We left Kovalam on the 24th of March 2011 and headed South, to the Southern-most tip of the Subcontinent of India. Our destination was Kanyakumari, where 3 oceans meet, the Arabian Sea, Bay of Bengal and the Indian Ocean. It is a very sacred place, where devotes of Kanya Devi and religious pilgrims of all kinds flock by the tens of thousands to visit the Vivekananda Memorial and the Kumari Amman Temple.
It was a different feeling, coming to the end of something as significant as a Subcontinent. I’ve never been to Key West, or Cape Horn or the Horn of Africa, but I would imagine the feeling would be the same. And to stand where 3 oceans converge is also something to boast about.
Ptolemy wrote of the relationship between Kanyakumari and Alexandria, and this relationship would have been forged many centuries prior to Ptolemy and for many years after. Trading in pearls and being an important route point for sailors at the time meant that Kanyakumari would always be a hub of activity.
Today, Kanyakumari, aside from being a pilgrimage spot, is also an active tourist destination not only for India but for the entire world. Kanyakumari is not a large city by any stretch, but its main source since the 1970s is tourism. Almost a metropolitan feeling, mostly for Indians as they say you can hear nearly every language and dialect spoken in India on the streets of Kanyakumari. There are plenty of hotels and restaurants between the main roads and the tip of the land, as well as a plethora of souvenir shops that really crank up in the evening.
We stayed in the Manickam Tourist Home. Funny sounding name, but a decent place, and were told upon our arrival of the rooftop sunrise party every morning. Sunrises are a big deal in Kanyakumari it seems. Lots of businesses have the word “sunrise” in their name or on their websites. This will come to play later.
In part two, we will visit the Vivekananda memorial and other sites.
Copyright 2019 Michael Roseberry. Photos were taken with Canon Powershot SD750.
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Indus Revisited 
Living in a temperate country, we don’t have a tendency of liking or unliking the sun. But some parts of India are surviving purely on tourism. Even we get mesmerised when people offer us rooftop or sunrise facing properties or breakfast setting. I guess, the people in business learnt that the visitors coming from Europe or America love their sun bathe. Probably to attract them, you will find such lucrative hoardings, be it the desserts of Rajasthan or Gujarat.
P.s. I am loving your autumn series. Autumn just started settling in my city. The breeze brings the pleasantries of long lorn winter.
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Dear Dr. Bhai, good to hear from you! One of the things I miss most about India are the sunrises and sunsets. I long for Rajasthan, high on my bucket list. More photos of Autumn on the way!
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Currently , I am on Rajasthan tour and I am loving it 🙂 Completed ranakpur, kumbalgarh and jaipur till now!
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