Nagaraja Temple - A Visit Here Is Sure To Leave You With A Blissful Experience

NAGARAJA TEMPLE

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NAGARCOIL

Located in the Nagercoil town of Kanyakumari district in Tamil Nadu, the ‘Nagaraja Temple’ is dedicated to the serpent king Vasuki. The presiding deity of this temple is the five-headed Naga God and is visited by hordes of devotees, especially on Sundays when special Pooja is performed offering milk and turmeric to the deity. 

The temple sees an uncountable footfall of people suffering from Naga Dosha during the Tamil month of Avani (August and September) when some distinct rituals are performed for 12 days.

According to folk tales and legends, once a village girl was cutting grass in the area when all of a sudden she noticed blood oozing out of her axe after accidentally hitting a stone. She hurriedly went to the village and brought few villagers here, out of which one villager recognized the stone as an idol of a five headed snake. 

Thereafter, the temple dedicated to Nagaraja was built with its walls made of mud and roof made of coconut leaves. The main sanctum of the temple still has these mud walls and thatched roof with the small stone idol of Nagaraja placed on the soil. 

The soil underneath the idol remains wet as it is believed that the blood is still oozing out of the deity till date. It is believed that this soil holds special powers and can cure any skin ailments; the soil is also given as prasadam to the visitors of the temple.

The architecture of the temple is quite simple with scores of sculptures and images of different snakes adorning the walls, trees and pond around. The main sanctum enshrines the deity and is guarded by two huge statues of five-headed serpents. Inside the temple premises, you will also find Shivlinga and idol of Vishnu in Anant Shayana position.

One of the very unique temples in India located amidst tranquil and peaceful settings, a visit here is sure to leave you with a blissful experience.

Thai Brahmmotsavam in January-February; Aavani Sundays and Aavani Aslesha (Aayilyam) star day and Krishna Jayanthi in August-September; Navarathri in September-October and Tirukarthikai in November-December are the festivals celebrated in the temple.

The temple is located in heart of town Nagercoil, and is around 4 KMs from nearest railway station Nagercoil . There are frequent public transportations available to reach Nagaraja temple from other places.The nearest airport is at Thiruvanathapuram.

Kanyakumari Beach - International Tourists Like To Come To Watch The Sunrise And Sunset From This Place

KANYAKUMARI BEACH

Kanyakumari Beach is the Confluence of three oceans Bay of Bengal, Arabian Sea and Indian Ocean. Kanyakumari shore is popular world - wide, because it is the only places on earth, where you can see the Sun Rise and Sun Set from the ocean. 

It is the only place in India where one can enjoy the unique spectacle of Sunset and Moonrise simultaneously on full moon days. It is even more special and spectacular on Chitra Paurnami [full moon that occurs in Apr-May] when one can view both the sun and the moon facing each other on the same horizon, a rare sight of unique grandeur, which seems to happen by prior arrangement.

This beach is visited not by the people from Tamil Nadu and Neighboring States alone, International tourists visiting South India have Kanyakumari on their itinerary too. 

Kanyakumari is located at the southernmost tip of the Indian Peninsula; its former name was Cape Comorin. The Kanyakumari beach is a beautiful sight with multi-coloured sand. The beach here does not really offer one the opportunity to sunbathe on soft golden sands, or to frolic in the waves either. 

The seashore is rocky and dangerous, and there is a manmade wall running along it. People are warned to stay off the rocks, and when if someone ventures out of bounds, he or she is quickly and severely reprimanded by a watchful policeman. There is a lighthouse from where one can get a panoramic view.

The sea is fairly rough, so it is entertaining to watch it beat itself against the rocks and then subside, before it gathers itself up for another attack. With long stretches of sands of many hues, the beach offers a welcome change. The place is also famous for its distinctly beautiful (reddish) sunrise and sunset.A variety of shells are on sale on the Kanyakumari beach.

By Air

Located at a distance of about 67 kilometres, the nearest airport to Kanyakumari is the Trivandrum International Airport. Apart from being well connected with the major cities in India, the airport is also well linked with some gulf countries. From the airport, you can hire a taxi or a cab to Kanyakumari which will cost you somewhere between Rs. 1,000 to Rs. 1,500.

By Train

Kanyakumari has its own railhead and trains from major cities of India stop at this junction. Kanyakumari Express is well-connected to Mumbai and Bangalore. 

By Bus

Tamil Nadu and Kanyakumari Road Transport Corporation offer regular fleet of buses to almost all the major cities of South India. You can choose from deluxe, regular and air-conditioned private buses which run between Kanyakumari and Bangalore, Trivandrum and Chennai.

VIVEKANANDA ROCK

VIVEKANANDA ROCK

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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).