A solo trip to Kanyakumari: Stories from southernmost sea-shore

"One's destination is never a place, but rather a new way of looking at things" - Henry Miller

It was sometime in last October that I decided to travel to Kanyakumari, on my first ever solo trip. Kanyakumari seemed as the safest and best bet for a lone woman traveller on a mission to spend a weekend some where far in tranquility.

The Southernmost tip of India, had more than one reason to draw my imagination. The beaches, sunset, confluence of three oceans, Vivekananda Rock Memorial, and of course, the people and culture that make every place unique from the other.

Vivekananda Rock Memorial and Thiruvalluvar statue at Kanyakumari.

It was not for the first time that I was visiting Kanyakumari. I had travelled there long ago as a child, but had no distinct memories attached to the place. The only memory of Kanyakumari I had was the family photographs with Vivekananda Rock Memorial in the backdrop, safely preserved in the home almirah.

This time as an adult, when I decided to visit Kanyakumari, I wanted to see the fag end of India, in its full magnitude. I choose to travel by bus over train, for two reasons. First, the train journey from Bengaluru to Kanyakumari was longer compared to the bus (it would take 13 hours by train and 10 hours by bus). Second, since I planned the journey not well in advance, it was almost impossible for me to get the train tickets.

Vivekananda Kendra premises, located at a distance of 2 km from the main town.

Once the bus tickets were confirmed, the next thing to be taken care of was the accommodation. While surfing through the internet I came across a lot of “sea-facing” hotels that offer luxurious accommodation in this legendary coastal town. But then I settled for a room at Vivekananda Kendra, located at Vivekanandapuram, at a distance of less than 2 km from the main town. I chose this place for it seemed to be set in a quiet location, a little away from the hustle bustle of the touristy town.

As I was anyway travelling all the way to Kanyakumari, the journalist in me nudged me to make use of this opportunity to visit another place close by - Idinthakarai. This non-descriptive village in Tirunelveli district has grabbed the headlines ever since it became the epicentre of the anti-Kudankulam Nuclear Power Project agitation. The villagers reportedly had continued to stage protest against the plant for over three years.

The Wandering Monk Exhibition.

With the help of a few local contacts at Idinthakarai, the scheme was fixed. I had the travel details chalked out - leave Bengaluru on Friday night, reach Kanyakumari the next morning, stroll around Kanyakumari the whole day; travel to Idinthakarai on Sunday morning and the same night catch a return bus to Bengaluru.

The plan, for me, looked perfect. Of course, there were several other interesting tourist spots around Kanyakumari like Padmanabhapuram Palace, Vattakottai Fort, which I was going to give a miss this time over my choice to visit Idinthakarai. I just decided to let it go.

So on a Friday night I boarded the bus to Kanyakumari.

Day 1 - In the land of sea-shores

The next morning I woke up to see the pleasant view of hills and meadows, as the bus traversed through the narrow roads leading to the southern tip of the country. After a pit stop at Nagercoil, the bus continued its journey. I deboarded the bus at Vivekanandapuram at the entrance gate of Vivekananda Kendra, a little before the main town.

The Wandering Monk Exhibition.

A short walk in the Kendra premises, on the way to reception counter, was good enough to give me a sense of how my stay at the Kendra was going to be. I was assured that it was going to be quiet and peaceful. To my utter joy, it had rained the previous night, making the atmosphere even better.

After completing formalities at the reception counter, I was shown my room located in one of the several buildings in the Kendra premises. It wasn’t a luxurious place of stay, but was quite decently maintained. The best part was the ventilation and a soothing view of the farmland at the backyard. It was a place where I could just sit back by the window and glance out for hours at nothing.

The place was charming, at least to me. My penchant for silence made me immediately develop a liking for the place. Everything seemed to have toned down here. I could hear people whispering on the corridors, the fresh breeze making its way into the room and chirping of birds. A perfect getaway.

After freshening up, I walked up to the canteen in the premises for the breakfast. The modest canteen mostly serves South Indian food, along with a few selected North Indian dishes too. My immediate plan was to head to Kanyakumari town to see the Vivekananda museum and the rock memorial. Kendra provides bus service to its guests from Vivekanandapuram to Kanyakumari (for a distance of 2 km). The buses make around 12 trips a day.

Vivekananda Rock Memorial as seen from the ferry boat.

I hopped into a bus and proceeded to Kanyakumari town. Though the distance between these two places was relatively less, the scene was quite different in the main town. It was buzzing with noise, mainly because of tourists. I spent sometime at the Wandering Monk Exhibition, glanced through the paintings and life story of Vivekananda, and then headed to see the Rock Memorial.

Gosh! There was such a long queue waiting to buy the boat tickets that can ferry them to Vivekananda Rock Memorial. I too stood in this serpentine queue with no clue about for how long the wait would last.

The market and the sea shells.

To my bad luck, the moment I stood in the queue, began a heavy downpour. With no roof over the head, the crowd dispersed to find shelter. So did I. Thanks to the rain, the ferry service too was temporarily stopped. I was agonised to hear shop keepers predicting that the ferry service would probably be withdrawn for the day if it continues to rain. High tides are risky, I heard them saying.

Busy road leading to the dock at Kanyakumari.

After an hour or so, when I had almost lost the hope of making it to the Rock Memorial and was planning for an alternative just to ensure that my day in Kanyakumari does not remain unproductive, the rain showed mercy. There was such a dramatic change in the climate. It was all bright and sunny and the ferry service resumed. Yay! I still had a fair chance to visit the Rock Memorial, unless it pours again.

After waiting for an hour or so, it was my turn to buy the ticket. On reaching the ticket counter I realised there was a “special ticket counter” where people could avail tickets by paying a higher price to avoid the agony of standing in the queue. Wish I knew it before! It would have helped me avoid the long queue, the rain that made the wait much longer and the maddening crowd that pushed you from all directions.

Ferry to the Rock Memorial

Finally, it was ferry time. The motor boat loaded with passengers ferried us to the Vivekananda Rock Memorial located at Vavathurai a few metres offshore. The memorial was built by the Vivekananda Rock Memorial Committee in honour of the visit of spiritual leader Swami Vivekananda in 1892. Vivekananda had swam across the sea to reach this rock formation and had apparently meditated for two days.

Beautiful Kanyakumari town view from the Vivekananda Rock Memorial.

Despite the large number of visitors thronging the Rock Memorial, it maintained absolute serenity. The Dhyana Mandapam (meditation hall) is open for visitors to sit and mediate. I took a stroll around the premises, and sat in a corner gazing at the pristine greenish blue see aimlessly. Perhaps that was a better place to ponder than any artificial enclosure.

I spent an hour or so at the Rock Memorial and then ferried across the sea to the shore. It was time for lunch. Sannathi Street close to the boating dock is famous for South Indian restaurants. So I went in search of a restaurant that can offer me a simple yet delicious authentic Tamil meal. Once I was done with my lunch, I headed back to Vivekanandapuram.

Dhyana Mandapam - the meditation hall.

Back in the Kendra, I wandered in the vast premises of Vivekananda Kendra, looking at the photo and paint exhibition, library and the like.

When the beach lured me!

I had heard a lot about the beautiful sunrise and sunset of Kanyakumari. On my first day, I opted out of going to Kanyakumari beach to see the sun set, instead walked down to Vivekanandapuram beach. The advantage of staying in the Kendra over rest of the hotels in Kanyakumari, is that you would get an opportunity to visit the gated Vivekanandapuram beach. The entry to this beach is restricted to those who visit the Kendra.

The walk to the beach for little over 1 km on a road covered by lush green forest was so comforting. The sea shore was empty, devoid of tourists unlike the crowded Kanyakumari beach. I bet it is a perfect place to behold the sun set.

Vivekanandapuram beach settles for the day as the dusk sets in.

Beaches have never been my favourite. For some reason I loathe the sea. May be because I hail from a coastal town and that I am used to seeing the beaches. Waves crashing against the shore, for me never meant a metaphor to life. They are monotonous, I felt. I still remember a long conversation that I had with a friend walking on a beach in Mangalore years ago. She, a die-hard fan of beach and I, who had an animosity towards sea shores. We would never agree with each other when it came to liking and disliking the beach. But today, as I write this, I must admit, I too have learnt to enjoy the beaches, though not often, but at least occasionally. Thanks to Vivekanandapuram beach, I see the sea shores differently now. I see a life there in the monotony; I enjoy the tranquility that it brings.

A view of Kanyakumari town and Thiruvalluvar statue from Vivekanandapuram beach. This place is an absolute to delight.

At Vivekanandapuram beach, I sat watching the sun set all alone; listening to the tide as it crashed the beach every time; the wind that blew the tree limbs. On the first day of my solo trip, there were instances when I felt I wish I had a friend or a companion by my side to escape from the slight moments of boredom. But at the beach as I watched the sea and the far stretching deep blue sky, I was so glad that I was on a solo trip. It was a bliss being there alone, with none to intrude your thoughts and none to influence your decision. It still remains as my best evening so far!

With the sun set, the dusk fell. I still continued to sit there gazing at the other side of Kanyakumari, the Rock Memorial and Thiruvallavar statue, which looked obscure from far. I made up my mind to return to my place of stay, only after the security guard warned me to leave the place as it was all dark.

Walking back to the Kendra, I introspected about how the day turned out for me and what is in store for the next day. The next day, I knew was going to be pretty exciting because of my visit to Idinthakarai.