A Trip to Madurai, Rameshwaram and Kanyakumari
Madurai is popularly known as ‘Thoonga Nagaram’ and the ‘Athens of the East’. It is considered as the oldest city of TamilNadu and it was the home of the ancient Tamil Sangam. It attracts a large number of tourists from within the country and abroad mainly because of the Meenakshi Amman Temple, which is very well known for its architectural splendor and spiritual significance. Meenakshi temple is a huge temple that extends for 6 hectares of land and was built by Kulasekara Pandya. The thousand Pillars, the temple museum, and the statues are the best examples of the temple’s architectural brilliance. The next famous destination in Madurai is the Koodal Azhagar Temple. This is also one of the ancient temples of TamilNadu dedicated to Lord Vishnu. The temple is located 2kms towards the west from the City and this is also a proof of the architectural excellence of the ancient Period. Apart from these two temples, we have the other destinations such as Thirupparamkundram Murugan Temple, Gandhi Museum, Samanar Hills and Pazhamudhir Solai.
Rameshwaram is a not-to-miss pilgrimage town located in Ramanathapuram District of Tamil Nadu. As we all know, Rameshwaram is a historical place that was mentioned in the mythological Hindu Epic, Ramayana. It is considered as a major pilgrim spot for both the Shaivaites and the Vaishnavites. There is a traditional belief among the Hindus that a pilgrimage to Kashi will be complete only after a visit to Rameshwaram and so it is known as “Benaras of the South“. The most notable temple here is Sri Ramanathaswamy Temple. This is a one among the 275 most important Shiva temples and also one of the 12 Jyotirlinga Temples dedicated to Lord Shiva. The actual temple is believed to have been built by Lord Rama himself and thus it has gained such an importance in the Indian Mythology. Other important temples are the Dhanushkodi Temple and Kodhandaramaswamy temple. Dhanushkodi is nothing but the remains of the ruins of the temple that is described in the Epic Ramayana and Kodhandandaramaswamy temple is considered as the place where Shri Rama did Pattabishekam to Vibishana. Apart from these, we have many other must-visit temples such as Five Faced Hanuman temple, Nambu Nayagiamman Temple, Jatayu Thirtham Temple, Jata Thirtham, Lakshmana Thirtham, Gandhamadana Parvatham etc.
Kanyakumari is southernmost point of mainland India and it is the meeting point of three oceans-the Bay of Bengal, the Arabian Sea, and the Indian Ocean. Kanyakumari has been one of the major centers of arts, culture, and religion and it also has the beaches where you can experience both sunrise and the sunset. The main attraction is Sri Bagawathi Amman temple. This temple is considered as one of the 51 Shakthi Peetam in Hindu Mythology. It is one of the rare temples where the Goddess is worshiped as a child. Next in the list is the Suchindram temple that was built with Massive Gopurams in Dravidian style. Sri Adikesava Perumal temple is another significant temple for the Vaishnavites since it is considered as one of the 108 Divya Desams. Other than these, other temples like the Nagaraja Temple, Thanumalaya Perumal Temple, Tiruchendur Murugan Temple act as feathers on the Cap to Kanyakumari.
How to Plan:
The trip covering Madurai, Rameshwaram, and Kanyakumari is a 5-Day package.
Day-1, you can arrive in Madurai by train/ flight. On the same day, you can visit the famous Meenakshi Amman temple.
Day-2, you can cover up all the other temples and sight-seeing places in Madurai.
Day-3, you can travel from Madurai to Rameshwaram in a car. (It’s a 4hrs drive!) On the same day, you can visit, Ramaswamy Temple, Dhanushkodi temple, and other few temples.
Day-4, in the morning you can visit few places on the way and then head to Kanyakumari. It’s a 6 hrs travel in a car. Once you reach Kanyakumari, you can proceed to visit the temples like Bagawathi Amman temple and Suchindram temple. Later, you can witness Sunset in the beautiful Kanyakumari Beach.
Day-5, you can enjoy the sunrise on the beach and then drive to Trivandrum. On the way, you can see the Padmanabhapuram Palace and also visit Sri Padmanabha Swami Temple in Trivandrum. Later, you can proceed your onward journey either in flight or train from Trivandrum.
