In Kanyakumari the Vivekananda Rock memorial is built on a rock which is about 500 meters from the mainland and at the fusion of Arabian sea,Bay of Bengal and the Indian Ocean. We had to take a short ferry ride to reach here. Vivekananda came here and in December 1892 and meditated for three days on 24th,25th and 26th December and attained enlightenment. Before the construction of the monument in 1970, there was a conflict with the Christian community that put up a cross here and said that this was the Saint Xavier rock.On 17 th January,1963,after a judicial probe by the Government of Tamilnadu , with the permission of the Chief Minister Bhaktavatsalam a tablet was put up on the rock claiming it to be Vivekananda Rock. Vivekananda had come to worship in the nearby rock Sripada Parai which is believed to be the foor print of Parvati.Parvati had stood here on one foot and did tapasya to obtain lord Shiva. Eknath Ranade played a significant role in getting this Rock memorial built and inaugurated in 1972. Spread over six acres, the memorial is a fusion of Bengali and Tamil architecture and the design of the Ramakrishna math of Belur on West Bengal. There is a dhyan mandapam below this.A statue of Vivekananda made of brass adorns the main hall upstairs . This statue sees towards the Shripad mandapam.On another rock nearby is built the statue of the Tamil poet Thiruvalluvar.This statue is 133 ft tall denoting the 133 chapters of the famous Thirukkural couplets. As one visits this place one can feel the beautiful sea breeze and become very refreshed. The mainland of Kanyakumari today is dotted with few churches and a temple.
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