Road trip to Kanyakumari from Bengaluru, 'To the CAPE' Part - 4

 It was Sunday morning , and around 6:30 am . We freshened up and walked towards KanyaKumari Temple.

About Kanyakumari  temple:  It is said to be a 3000 year old temple and is dedicated to  Kumari Amman or the Virgin goddess (KanyaKumari). The temple is situated at the southern most tip (also known as Cape Comorin), which is also the confluence of the three great water bodies, the Indian Ocean, the Bay of Bengal and the Arabian Sea. One has to enter the temple from the northern gate, since the eastern gate is opened only on a few occasions. Devi KanyaKumari is seen standing  as a charming young girl in her penance , with a  garland of roses in her right hand .There is a story behind why she remained a virgin goddess. The nose ring of Devi Kanyakumari  is believed to be set with rubies  and shines so brightly that it could be seen from far at night .As we look at the ring, it shines so brightly that it is not surprising to believe stories of ships being wrecked mistaking the radiance of the nose ring for light from the light house! No Photography is allowed inside the temple.

Kanyakumari temple

Other places of interest in KanyaKumari: Vivekanandapuram, Guhanadeeswara Temple, Baywatch, Wandering Monk, Murugan Kundram, etc.

We moved  towards our final destination, Madurai. The Madurai temple is also commonly known as " the mother of all Temples in India", while Madurai itself is known as the "Athens of the East". 

History of Madurai: Founded by Pandyan King Kulasekhara in the 6th century . Improved further till 14th century, during this time Malik Kafur invaded it . After 70 years of Muslim rule , The Pandyan re-established themselves and built many structures . Madurai Meenakshi temple dominates the old city . Located at the heart of the city , the temple is a superb example of Dravidian architecture and sculpture. It has for long been the greatest attraction for the tourists as well as one of the most important places of pilgrimage. The temple has two shrines, one dedicated to Shiva as Sundareshwara, and the other to his consort Meenakshi .There are no words to express the beauty and elegance of this temple. Grand, exotic,  an excellent piece of art and one great place to visit are few words I have. Photography is allowed  in the outer limits of the temple at a charge of Rs.50/-.

One of  those big Gopuras

Guess ?

Zodiac Signs on the ceiling

Paintings

Devi

Linga

Corridor

Corridor

Devi

Official Photographer of TGS

As all good things come to an end (for the beginning of better ones of course!), this trip too ended, the only part remaining  was the long drive back to Bengaluru .We had about 450 kms to drive . It took us about 7 hours to reach Bangalore .

First of all, thanks to the NHAI (National Highway Authority of India) and the GOI (government of India) for upgrading the NH . NH 7 was a pleasure to drive, since it was a 4 lane road  all along up to KanyaKumari.

It was a very comfortable journey . Our connection with Tamil Nadu has just begun . Hoping this only gets better over time and Tamil Nadu feels happier with the number of people visiting it keeps increasing .

Overall Travel Route: Bangalore-Salem-Dindigul-Madurai-Srivilliputtur-Tenkasi-Courtallam-Papanasanam -Kanyakumari-Suchindrum-Nagercoil-Mathur-Kanyakumari- Tirunelveli-Madurai-Salem-Bangalore

Total Kms- just over 1700 kms
Duration - 4 days
Date: April 29,30, May 1,2, 2010