The best place to visit/stay in Kanyakumari is Vivekananda Kendra . We stayed there in a earlier visit (did not get acco during last trip). Do not expect luxury but you will like it. However, advance booking is must. In fact, out of all south Indian cities, I liked Kanyakumari (and Mysore) the most ... may be because I found people (even touts) very friendly and helpful.
Somehow, I did not find Trivandrum or Kanyakumari to be that dirty. May be my expectations were low. I have been there a couple of times. Or it might depend upon which place you visit. BTW, Kovalam is definitely good but my vote goes to Goa beaches even when I compare to some of the beaches in US. Goa has a lot of variety and though it seems to have been a bit dirty in recent years, it is cleaner then most other places. Alpana-ba, did you visit the Art gallery in Trivandrum .... the paintings by Ravibarma. >>>Women too were required to wear a dhoti. A >>concession is made for them>though, they could wear >>it over the sari/mekhela/etc. And of course >>they>could keep wearing the top. >>I need to make a little correction on what Ramgopal >>has just said.... Women are allowed to enter the temple ONLY with Sarees (or Mekhela-Saador, I assume). But if they are wearing Salwar-Kurta, pants, etc., they have to wrap around a dhoti over that outfit. That's how the shops outside the temple survive, I guess. So, it's all about money. And yes, visiting the Vivekananda 'temple' - was like a chore to be finished. Meditation? what is that? In order to make spiritual progress you must be patient like a tree and humble like a blade of grass - Lakshmana > Date: Fri, 11 Jan 2008 11:20:07 -0600> To: assam at assamnet.org> From: cmahanta at charter.net> Subject: Re: [Assam] South India Pilgrimage> > I have not entered a temple since I got defecated on by vultures ( I > mean REAL vultures-the birds) outside Kamakhya, which I did not enter > after taking a peek into the dark abyss with my fellow boarders> from Don Bosco, one Sunday afternoon, when we hiked up Narakasur Hill > ( or is it Nilachal?) in one of those mandatory long marches that DBS > was well known for. The filth always turns me off. I remember the > repulsive environment at Puri from an architectural tour in 1964. > What I could never understand is how the environment of a place for > prayer or spiritual redemption can be as vile as Hindu temples in > India are and how the devotees accept them as either the norm or > inevitable.> > > Was it not an unusually enlightened :-) Sankaracharyya or some Hindu > intellectual who wondered why he has to go to a Temple if the gods > are omnipresent or something to that effect? A very astute question > I thought :-).> > I do understand that there might be some value to rituals as a > vehicle of faith.> > > But like this?> > > What gives?> > > > > > > > > > At 10:43 AM -0600 1/11/08, Ram Sarangapani wrote:> >On the way heading back from our trip to Kovalam beach (and Kerala), the> >driver convinced us that a trip to the Padbhanama temple was really the> >thing to do... you know, good for the soul, etc.> >> >Trivandrum is also one of those dirtiest places on earth not to visit> >again, if possible. The temple (an old one) occupies probably an entire city> >block or more.> >> >Well, we parked, and about to visit, when we were told that it was> >imperative for us to wear dhotis to enter the temple. The men, were required> >to wear only a dhoti - no pants, shirts, ganji, wallet, and of course shoes.> >Women too were required to wear a dhoti. A concession is made for them> >though, they could wear it over the sari/mekhela/etc. And of course they> >could keep wearing the top.> >> >The touts who sell some threadbare dhotis are also around to make it easy.> >The driver advised to keep all our clothes, wallets etc in the car, and for> >us to finish our darsan. That kind of scared me. This was a rental car. What> >if the driver decided to take off? I only had a few Rs. in my hand - no> >passport, id or whatever. Gave me the shivers ... but lucky for us the> >driver was a good man.> >> >Anyway, while the temple itself was impressive, inside it was sheer chaos.> >There were touts wanting you to part with your Rs.> >There was one guy, right at the gate, armed with a huge bamboo staff. He> >came running to inspect Alpana's bag - no wallets, cell phones etc. The> >cabbie, again came to our rescue - he held these for us.> >> >Inside there is this other guy, who sells 4 small earthenware lamps (with> >oil) for Rs 100 or something. These are in a plate, you take the lamps, pour> >out the oil in a container, which the oilman, I guess resells (back to you> >if possible).> >> >This is similar to other places of worship/interest in Kanyakumari (another> >dirty place to place on the list). The Hanuman temple is also full of> >crooks. And the last place to meditate is the Vivekananda Rock. It was too> >crowded. It even has a "meditation room" - only that too is crowded, and> >reeks of body odor. The rock itself is clean and nice, if only there were no> >tourists around :) :)> >> >Lest, I am misunderstood. Its not so much that the temple as rules or that> >someone has to make a living. I am all for that. The rules, though need to> >have a purpose, and be logical. Touts ought not be running (and ruining> >temples).> >> >Some tips: The GRT resort on the way to Pondicherry is really good,> >beautiful. Kovalam is great - really a tropical paradise, but Trivandrum &> >Kanyakumari are really overrated.> >> >--Ram> >_______________________________________________> >assam mailing list> >assam at assamnet.org> >http://assamnet.org/mailman/listinfo/assam_assamnet.org> > > _______________________________________________> assam mailing list> assam at assamnet.org> http://assamnet.org/mailman/listinfo/assam_assamnet.org _________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________________________ Be a better friend, newshound, and know-it-all with Yahoo! Mobile. Try it now. http://mobile.yahoo.com/;_ylt=Ahu06i62sR8HDtDypao8Wcj9tAcJ _______________________________________________ assam mailing list [email protected] http://assamnet.org/mailman/listinfo/assam_assamnet.org
