Travelogues

Kanyakumari, is one of first places which I visited as a child. Recently I went for a wedding at Chennai, when I saw buses plying to Kanyakumari. I couldn’t resist revisiting the place where I’d been years back.

Located at the southern tip of the India, Kanyakumari has a unique coastline. It’s also the meeting point of three oceans-the Bay of Bengal, the Arabian Sea and the Indian Ocean. As a child I possibly missed the multi-coloured sand, which is a unique feature of the beaches here. But this time I made it a point to check out the sand. I also noticed that now the place is dotted with many hotels & has newer stay options.

I’d put up in hotel Samudra near the temple, overlooking the sea. Every time I would skip a heartbeat when the endless ocean with its rough surging waves, crashed against the rocks. From the window of my room, the spectacular sunset was all the more engrossing.

Every evening I would go upto the beach & sit to watch the sun till it vanished behind the horizon. I was carrying my camera, but for some unknown reason I was feeling uneasy to take pictures. It seemed the moment I start clicking pictures, I’ll lose this feeling of respite. May be I was rather too greedy to watch & absorb every moment of the beautiful evening.

After a day’s relaxation, I pulled myself to visit the famous Vivekanand Rock Memorial, the Kanyakumari Temple & the Portuguese Church, which are other highlights of the city besides the ocean. The moment I boarded the jetty which would take me to the Vivekananda rock, I saw young kids jumping around as I did when I came here first time. This time I was composed & was going there to note the architecture & heritage of the rock.

The memorial is a combination of some distinct styles of temple architecture. Next day I was only planning to visit the Kanyakumari temple & the famous church, but couldn’t resist the temptation of seeing the Vattakottai Fort. The fort was erected as a symbol of military history of India which is small yet charming. The circular fort on the seashore, 6 kms away from Kanyakumari is an 18^th century fort.

While on a shopping spree post lunch, I realised that very rightly Kanyakumari is often referred to as the Alexandria of the East. Many