Kumari Amman Temple

The Kumari Amman Temple at Kanniyakumari is dedicated to Devi Kanya Kumari, the virgin goddess after whom the town is named, who is also worshipped as Bhagavathi Amman. Counted among the 108 Shakti Peethas, it stands beside the sea at the tip of the peninsula, and its religious history is said to stretch back more than three thousand years.

The image of the goddess wears a diamond nose ring that is the subject of several stories; one myth traces the stone to a king cobra. Another tells of a sailor who took its sparkle for a guiding light and wrecked his ship on the rocks, after which the eastern door was closed for good and is now opened only on five set days a year. The main festival is the ten-day Vaisakhi celebration, usually in May, with processions of the goddess's festival image. Navaratri and the Float, Car and Kalabham (sandal) festivals are also observed.