3 DAY TRIP FROM MADURAI | MADURAI - RAMESHWARAM - KANYAKUMARI

At a distance of 2 Km from Madurai Junction Railway Station, the historic Meenakshi Sundareswarar Temple, also called as Meenakshi Amman Temple, is one of the biggest and most popular pilgrimage sites in India. Dedicated to Goddess Parvati and Lord Siva, the temple is considered an architecture marvel. It was shortlisted as one of the top 30 nominees for New Seven Wonders of the World. It is one of the the prime places to visit in Madurai.

The Madurai Temple forms the heart and lifeline of Madurai city which is 2,500 year old. The original temple was built by Kulashekara Pandya, but the initiative to rebuild the structure was taken by first Nayak king of Madurai, Viswanatha Nayak (1559-1600) under the supervision of Ariyanatha Mudaliar. The temple was substantially expanded to the current structure during the reign of Thirumalai Nayak between 1623 and 1655 .....

At a distance of 1 km from Madurai Junction Railway Station & 1.5 km Meenakshi Temple, The Koodal Alagar Temple, also known as Arulmigu Koodalazhagar Thirukoil, is another important temple in Madurai. Dedicated to Lord Vishnu, this temple is believed to be older than the Meenakshi temple. It is one of the important places to visit in Madurai.

A unique feature of this temple is the three different postures of the same God. The three figures of Vishnu are in standing, sitting and reclining postures. These three figures of the deity are known by three different names. The most venerated of the three figures is Lord Vishnu in the seated posture. The seated Lord Vishnu is locally known as Lord Koodal Alagar from whom the temple derives its name. The reclining idol is known as Sri Ranganatha. Sri Surya Narayan Perumal is the name for the standing image of Lord Vishnu.

This temple possesses wonderful architecture .....

At a distance of 3 km from Madurai Junction Railway Station and 1 km from Meenakshi Temple, Thirumalai Nayak Mahal is a palace complex constructed in the Indo-Saracen style by Thirumalai Nayak in 1636. It is among the major Madurai tourist places.

The original palace complex was four times bigger than the present structure. It was divided into two parts, Swargavilasa and Rangavilasa and only the Swargavilasa is survived today. The palace was designed by an Italian architect. The ceilings are decorated with large paintings showing Shaivite and Vaishnavite themes. The Darbar hall (courtyard) and the Natakasala (dancing hall) are carry the original glory and are central attractions for visitors. There are 248 pillars, each 58 feet tall and 5 feet in diameter. It is believed that the Rangavilasa portion of the palace was demolished by Chockanatha Nayak, the grandson of Thirumalai Nayak and the materials were carried to Trichy to build a new palace.

The most remarkable part of this .....

At a distance of 2 km from Rameshwaram Railway Station (just 100 meters away from east entrance of Rameshwaram Temple), Agnitheertham is said to be the place where Rama worshipped Lord Shiva to wash off his sins of killing Ravana. It is one of the important places to visit in Rameshwaram.

It is a sacred place and piligrims believe that taking a bath in Bay of Bengal at Agniteertham will washout one's sins of life time. It is visited by the followers of Lord Shiva as well as Vishnu, whose incarnation was lord Rama.

The sea here is very calm and ideal for bathing.

At a distance of 2 km from Rameshwaram Railway Station, the magnificent Ramanathaswamy Temple (Rameshwaram Temple) dedicated to Lord Siva is one of the 12 Jyotirlingas situated in different parts of India. It is among the prime places to visit in Rameshwaram.

Ramanathaswamy Temple also has its name in history books as it houses the largest hallway in India. The construction of Rameshwaram Temple was started in the 12th century and was contributed by many rulers. This temple is an epitome of flawless Dravidian architecture.

The hallway in temple is of approximately 1220 meters in length with brilliantly carved pillars throughout the hall. The 54 meter tall Gopuram has become the symbol of divinity in the heart of many pilgrims. Another famous feature of Ramanathaswamy Temple is the 22 wells spread throughout the premises. It is said that water from .....

At a distance of 12 Kms from Rameshwaram, Annai Indira Gandhi or Pamban Bridge connects Rameswaram Island with the main land. The bridge was opened for traffic in 1914 and is one of the prime places to visit in Rameshwaram.

It is the longest sea bridge in India and its length is nearly 2.2 km and stands as a fine example for Indian architecture. The bridge was constructed with sufficient elevation. The islands near by and parallel rail bridge below can be viewed from this bridge.

At a distance of 1.5 kms from Kanyakumari Bus Station & 1.5 km from Kanyakumari Railway Station, Vivekananda Rock is a rock island about a hundred meters away from the shore. Regular ferry service exists between the mainland jetty and the rock.

The Rock has two halls; one belonging to Swami Vivekananda and the other belonging to a Holy Foot. The Holy Foot is a foot shaped carving found on the rock and is believed to be a foot print of Goddess Kumari who stood on this rock on one leg and performed the Tapasya (meditation). The Rock memorial has a tall statue of Swami Vivekananda whose photographs are not allowed to be taken from inside the hall. Below the statue was mentioned the year of death of Swamiji and the 'probable' dates when Swamiji attained Samadhi on the rock.

Visting Hours are 8 AM To 4 PM. The ticket fare is 20/- for boat transfer.

Thiruvalluvar Statue is also located on the adjacent island.

At a distance of 1.5 kms from Kanyakumari Bus Station & 1.5 km from Kanyakumari Railway Station (situated on Vivekananda Rock), Thiruvalluvar Statue is dedicated to the greatest Tamil poet, philosopher and saint - Thiruvalluvar.

The pedestal of the statue is of 38 feet height and the statue over it is 95 feet tall with a grand total of 133 feet for the entire sculpture. The 3 tier pedestal known as Atharapeedam is surrounded by an artistic Mandapa with 38 feet height. To help the tourists to worship the holy feet of Thiruvalluvar 140 steps are constructed inside the Mandapa.

The view from this point is quite breathtaking! It is a very entertaining and enlightening piece of work and inspires one to lead a very principled and moral life.

Visting Hours are 8 AM To 4 PM. The ticket fare is 20/- for boat transfer.

Vivekananda Memorial is also located on the adjacent island.

At a distance of 1 km from Kanyakumari Bus Station & 1 km from Kanyakumari Railway Station, the Kumariamman temple is an ancient temple and has been mentioned in the Ramayana, Mahabharata, and the Sangam works Manimekalai and Puranaanooru. It is believed that this image of Kanyakumari was installed and worshipped by Parasurama.

The black stone image of Kanyakumari in the sanctum bearing a garland is an enchanting one. Of particular significance is the glittering nose ring that is visible from a distance. The Vaisakha festival is celebrated in the tamil month of Vaikasi where an image of the goddess is taken around town. An image of the deity is held in worship at the Navaratri mandapam throughout the duration of Navaratri.

Timings: From 4.30 AM to 12.15 PM & 4.PM to 8.15 PM

At a distance of 1 km from Kanyakumari Bus Station & 1 km from Kanyakumari Railway Station (situated at the entrance of Beach Road), The Gandhi Memorial completed in 1956 is built in the memory of the Father of the Nation.

An urn of Mahatma Gandhi was kept here for public to pay homage before immersion. Mahatma Gandhi visited Kanyakumari twice in 1925 and 1937. In 1948 his ashes were immersed in the sea waters in Kanyakumari. In commemoration of this event a beautiful monument has been constructed here. It's central shape is 79 feet high representing the age of the Mahatma at that time. The sun at Mid day on 2nd October would fall on the peedam through a hole in the roof.

Visting Hours 7 AM To 7 PM, entrance is Free.