According
to another local myth, Lord
Hanuman dropped a piece of
earth as he was carrying the
mount with the life-saving
herb, Mrita Snajivani from
the Himalayas to Lanka during
the Rama-Ravana war. This
chunk of earth is called Marunthuvazh
Malai, which is literally
translated to "medicine-residing
hills". This is said
to be the reason for the abundance
of unique native plants in
the area. The district is
home to many practitioners
of various branches of ancient
India's health tradition,
including siddha, ayurvedha,
varma kalai.
Kanyakumari
has been a great centre for
art and religion for centuries.
It was also an area of heavy
commerce and trade. It was
ruled by the Cholas, the Cheras,
the Pandyas and the Nayaks.
The architectural beauty of
the temples is the work of
these rulers. Later Kanyakumari
becamew part of the Venad
kingdom with its capital at
Padmanabhapuram. The king
of Venad, Anizham Thirunal
Marthanda Varma established
Travancore by extending his
domain further north up to
Aluva, during his reign from
1729 to 1758. By this, the
present Kanyakumari District
came to be known as Southern
Travancore. King Marthanda
Varma defeated the Dutch East
India Company at the famous
Battle of Colachel in 1741.
Knyakumari was under the rule
of the Kings of Travancore
under the over all suzerainity
of the British till 1947.
Travancore joined the independent
Indian Union in 1947. Obviously,
the royal reign came to an
end. In 1949, Kanyakumari
became part of the reconstituted
Travancore-Cochin State. By
this time, the popular agitation
for the amalgamation of Kanyakumari
District with Tamil Nadu by
the tamil majority under the
leadership of Thiru M.A. Nesamony
intensified. Eventually, in
1956, Kanyakumari was integrated
with Tamil Nadu (then known
as Madras State) as per the
language-based reorganisation
of States.
According
to legend, Christianity arrived
in South India around AD 52
through St. Thomas, one of
the twelve Apostles of Christ.
However, European missionaries,
who arrived in the 16th century,
propagated Christianity in
the area. St. Francis Xavier
(April 7, 1506 – December
2, 1552)was the pioneer in
preaching Christianity in
the present day Kanyakumari
District. Islam is believed
to have entered the southern
part of India through Kanyakumari
during the early part of the
eighth century AD through
the sea route with traders
and missionaries. Islam, Christianity
and Jainism have also contributed
to the architectural wealth
and literary heritage of the
region.
It
is very popular to watch the
sunrise/sunset here. Because
this is a meeting point of
three ocean bodies - the Bay
of Bengal, the Indian Ocean,
and the Arabian Sea - the
spectacular sunrise/sunset
sight is considered to even
more special.
Kanyakumari
got its name from the Kumari
Amman or the Kanyakumari Temple
situated at the shore on the
confluence of the Bay of Bengal,
Indian Ocean and the Arabian
Sea. According to the local
lore, Kanya Devi, an avatar
of Parvati, was to marry Shiva,
but he failed to show up to
the wedding. The rice and other
grains meant for the wedding
feast remained uncooked. Today
tourists can buy tiny stones
which look like rice, in remembrance
of the marriage that was never
solemnized. The princess Kanya
Devi is a virgin goddess who
blesses pilgrims and tourists.
