Few temples in India are more picturesquely located than that of Goddess Bhagavathi in Kanyakumari, in the district of that name.  It stands near where three oceans meet: the Indian Ocean, the Bay of Bengal and the Arabian Sea.  Sunrise and sunset can be seen from the same place.  On full moon days, sunsets and moonrises can be seen at the same time. 

There has been a temple of the Goddess at this place for over two thousand years.  Eratosthenes, an Alexandrian geographer (circa 276-194 B. C.), mentions Kanyakumari.  The anonymous author of the “Periplus of the Erythraean Sea”, a Greek manual for sailors probably written in the first century A.D. says, “Those who wish to consecrate the closing part of their lives to religion come hither (Cape Comorin) and bathe and engage themselves to celibacy.  This is also done by women, for it is said that a Goddess once dwelt here and bathed”.  The Sangam epics, “Silappadhikaram” and “Manimekhalai”, know of the temple & the costom of bathing in the seas nearby . 

According to the temple's sthalapurana, a powerful demon, Banasura, was harassing the Devas. They sought Lord Siva's help. he invoked sakti & created Bhagavathi. The demon, hearing of Her beauty, coveted Her, though he knew it was ordained that a virgin would kill him. He threatened  Her and a battle developed. He was killed. The incident is depicted during the Navarathri festival at the temple.

In its early form the temple seems to have been built by the first Pandayas. The Nayaks expanded it later . There are three Prakaras. The image of the Goddesss in the sanctum is marvellous in its serenity and beneficence. She carries a necklace in Her right hand. The eastern gate, facing the Bay of Bengal , is opened five times a year.

About 183m from the coast there is a rocky island. According to tradition, the temple stood there originally. When the sea encroached, the rock became an islet, and the temple had to be removed to its present site. The rock contains the mark of a human foot. This is revered as a symbol of the "Sripadam" . It is on this rock that the Vivekananda memorial has been built.

On the evening of December 25, 1892, Swami Vivekananda who had come to Kanyakumari on pilgrimage, swam to the rock & spent the whole night there in deep meditation. He then resolved to decide himself to the service of the Motherland and to spread the message of Vedanta. Next year he attended the parliament of religions in Chicago, an event of seminal importance in the modern history of Hinduism. To commemorate his visit to the rock a superb memorial has been erected. It attracts thousands of visitors.

Tradition connects the Kanyakumari temple with that in suchindram. This is a fine, large fane, with a beautiful tank. It is one of the few temples in the country where the Trinity, Brahma, Vishnu & Isvara, are worshipped. The Linga, named sthanumalaya, is in three parts. The top represents Siva, the middle Vishnu, and the base Brahma. "Sthanu" is a name of Siva, "Mal" of Vishnu, and "Ayan" of Brahma. It is believed that the Trinity appeared here at the request of a sage, Atri, and his wife, Anusuya. According to another tradition Indra, who was under a curse, performed severe penance here at the request of a sage, Atri, and his wife, Anusuya. Finally Lord siva allowed him to return to heaven if he worshipped in Sushindram every night. The belief is that he performs the midnight worship in the temple. The officiating priests are changed daily, and they are under oath not no divulge what they see. 

The temple is a growth of many centuries. The early Pandyas established it, and then the Cholos, the Venad Kings, the Nayaks and the Maharajas of Travancore added to it from time to time. The Gopura is nearly 41m high. There are many impressive sculptures within. A colossal monolithic image of lord Anjaneya is 5.5m high. There is also a gigantic image of Nandi. There are pillars cut out of a single stone which, when struck, emit different musical notes. The oldest of more than a hundred epigraphs in the temple belongs to the seventh century. 

Nineteen Kilometres from Kanyakumari is nagercoil, the headquarters of that district, which contains the celebrated Nagarjuna temple. The sanctum is a simple thatched shed, with mud walls. It enshrines the king of serpents. Tradition states that a king of Kalakkad was cured of leprosy when he performed penance in the temple. He then rebuilt it in the Kerala style. He might have been Bhuthalavira Sri Vira Udaya Marthandavarma, who ruled venad, with Kalakkad as his capital, from 1516 to 1535. It is believed that snake bite is not fatal within a kilometre of the temple. The fane has some jain sculptures. 

The temple of Swami Nelliappar and Sri kanthimathi Ambal in Tirunelveli, the headquarters of the district of the same name, north of Kanyakumari district, dates back at least to the seventh century. Sambandar has sung of it, and Ninrasir Neumaran, the Pandya, is said to have commissioned the making of musical pillars in a mandapa in this temple. Originally, there were two temples side by side, dedicated to Lord Nelliappar and Goddess Kanthimathi. They were linked by a mandapa, the "chain" mandapa, built in 1647. The oldest inscription belongs to the middle of the tenth century.

In the same district is the famed temple of Sankaranainarkoil . It has three shrines dedicated to Lord Sankaralinga, to Goddess Gomathi Amman and, between these two, to Lord Sankaranarayana, a combination of Siva & Vishnu . The temple was built in the eleventh century & was expanded later . The Gopura is of nine storeys and is famous for the miracles the Goddess performs in curing illness.

The temple of Subramanya in Tiruhendur, also in the same district, is one of the "arupadai veedus", or specially sanctified residences, of the Lord. It is situated by the sea. Traditionally, it commemorates the Lord's victory over Surapadma, a demon . The gopura, of nine storeys, is 42m high and was constructed in the seventeenth century . It was renovated in 1983.

One of the celebrated Vaishnavaita temple in the district is in Alvar Tirunagari, one of the nine sung of by Namalvar . The saint attained enlightenment  under a tree, which still stands in the temple. The Lord is Adinatha. The temple has a nadaswaram musical instrument made of stone. It is played during the temple festival.

VENKETESWARA TEMPLE | SRI KALAHASTISVARA TEMPLE | SAIVAITA TEMPLE | DANDAYUTHAPANI TEMPLE

VIRABHADRA TEMPLE | MINAKSHI TEMPLE | BHAGABATHI TEMPLE | HOYSALA TEMPLE | VIDYASANKARA TEMPLE

SRI KRISHNA TEMPLE (UDUPI) | SRI KRISHNA TEMPLE | BHARADARAJA PERUMAL TEMPLE | SRI RAM TEMPLE

SRI NATARAJA TEMPLE | LORD SHINISVARA TEMPLE | LORD ANNAMALAI & GODDESSS UNAMMALAI TEMPLE

RAMANATHA TEMPLE | RANGANATHA TEMPLE | JAMBUKESVARA & AKHILANDESVARI TEMPLE

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