VIVEKANANDA ROCK
AT
KANYAKUMARI
Located at the
southern most tip of the Indian Peninsula where the Arabian Sea, the
Indian Ocean and the Bay of Bengal meet, is Kanyakumari, the place famous for
its spectacular sunrises and sunsets.
Located
in the midst of the ocean, just 400 meters from Kanyakumari, is the magnificent
Vivekananda Rock Memorial. This colossal structure was built in the year 1970,
under the guidance of Shri Eknath Ranade. The Vivekananda rock temple is
dedicated to one of the greatest spiritual philosophers of India, Swami
Vivekananda.
It is said that Swami Vivekananda meditated here before setting
out on one of the most crucial religious campaigns in India in 1892. The idea
of building Vivekananda Memorial Rock temple was conceptualized on his birth
centenary in the year 1962.
Vivekananda Mandapam
with a dimension of 534' x 426',consists of a Meditation Hall ( Dhyana
Mandapam) with six adjacent rooms where visitors can meditate peacefully and an
Assembly hall (Sabha Mandapam) with two rooms and a corridor. A statue of Swami
Vivekananda in a standing posture, has also been installed in the Assembly
hall, with its vision directed towards the 'Sripadam'.
The sacred Hindu Symbol
'aum' or 'om' is written above the main entrance of the memorial, in Tamil. The
design of the mandapa incorporates different styles of temple architecture from
all over India. Wide entrance steps lead to the main entrance. The cost of
construction of the memorial came up to 1 crore 35 lakhs. The rock on which the
memorial stands measures about 164 mtrs. x 130 mtrs. at the water level and has
a spacious level top at an altitude of 17 mtrs.
Swami Vivekanada
(1863-1902), the spiritual genius renounced the world and traveled widely
as a wandering monk after the death of his guru Sri Ramakrishna.
He came to
Kanyakumari in 1892, swam in the ocean up to the 'Sripada' rock, and spent the
whole night there meditating. It is believed that he received enlightenment
here which transformed him into one of the most charismatic spiritual leaders
of this century.
Air
The nearest airport
is at Trivandrum (Thiruvananthapuram), 86 kms away, with regular flights to
Bangalore, Mumbai, Cochin, Delhi, Goa and Madras.
Rail
Kanyakumari railway
station on broad gauge line is situated at a distance of 1km from the port and
is connected to Trivandrum. Tirunelvelli (83 km) is the other nearest railway
junction.
Road
Kanyakumari is
connected by Road to Nagarcoil ( 19 kms), Trivandrum (86 km), Tirunelvelli (83
km), Tiruchendur (95 km), Tuticorin (129 km), Rameshwaram (300 km), Courtallam
(130 km), Tenkasi (138 km), Madurai (242 km), Thekkady (358 km), Kodaikanal
(362 km), Ootacamund (576 km), Chennai (679 km), Cochin (309 km) and Coimbatore
(478 km).
