TOURISM

Sunday, November 27, 2011

Government Museum

Established in the year 1991, the Govt. Museum at Kanyakumari has been built as a multipurpose museum. Visitors to the museum can enjoy the vast display of exhibits which covers a diverse range of interests such as anthropology, archaeology, numismatics, philately, botany, zoology and geology.

The Government Museum is open from 9.30am to 5pm except on Fridays, second Saturdays and National holidays.

Gandhi Memorial

Built to commemorate the memory of Mahatma Gandhi, this memorial has been built on the very spot where the urn containing Mahatma's ashes was kept for public viewing before the immersion.

The memorial resembles an Orissa temple and is designed in such a manner that on 2nd October which is Gandhiji's birthday, the sun's rays fall on the exact place where his ashes were kept. Its central shape measures 79 feet which incidentally was the Mahatma's age too.

Alvar Tirunagari Temple

Alvar Tirunagari टेम्पले

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The Alvar Tirunagari Temple is dedicated to Lord Adinatha - the first Jain Thirthankara. It is visited by devotees who come from far and away as it is one of the renowned and historical Vaishnavaite temples in India.

A tree has been enshrined here. The Saint Namalvar attained enlightenment while sitting under this very tree. As part of his offering, he had sung devotional compositions that had been written in praise of the Alvar Tirunagari Temple.

There is also a musical wind instrument instrument called nadaswaram in the temple. Made out of stone, the nadaswaram is played during pujas and temple festivals.

Saturday, November 26, 2011

Perur Patteeswara Swamy Temple

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The renowned Perur Patteeswara Swamy Temple is situated on the banks of the holy river Noyyal. Pilgrims come from far to pay homage to their ancestors at this spot near the temple on the river bank. The belief is that the mortal remains of the dead turn into white stones after about 144 days.

While the Perur Patteeswara Swamy Temple was built by the King Karikala Cholan, this temple's sanctum is the joint effort of the Chola, Hoysala and Vijayanagara rulers during their respective reigns.

The presiding deity is Shiva and the 'Swayambu Lingam' is the idol worshipped here. The Perur Patteeswara Swamy Temple's greatest attraction is the 'Kanaka Sabha'. Built along the characteristic style of Dravidian architecture, the Kanaka Sabha is a golden hall which is adorned by a gold plated statue of Nataraja bestowing blessings upon the two sages - Gowmuni and Pattimuni. The gopurams and pillars of the hall are bedecked with exquisitely carved sculptures.

References extolling the importance of Perur Patteeswara Swamy Temple in earlier days can be found in the poetry written by Arunagiri Nather and Kachiappa Munivar.

Monkey Falls

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An excellent outdoor destination is the Monkey Falls located about 65 km from Coimbatore. Lush green verdant scenic locations surround the cascading waterfalls while the pristine location makes a perfect picnic spot. As it is 27 km from Pollachi, situated on the Coimbatore-Pollachi-Valparai road, the falls are most visited by people visiting the area. Kids love to play with the water surrounded by verdant greenery.