Kanyakumari
Cape Comorin | |
---|---|
Nickname(s): Cape Comorin, Kumari, Thiruvenisangam | |
Coordinates: 8°05′02″N 77°32′46″E / 8.084°N 77.546°E | |
Country | India |
State | Tamil Nadu |
District | Kanyakumari |
Named for | Devi Kanya Kumari |
Government | |
• Type | Town Panchayat |
• Body | Kanyakumari Town Panchayat |
• District Collector | Arvind |
• Member of Parliament | Vijay Vasanth |
• Member of Legislative Assembly | Thalavai Sundaram |
Area | |
• Total | 25.89 km2 (10.00 sq mi) |
Elevation | 30 m (100 ft) |
Population (2012) | |
• Total | 29,761 |
• Density | 665/km2 (1,720/sq mi) |
Languages | |
• Official | Tamil |
Time zone | UTC+5:30 (IST) |
PIN | 629 702 |
Telephone code | 91-4652 & 91-4651 |
Vehicle registration | TN 74 & TN 75 |
Website | www |
Kanyakumari (US: /kənˈjʌkʊmɑːriː/); lit. "The Virgin Princess" (also known as Cape Comorin) is a town in Kanyakumari District in the state of Tamil Nadu, India. The town is at the southern tip of Indian subcontinent. The As southernmost town in India, it is sometimes called 'The Land's End'.
Kanyakumari is a popular tourist destination in India. It is famous for its ocean sunrise, sunset and moonrise. It also has the 133-foot (41 m) Thiruvalluvar Statue and Vivekananda Rock Memorial off the coast. The town is a pilgrimage centre.[1] Kanyakumari is bordered on the west, south and east by the Laccadive Sea.[2] It has a coastal line of 71.5 kilometres (44.4 mi) stretched on the three sides.[3]
The town is 90 kilometres (56 mi) km south of Thiruvananthapuram city. It is about 20 kilometres (12 mi) south of Nagercoil, the headquarters of Kanyakumari District.
On the shores of the town is a temple dedicated to Goddess Kanyakumari (the virgin Goddess). That is how the town got its name.[4] Kanyakumari has been a city since the Sangam period. It and has been referred to in old Malayalam literature and in the writings of Ptolemy and Marco Polo.[4][5][6]