History of Kanyakumari

Kanyakumari History

       The name Kanyakumari comes from the name of local deity Kumari Amman or Kanyakumari Temple. It is situated in the southernmost tip of Indian continent where the three seas Arabian Sea, Indian Ocean and the Bay of Bengal meet. The Travancore Census notes that the Paravars rulers governed the coast and built the Kanyakumari temple for their reverence to the Sea goddess. Epic stories attached to this town goes thus, An extension of Parvati mata, Kanya devi was to marry Lord Shiva, but the lord did not turn up on wedding day, the grains kept for wedding remained uncooked and eventually turned into sand spread on the sea shore. 

Kanya Devi is considered as virgin goddess who blesses the pilgrims and tourists who come to visit the town here. Second legend says that Lord Hanuman dropped a piece of earth while carrying the mountain with important life saving herb to Lanka during the Ram-Ravan war . This has caused the surrounding place to be full of medicinal herbs. Agatha Muni an herbal medicine expert is believed to have lived here. Agastheeswaram is a village near Kanyakumari where Agasthya Muni lived. This is why the nearby places and a small hill nearby have so many herbal plantations. Kanyakumari has been a great center for arts and culture since ages. The place also had good trade links in the past. Christianity and Islam entered here via sea and have a sizeable number of followers now. Jainism is one of the faiths which have contributed in the arts and architecture of the region.