. During king rule the horse force of the king was camped in the place. And there is a special road from Madhavalayam to Thovalai (Special for flowers) arranged to train the horse force. It is the only village having a mosque builted on the highest rock about 200 feet height approximately. And 'Muthumakal thazhi' found in the village and it proves that the village got ancient historic values.

Outer to the city is Parvathipuram, a scenic location, where one can enjoy a full view of the Western Ghats, and lush green paddy fields and banana plantations. The Anandhanaaru kalvoy (canal) flows through Parvathipuram. This canal brings water for irrigation to the farmlands nearby. It finally ends into the Thengapattinam estuary in the Arabian sea.

There is a Lord Ayyappa temple near Marthandam at the banks of Kuzhithurai River.


Vedisasthan Kovil

This temple is known as either "Vettuvenni temple" or "Vedisasthan Kovil". The latter one due to the fire cracker being burst at the temple as mark of prayer to Lord Ayyappa. This temple is just by the side of National Highway NH-47 connecting Thiruvananthapuram with Nagercoil.

PLACES OF INTEREST

Kanyakumari, the Land's end, and the confluence of the three water bodies, is 20 km to the south of Nagercoil, with tourist attractions of its own which include the Vivekanda Rock Memorial, 133 ft high statue of Tamil poet-saint Tiruvalluvar - both on the mid-sea on rocky islands; the place is also famous for its distinctly beautiful (reddish) sunrise and sunset.
Vattakotta Fort, or Circular Fort, is a fort near Kanyakumari, right on the sea-shore, built under the orders of De Lannoy during the reign of Marthanda varma (1729-58 AD). The view from the top of the fort, of the sea and the palm-fringed beach below is fantastic.


Suchindrum Temple
Suchindrum (Thanumalayan) Temple, about 6 km from the heart of town and Nagaraja Temple (in the town), are some tourist attractions within the town.
St. Xavier’s Church, (Kottar in the town), built in the year 1600 AD, has historic importance due to the visit of St.Francis Xavier. The church was built in the land allotted to St. Xavier by the Venad king.
Swamithoppe Ayya Vaikundar Pathi, about 11 km from Kanyakumari, which is the religious headquarters of Ayyavazhi, is well known for its non-idolatry system of worship.
Padmanabhapuram Palace, (22 km from Nagercoil), once the seat of the Travancore kings, is India's only palace made completely of wood (16th century).
Chitharal Jain Monuments (about 35 km near Marthandam), impressive rock shelters and idols dated 9-11th Century.
Thirunandikkara temple (about 20 km), rock-cut cave temple of Pallava art can be traced back to seventh and eighth century AD.


Chothavilai Beach, near Nagercoil
Thengapattinam Beach. This beach is located on the west coast near Painkulam village in Vilancode Taluk. It is a fine beach adorned with coconut groves. It is also a magnificent estuary where the river meets the sea. Riding in a catamaran (small boat) in the river can be a pleasant experience which can be arranged through a local fisherman. It is 35 km from Nagercoil, 12 km from Kuzhithurai and 54 km from Kanyakumari.
Udayagiri Fort, built by the Travancore kings, is a fort previously used for training the Travancore forces and also served as Barracks. Capt. De Lenoy's (see History section) tomb is within the fort. The fort (about 90 acres and almost full of vegetation now, with several plants, reptiles, etc.) is presently declared as a bio-diversity park and maintained by the Kanyakumari forest department.
Mathur Hanging Trough, near Thiruvattar in the District carries irrigation water through a canal between two hills with a one kilometre gap in between (the hills). The canal itself goes above a small river. Built on very high pillars, it is said to be one of the biggest Aqueducts in South Asia. The view from the middle of the aqueduct of the surrounding hills and vegetation and the small river flowing down below is superb.
Olakaruvi waterfalls, about 20 km from Nagercoil is on the middle of a hill and requires an hour's trek by foot from the base of the hill (better to go in a group, as it is a forested area)
Keeriparai - for nature-lovers and adventurers - pristine and beautiful, places like Keeriparai haven’t been publicized much by the Forest Department for various reasons - Keeriparai hills (30 km from Nagercoil) and the nearby Kalikesam are forest areas, but good picnic spots - one can enjoy water rushing through small mountain streams, ferns and pebbles in the rainforests. There are also a few small waterfalls in this area - the popular one being Vattaparai Falls. Mountain squirrels, Jungle fowls, various snakes and other reptiles are among the fauna at Keeriparai. Wild elephants could be seen further up the hills.
Kodhayar (called Kodhayar Lower Camp) – is about 60 km and takes travelers by some exciting hill roads (motorable roads) with some thrilling 'hair-pin bends' and U-turns - bisons and bears are famous at Kodhayar, though there are other wild animals too. Access to some areas need prior permission from the Forest Department.
Pechiparai Reservoir, about 30 km from the town, in the hills, and also Perunchaani and Chittar dams are a must-see for the nature-lover (with clouds touching the top of the hills around the dams on a misty day !).
Thiruparrapu Falls, is another good waterfalls, but the 'natural ambiance' is now lost, with many artificial make-overs and over-crowding of tourists.

WONDER WORLD CAPE COMORIN

MY BEAUTIFUL NAGERCOIL

MY HOME TOWN - NAGERCOIL

HISTORY
Nagercoil derives its name from a famous old Jain temple called Naga Raja Temple (temple of the serpent king) which still exists in the central part of the town. Originally a Jain temple, it is now an important temple for the local Hindus and is also a tourist attraction.

Nagercoil came under the rule of various kingdoms, notably the Chera, Chola and Pandya kingdoms at various points of time; historical records reveal that these kingdoms fought over the control of the fertile area of Nanjilnadu and Kottar (a town mentioned in old Tamil writings and maps of ancient India). Archaeological records also show Jain influences in ancient times.

The modern history of the town is interwoven with the history of Travancore. The modern town of Nagercoil grew around Kottar, now a locality within the municipal limits. The town came into prominence during and after the reign of Maharaja Marthanda Varma, the king of erstwhile Travancore, the capital of which was Padmanabhapuram, about 20 km to the north of Nagercoil. The capital was later shifted to Thiruvananthapuram, the present capital of Kerala state, about 65 km to the north of Nagercoil. In the Travancore state, from the reign of Marthanda Varma up until India’s independence from Britain and Travancore’s annexation, Nagercoil was the second most important town in the state, after the capital Thiruvananthapuram.

Foreign colonial powers, most notably the Dutch, tried colonizing the areas around Nagercoil and Colachel during the 18th century, but were subdued. The Dutch East India Company(also known as Verenigde Oostindische Compagnie or VOC), with a keen eye on the spices of Travancore, tried to establish a trading post at the then important port town of Colachel, near Nagercoil. In the Battle of Colachel in 1741, a Dutch naval fleet under the command of Captain Eustachius De Lannoy gained control of the lands from Colachel to Nagercoil, but was subsequently defeated by the Travancore forces under the great king Maharaja Marthanda Varma.

Maharaja Marthanda Varma initiated the process of reforms in various sections of government, especially in the land, revenue, literacy, social and trade departments. His successors continued the reforms on the same stride. Though Travancore was considered by many to be a 'Hindu' administration, the rulers generally had religious tolerance, were not hostile to European educators, missionaries and traders.

Until the 19th century, the coffers of Travancore were greatly helped by revenues from the trade of pepper and other spices with the European powers.

Infrastructure like Irrigation systems (an excellent system is still found around Nagercoil), dams, roads, schools etc. developed under the able administration of the Travancore regents and their Dewans. The British in India called Travancore a 'model native state'. At the time, Travancore was the most socially developed and one of the most economically developed states under the British Raj.

During the time of the British Raj in India, Travancore was essentially a vassal to the British, but the British never interfered in the general administration of the Travancore regents.

At the time of India's independence from Britain, the then Dewan of Travancore, Sir C.P. Ramaswamy Aiyer, preferred Travancore to be a sovereign country, but eventually gave up after a tough stand by Sardar Vallabhai Patel, India’s federal minister in charge of home affairs. Late Sir C.P. Ramaswamy Aiyer is still kept in high esteem in Nagercoil, for the many projects and developments that took place during his tenure.

When the states in India were re-organized in the 1950's, under the States Reorganisation Act, the then Government of Kerala gave Kanyakumari district to Tamilnadu (because majority of the population spoke Tamil in the district).

Nagercoil has generally been a communally peaceful place, though there was some tension and violence between the Christian and Hindu communities in the 1980s. Since then, inter-religious meetings organised by various religious faiths and by District Collectors (local administrators) have helped in a good understanding between the various sections of the population .

TOWN SURRUNDINGS

Nagercoil is located at 8.18° N 77.43° E at the southern tip of peninsular India. Because of its close proximity to the Western Ghats, the town and its surroundings are generally hilly. The Western Ghats is the lifeline of the town, with water sources for drinking, its temperate climate, irrigation around the city and eco-system being influenced by this mountain range.

Sandwiched between the Arabian Sea and the Western Ghats, the town has some breathtaking sceneries of the surrounding hills (the Western Ghats), lush green paddy fields on the eastern side of the town, and sandy, palm-fringed beaches on the western side. Further east of Nagercoil, on the Western Ghats are plantations of rubber, cloves and cardamom. Many of these plantations were developed by British planters - planters names like Simpson and Balamore are still household names in the town - Rubber plant was introduced by the English missionaries in the pre-Indian independence days. Some of these plantation estates are still owned by the descendants of these British planters ; however, a majority of the estates are now owned by the rich and influential Mapillai (also called moplah or Syrian Christians) community of Kerala.

Being close to the cape, the southernmost tip of peninsular India, the town is the intersection of the eastern and western lines of the Indian Railways with one line leading through Kerala called the Konkan route and the other through the eastern part of India (through Tirunelveli of Tamilnadu). Nagercoil is 65 km from Thiruvananthapuram, the capital of Kerala state, connected by National Highway 47, and 80 km from Tirunelveli, connected by National Highway 7.

CLIMATE

Nagercoil has a pleasant yet humid climate for most part of the year. The maximum temperature during summer hovers around 86F or 30 degrees Celsius however the humidity is extremely high. Nagercoil is benefited by both the north-east monsoon and the south-west monsoon. It rains more often in this district than any other place in Tamil Nadu, with the exception of the Niligiris. The tropical rain belt passes over Nagercoil first in India thus Nagercoil receives more rain with relation to the rest of India. The southern tip of Kanyakumari is generally 2 °C to 3 °C warmer than Nagercoil during daytime, though Kanyakumari is only 20 km away.


Parvathipuram, in the outskirts of Nagercoil, with a scenic view of the Western Ghats.

Though the official population count (for the municipal area) is close to 2.25 lakhs, a significant population lives around the town, making the small district of Kanyakumari, with a population of about 1.7 million (17 lakhs), one of the most densely populated districts in Tamilnadu and in South India.

The concentration of the population of the town and the District is along the coastal belt along the western side, while the largely forested areas on the eastern side of the district (along the Western Ghats) is sparsely populated.

CULTURE & RELIGIONS

Tamil, Malayalam and English are widely spoken by the people. These three languages are used as a medium of teaching in all major schools.

The culture is a mixture of Tamil Nadu and Kerala. Christianity, Hinduism and Islam are the main religions practised, with Christians accounting to nearly half of the populace.

Some of the prominent festivals that are celebrated here are Ramzan (Eid ul fitr), Bakreid (Eid ul alha)Christmas, Onam, Bhagavathy Amman Temple festival, St. Francis Xavier's feast, and Ayya Vaikunda Avataram festival at Swamithope among others.