India's Ultimate Sunrise Gathering
Just 87km (54 miles) southeast of Trivandrum, across the border with Tamil Nadu, Kanyakumari (also known as Cape Comorin) is not only India's southernmost tip but the much-venerated confluence of the Arabian Sea, the Bay of Bengal, and the Indian Ocean. Watching the sun rise from the subcontinent's southernmost point is an age-old ritual that attracts thousands of Indian pilgrims each morning. They plunge themselves into the turbulent swell, believing that the tri-oceanic waters are holy. Others revel in the glorious spectacle as though it were a major Bollywood premiere. Nature's daily show here becomes something akin to a miniature festival, with excited pilgrims besieged by chai-, coffee-, and souvenir-wallas selling everything from kitschy crafts (how else to describe conch shells with plastic flower bouquets glued to the top?) to ancient postcards and outdated booklets. But it's all part of the experience, which is quite wonderful; you can't help but be moved by the mass of people who gaze on a natural daily occurrence with such childlike wonder, effectively bestowing upon the event the spiritual significance that draws the crowds in the first place.
To get here, you need to arrange for an early morning wake-up call and have your hotel schedule a taxi. You should reach Kanyakumari at least half an hour before sunrise in order to take in the mounting excitement as the crowds prepare to greet the new day. Once the sun is up, you'll have a good view of two rock islands not too far offshore. One of these is the site of the Swami Vivekananda Rock Memorial (Rs 15 daily darshan or viewing of a deity; 8am-4pm), reached by the half-hourly ferry. The memorial commemorates a Hindu guru and social reformer's meditative sojourn on the island in 1892. Several bookstores selling spiritual tomes are found on the island, but the best experience is to be had in the Dhyana Mandapam, a room where absolute silence is maintained so that pilgrims can meditate before a golden om symbol. A set of Parvati's footprints is enshrined in a temple built for it on the island. On the adjacent rocky island, a massive sculpture of the celebrated ancient Tamil poet-savant Thiruvalluvar stands 40m (131 ft.) high, punctuating the horizon like some bizarre homage to New York's Statue of Liberty.
The only attraction in the town itself is famous Kumari Amman Temple (daily 4:30am-noon and 4:30-8:30pm), dedicated to Kanyakumari, a virgin goddess. Devotees enter the temple through the north gate, making their way around various corridors and bridges before viewing the deity, here depicted as a young girl doing penance with a rosary in her right hand. It's said that her sparkling nose jewel -- seen glowing from some distance away -- was installed by Parasurama (Lord Rama, an avatar of Vishnu) himself. Non-Hindus wishing to enter the temple must remove shoes, and men must remove shirts and wear a dhoti (although a lungi passes; purchase one before you leave Kovalam). A willing temple priest will lead you on a very brisk (queue-jumping) tour of the temple, ending with the obligatory suggestion that a donation would be quite acceptable.
En route back towards Kerala, you can buy cheap, delicious palm fruits from children on the roadside and visit the fantastic palace in the town of Padmanabhapuram, capital of Travancore until 1790. If, for some reason, you get trapped in this ramshackle, pilgrim-choked town, head for Hotel Maadhini (East Car St.; tel. 04652/24-6857 or -6787; www.hotelmaadhini.in; Rs 900-Rs 1,900 double), where you will be woken predawn with tea and an urgent suggestion to watch the rising sun from your balcony. (Note: Kanyakumari sunsets, which are obviously more convenient to reach, also draw a crowd but are only visible mid-Oct to mid-Mar and are not quite as atmospheric, except perhaps for chaitra purnima, the full-moon evening in Apr when the sunset and moonrise can be viewed simultaneously along the horizon.)
Note: This information was accurate when it was published, but can change without notice. Please be sure to confirm all rates and details directly with the companies in question before planning your trip.
