My journey with Pippa to Kanyakumari

Pippa was my best friend, or call her as very genuine friend who traveled from Wales of United Kingdom to kerala of  India during her busy life, for meeting up and spending one week with me to know more about kerala and India. She had such a beautiful smile always to me with silly fights to show me how much deeply she had loved me. After two days of continuous drive in Motor Cycle, to all corners of Trivandrum and Kollam Districts, we decided to move into kanyakumari by train.  we booked train ticket, and then watched a malayalam movie 7 th day starred by Prithvi Raj . She became fan of Prithviraj Sukumaran a malayalam film actor. and asked me to smoke cigarette  in his style.Next day, we got ready for journey. She was very energetic and happy to wake up in morning and took bath for her journey to the interesting and reputed corner of India, Kanyakumari where three seas are meeting together up with such an amazing view for the visitors.

We thus proceeded to train station of Trivandrum  city which is the very nearest city to Kanyakumari. Around 85 km away. and we were alone in big seats for five passengers, looking each other in romance. We reached in Nagarcoil. When i told her well explaining everything in detail about culture and life style of people, Pippa was very enthusiastic to compare everything with her usual scenes in UK. Every scenes in Train and the journey were new and very interesting. She felt as if she is living in another world far away from her community and culture. She wore kerala Traditional Churidhar and acted in her behavior as if she is a typical kerala woman, walking always like a child to hold my hand. We reached to Kanykumari, First of all what she asked is to get tender coconut water for drinking because she was too tired and hungry. We walked through the toad and eventually found a nice restaurant for eating our lunch. She ordered Thali Meals with vegetable curry and i did with non veg. She was actually suffering a lot to imitate me for eating foods with her hand. It was very difficult for her to take rice by hand and put them in mouth well. her full right hand and left hand covered with food and she strove hard for eating well. She said that she likes the food much either because she is very hungry. The spicy curry , she ate without showing off any disrespect. 

Then we decided to walk for reaching to kanyakumari and enjoy the scenes of each and every corner of kanyakumari.   

Kumari Amman Temple 

Kanyakumari is actually a town in kanyakumari district in  Tamil Nadu State of India. we went to the side of ocean the tourist location where Vivekanda Rock is located. We  walked through road watching the hand craft and clothes in the busy market there. And then we walked to the temple. Kanyakumari is notable for pilgrimage tourism also because of the pertinence and story behind the temple. There is a myth in Kanyakumari that, the goddess Balambika of incarnation by Sre Parvathi, wife of Shiva, could not marry Shiva and the rice and food items to prepare for feast became damaged. So The goddess" Kanya" is still there,keeping herself as virgin without marriage to bless  her devotees.. 

Therefore, If any unmarried couple goes to visit together the place with faith, their marriage will happen soon. So we can see there that many men and women are visiting the temple and place with such a faith for blessing from "Goddess Kanya". From the temple named as Kummari Amman which is located in the corner tip of the three oceans, such as Indian ocean, Arabian Ocean,and Bangal Ocean, the name Kanyakumari was derived. Since Decades, Kanyakumari was trade market during the chola , chera, pandia and nayaka kings in ancient time. 

Pippa was very impressed to hear the story. While we walk together, many freelance photo graphers came there to request for photo, if we say yes, they quickly take photo and ask for 150 Indian Rupees for the photos. Pippa became in trouble with a photographer when she gave permission to a photographer. We had to pose for photo session many times. 

Pippa was very happy to wait for the sun set in Kanyakumari and it was an amazing scene when she was standing there and i clicked many photos for her in her camara. 

Gandhi Memorial 

The history of India in Kanyakumari is amazingly heart touching. After Indian Nationalist Mahatma Gandhi was assassinated in 1948 , his remains were cremated and sent to various parts of the country to honer his mourning events . a potion of his ashes of Gandhi's Dead Body were put on display before being ritually deposited  in kanyakumari Sea after mourning ceremonies.

After removing the ashes , The bright Pink  Gandhi Memorial is built in 1956 to remember him well. The sunshine here hits the spot.

Vivekananda Rock 

In Kanyakumari, there are two rocks around 500 away in sea. one of the rock is named as Vivekananda Rock because it is considered that Swami Vivekananda used to swim to get there on the rock for taking penance there upon it. 1892, December 23,24,25 days he had sat there on the rock in meditation. So in his memory, the Vivekananda Memorial was built in 1970.

There is a myth believed by people that Goddess Kumari took penance in one leg on Sree Pada Rock that is located in Vivekananda Rock. Hindu People worship here a foot print that is considered to Goddess Kumari's. There is history that pierced the minds of christian people, when i said the historical story to her, Pippa seemed to be very sad.

  In 1962, when the efforts were taken by hindu people to build their a statue of Vivekananda, there was a cross fixed by christian believers. They would call it KanyakaMeri Rock,  the word  Kanyaka in malayalam language means Virgin in English. They used to call the location,  Kanyaka Meri Rock. But Hindu Believers suppressed the voice of christians and with support of Indian Government, they removed the cross from there and built Statue for Vivekananda ,naming it Vivekananda Rock. 

In 1963, The Slab of hindu belief fixed there on the rock was thrashed by someone. Later Rashtriya Swayam Sevak's leader Golvalker interfered to the matter and appointed RSS General Secretary Sre EkNath Ranade for eradicating the voice of Christian believers and fixing new slab of Hindu dominance over the rock during the tug of war between two religious people. There we can see a museum in memory of Ek Nath Ranade, where there are books and other historical visuals about the history regarding the construction of buildings upon the Rocks

One of the beautiful attraction in Kanyakumari is, Swami Vevekananda Memorial where there are places for people to do meditation as well. 

After spending lots of around there, and spending time in park, we returned back to room in Trivandrum City. Pippa was too happy for having such an amazing trip to Kanyakumari where three seas meet.