Vivekananda Memorial, Kanyakumari

Introduction and history: The Vivekananda memorial is a rock located in Kanyakumari district about 500 meters from the main land. This is one of the important monuments which speak for India’s spiritual wealth and one of its masters Swami Vivekananda. When Swami visited this place in 1892, he went on deep meditation thereby making it one of the ideal places to attain solace. Kanyakumari has been named after the Goddess Kanyakumari amman who is the popular deity of the area. Legend has it that the Goddess parvati in one of her incarnations as Devi kanni did penance on one of the rocks of this land’s end to obtain the hand of Lord Shiva.

What to see and when to go: The memorial consist of two main portions namely Vivekananda mantapam and Shripada mantapam. The former is ideal place for performing meditation and the later forms the outer platform, which serves as an excellent vista point. This is ideal to visit any time during the year.

Things to do: Apart from visiting Vivekananda memorial, one can check out yoga camps nearby in the Vivekanandapuram area.

Accommodation: There is lot of hotels available depending on the budget. Hotels in Vivekanandapuram are very economical with price ranging about 300-500 rupees per day.

Hotel Pioneer Paradise
Tower Junction,
Nagercoil
Kanyakumari
Tamil Nadu
Tele:04652-238451,238542,238544

Hotel Manickam
East car street,
Near seashore,
Kanyakumari.
Tamil Nadu
Tele:04652-246387,246687

Hotel Sangam
Main Road,
Kanyakumari
Tamil Nadu
Tele:04652-246351,246352,246629

Mode of transport: The nearest Airport to Kanyakumari is Trivandrum (80 kilometers), the capital city of Kerala. For train journey, one needs to get down at Kanyakumari junction itself, where many long distance trains are available. Taxis are the main mode of transport for local travel.

Related links:
• Official website: http://kanyakumari.nic.in/
• Vivekananda memorial: http://www.rockmemorial.org/

See also (nearby places): Suchindrum, Udayagiri Fort, Mathoor Hanging Bridge, Padmanabhapuram Palace, Uppirika Malika, The Navarathri Mandapa, Pechiparai Dam, Peer Mohammed Durga, Tirparappu Water Falls, Maruthuva Malai, Chitharal, Muttom Beach, Sanguthurai Beach, Vattakottai (Circular Fort), Chothavilai Beach, Ulakkai aruvi, Mukkadal, , Sri Padaparai, Kanyakumari amman temple, Gandhi mantapam, Vivekananda pictorial exhibition, Thiruvalluvar statue, St.Francis Xavier church and wandering monk exhibition.

Temple At Mahabalipuram

Introduction and history: The Mahabalipuram is a town situated about 60 kilometers from Chennai and it is part of Kancheepuram district. Also known as Mamallapuram, this place was a 7th century port city of the South Indian dynasty of the Pallavas. In fact it is believed to have been named after the Pallava king Mamalla. The temple at Mahabalipuram is a masterpiece of Pallava architecture, which depicts the Dravidian constructional style. The history traces back to the origin of this template is somewhere between 7th to 9th century.

What to see and when to go: The temple consists of multiple important monuments which are rock cut and monolithic. Some of the important portions include Shiva temple, Vishnu temple, Arjuna’s penance, Buffalo demon, Pancha rathas, Varaha mantapam, Mahishasuramardini mantapam.

Things to do: Apart from looking into the temple one can spent lot of time on the beaches as the temple is just located off the shore. There are numerous number of good resorts have come in the nearby areas for a comfortable stay. Visitors can also spend some time in the nearby shopping areas where one can buy many small sculptures and artistry works made by the artisans made of granite stones.

Accommodation: As mentioned in the previous paragraphs, there are ample numbers of resorts located on the shore of Bay of Bengal. One can also stay in Chennai and travel by taxi, where economical hotels are available.

Mamalla Beach Resort,
108, Kovalam Road
Mahabalipuram
Phone: 044-27442240/43

Mamalla Heritage
104, East Raja Street,
Mamallapuram-603104
Tamil Nadu
Phone : 044-27442060,27442260,27442360

Fisherman’s Cove
Kovalam
Mahabalipuram
Phone: 044-27472303

Mode of transport: Chennai (formerly known are Madras) is the nearest Airport and railway station. There are ample number of local buses and taxis available from Chennai to reach Mahabalipuram.

related links:
• Tourist information: http://www.mahabalipuram.co.in/

• Historical information: http://www.tamilnation.org

Kailasanatha Temple At Kanchipuram

Introduction and history: The city of Kanchipuram is one of the famous of the ‘temple cities’ of Tamil Nadu, which is famous for its Dravidian style architecture. It was also the political capital of the Pallava rulers during the 7th - 9th centuries. The Kailasanatha temple is the finest structural project of the Pallava ruler Rajasimha. The temple is almost entirely constructed of sandstone and is integrated into a coherent complex. A polished lingam (symbol of Shiva) is enshrined within. The city also remained an important city during the succeeding Chola and Vijayanagara periods as well.

What to see and when to go: The city truly lives up to the name of temple city by having an array of ancient temple. Starting with Kamakshi Amman Temple the list contains important temples like Varadharaja Perumal Temple, Vaikunda Perumal Temple, Ekambaranathar Temple, Ulagalandha Perumal Temple, Yathoktakari Perumal Temple, Deepaprakasa Perumal Temple, Kandakottam , Subramanya Swami Temple, Kachapeswarar Temple, Sankupani Vinayakar Temple, Pandava Thoodha Perumal and Jain temples. The city is also an epitome of Shaivaite sector within Hinduism. The Shri Kanchi Kamakoti Peetham is another Shaivaite landmark, which was Sri Adi Sankara in the year 482 B.C.

Accommodation: There are very few good lodges in Kanchipuram. This is because not many travelers stay in the city itself as it is very near to Chennai. The good hotels are easily accessible from the Kanchipuram Bus Stand. The ideal travel plan would be to stay in Chennai and travel to the city via local transport.

Mode of transport: Chennai (75 km) is the nearest airport from Kanchipuram. Trains for Kanchipuram are available from Chennai, Chengalpattu, Thirupathi, and Bangalore. It is also well connected by a good network of roads. Local travel is mainly done by hiring taxis.

Related links:
• Official website: http://kanchi.nic.in/
• Tourist information: http://www.kanchipuram.com/

Interesting point: Kanchipuram is famous for hand-woven silk fabrics and saris. The weavers use the highest quality silk and pure gold thread. Kanchipuram is also known as Silk City.

Brihadeeswarar Temple At Tanjavur

Introduction and history: The Brihadeeswarar Temple is one of India’s most important architectural sites, which sketches the Dravidian architecture and representative of the Chola Empire. Constructed in the 16th century, the temple has marvelous architecture where the unique structure of the temple has no shadows of the temple been cast on the ground at any time of the year. The ‘Vimana’ or the temple tower is 216 ft (66 m) and is among the tallest of its kind in the world. The entire temple structure is made out of hard granite stones - hardly available in Tanjavur area where the temple is located.

What to see and when to go: The main Shiva statue of the temple is simply mind blowing. It is said that the fire form of the Lingam (Shiva) is established as a part of the temple, which makes the main area extremely hot and humid. Another remarkable feature of the temple is the great Nandi (stone bull) that is established at the entrance of the temple as well as ceiling of its enclosure, which weighs 27 tons and is probably the largest of its kind in the world. One can also look into the adjoining structures and other statues in the outside area, which speaks the beauty of their own. This place is ideas to visit throughout the year, even though summer gets extremely hot.

Things to do: Apart from looking into the temple one can check out nearby areas like Shore Temple, Pancha Pandava Rathas, Krishna Mandapa, Varaha Cave, Tanjavur Palace and Krishna’s Butterball. Tanjavur is known for its art and culture. For art lovers they can check out beautiful Tanjavur paintings and dolls, which are unique in their own style.

Accommodation: At Tanjavur accommodation is easily available. There are several hotels that offer comfort stay for the various travelers to Tanjavur and suit every pocket. Hygienic and delectable food is available at reasonable rates.

HOTEL ORIENTAL TOWERS

2889, Srinivasam Pillai Road,
Tanjore - 613 001,
Tamilnadu, INDIA
Phone: 04362-230724

Hotel ARK International

21, T.S.R. Big Street,
Kumbakonam-612001
Phone: 0435-2421234,2421152,2421942,2433982

Hotel Green Park

No.10 Lakshmi Villas Street,
Kumbakonam
Phone: 0435-2402853,2403912

Mode of transport: The nearest airport is Trichy (65 kilometers), which is situated right in the Trichy-Tanjavur national highway. Well connected bus services are available. Some of the most significant places of the country from where one can easily avail a train for reaching Tanjavur by rail are Chennai (350 kilometers) and Trichy which are directly connected with Tanjavur.

link: http://whc.unesco.org/en/list/250

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