Goddess Bhagavathy is the main deity of this temple, who is an incarnation of Goddess Parvathi. Here Goddess is also known as Devi Kanya Kumari and is in the form of an adolescent girl child.
Here Lord Shiva is worshipped as Nimish.
Interesting Facts
Best Season To Visit
The best season to visit the temple is Winter season. The best months to visit are September to February.
Weather
Highest - April to June (38°C during day and 26°C during night)Average - May (37 °C during the day and 21 °C during night)Lowest - October to February (30 °C during day and 18 °C during night)Monsoon season - August to September
Dress Code
Do's & Dont's
transport connections
Name | Distance | Contact Number |
---|---|---|
Kanyakumari Bus Stand
|
1 KM | 04652-246285 |
Railway station Kanyakumari
|
1.3 KM | 139 |
Trivandrum International Airport |
100 KM | 0471-2702600 |
Architecture
This beautiful town where the temple is settled is a vision in itself as the Arabian Sea in the West, the Bay of Bengal in the east and the Indian Ocean in the South meet together here. The name ‘Kanyakumari’ stands for ‘Kanya’ meaning ‘Virgin’ and ‘Kumari’ meaning Girl. Sage Parashurama is said to have performed the consecration of the temple and the image of Devi Bhagavathy facing the east, made of blue stone, is believed to have been installed by him. The rites and rituals of the temple is organised and classified by following Sankaracharya’s treatise. As directed by his Guru Sri Ramakrishna Paramahamsa, Swami Vivekananda, came here to seek Devi’s blessing in December 1892, as devi is the goddess of Sanyasa.
Nose ring of Devi Kanyakumari : She wears a sparkling nose jewel sheds lustrous radiance. The nose ring of Devi Kanyakumari is set with rubies. They are so bright and that it could be seen even from the far at night. Also it is told that some ships sailing in the sea, mistaking the brightness of the rubies as the light from the Lighthouse, got wrecked, hitting against the rocks nearby.
Religious Significance
Kanyakumari and its surroundings are believed to be part of the land which was created by Parasurama, an incarnation of Lord Vishnu. Folktales and mythological stories speak about Kanyakumari. In mythology, it is full of conflicts between Devas and Asuras, and finally the Devas get victory. It is the conquest of good over evil. Banasura (Grandson of Mahabahali), the demon king, propitiated Lord Brahma. When Banasura asked for a boon of immortality, Brahma expressed his inability to grant such a boon, but gave an option to choose his own manner of death. Banasura wished that if at all he had to die, let his death be at the hands of a virgin. Brahma granted his boon. Banasura, with this boon, started to harass the Devas and torturing the saints and rishis. Unable to bear this agony, they appealed to Mother Earth who in turn sought the help of Her consort Lord Vishnu, who is the protector of the Universe. On the Lord’s command, the Devas propitiated Parasakthi who alone was capable of destroying Banasura. The Devas performed a Yagna which was so powerful that the Goddess was much pleased. She promised to annihilate Banasura. As ordained, Parasakthi in her reincarnation came down to earth as Devi Kumari. It is very common mythological fact that whichever reincarnation she took, she would do penance to rejoin her husband Lord Shiva through marriage. Hence Kumari did penance so that she would be married to Lord Shiva. Shiva, pleased and happy, expressed his willingness to marry her. This was made known to Kumari. Narada who undertook this task arranged a proper time for marriage before dawn and insisted that the auspicious time should not be missed. Elaborate arrangements were made at Kumari’s place to celebrate the marriage.
The Lord Shiva was staying at Suchindrum. The bridegroom’s party started from Suchindrum well in advance with pomp and pageantry. Meanwhile, Narada was prompted by the Devas to do something to stop the marriage, because once the marriage was over, Kumari could not be a virgin and Banasura could not be killed as he could be killed only by a virgin. Narada hit upon a plan, and assumed the form of a cock and waited at the place called Vazhukkamparai. When the marriage party reached at that place on their way to Kanyakumari, Narada crowed aloud. On hearing this by Lord Shiva and his party, thought that it was dawn and the auspicious hour had passed. Hence they returned to Suchindrum, greatly disappointed. Meanwhile, Devi Kanyakumari, dressed for the marriage occasion in bridal glory was waiting for the arrival of Lord Shiva and his marriage party. As the bridegroom’s party didn’t turn up, the disappointed Bride Kumari vowed to remain a virgin. Also she scattered all the food items kept for marriage, which turned into sand and pebbles resembling rice and other items. The multi coloured sand found in the Kanyakumari sea shore is attributed to this incident. Banasura, hearing about the beauty of Kumari, and without realizing who she was, wanted to marry her. Kumari bluntly declined his proposal. Banasura decided to win her by force. A fierce battle ensued at Mahadhanapuram (a place 4 km from Kanyakumari) and in the end, the Goddess Kanyakumari used her Chakrayudha (Discus weapon) and slain Banasura. All the Devas were watching this and were delighted and sang hymns in praise of Devi Kanyakumari. Then Devi resumed her penance and remained a virgin and continues to perform austerities to this day with the hopes that he will one day unite with her.
History
The worship of Devi Kanya Kumari dates back to the Vedic times. She has been mentioned in Ramayana, Mahabharata, and the Sangam works Manimekalai, Puranaanooru and Narayaṇa (Mahanarayana) Upanishad, a Vaishnava upanishad in the Taittiriya Samhita of Krishna Yajur Veda. The temple is said to be over 3000 years old. It is in this location he decided to embark on the Missionary Work to a higher level of action rather than being passive like the usual Sanyasis’. Swami Brahmananda (1863–1922) and Swami Nirmalananda (1863–1938), another two disciples of Sri Ramakrishna Parama hamsa also worshiped Devi Kanyakumari. In fact, Swami Nirmalananda brought several small girls from many parts of Kerala to worship Bahagavathy in 1935-36 period. To the surprise of all, seven girls later became the members of the first batch of Nuns of the “Sarada Ashrama”, a Hindu Nunnery started later in 1948 in Ottapalam, Palakkad, Kerala by Swami Vishadananda. The author of ‘Periplus of the Erythraean Sea’ (60-80 A.D.) has written about the prevalence of the propitiation of the deity Kanyakumari in the extreme southern part of India.
Temple Timings
Day | Timings | |
---|---|---|
All Days | 04:30 AM - 12:30 PM | 04:00 PM - 08:30 PM |
Pooja
Tours
Airports
Airport Name | Distance |
---|---|
Shamshabad | 40 KM |
Lorem Ipsum | 12 KM |
Railway Stations
Railway Station Name | Distance |
---|---|
Secunderabad | 10 KM |
Nampally | 12 KM |
Begumpet | 6 KM |
Lingampally | 20 KM |
Bus Stations
Bus Station Name | Distance |
---|---|
MGBS | 35 KM |
CBS | 28 KM |
kukatpally | 20 KM |
Lingampally | 30 KM |
Uppal | 35 KM |
Private Transports
Transport Name | Distance | Contact Number |
---|---|---|
Private Transport | 8 KM | 9546858757 |
Private Transport1 | 8 KM | 9546858757 |
Private Transport1 | 8 KM | 9546858757 |
Private Transport1 | 8 KM | 9546858757 |
Private Transport1 | 8 KM | 9546858757 |
Local Transports
Transport Name | Distance | Contact Number |
---|---|---|
Local Transport | 5 KM | 9546858757 |
Local Transport1 | 5 KM | 9546858757 |
Local Transport1 | 5 KM | 9546858757 |
Local Transport1 | 5 KM | 9546858757 |
Local Transport1 | 5 KM | 9546858757 |
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