The story of Kanyakumari
A journey begins, we travel and experience emotions/happiness; create memories; visit beautiful places; and then we arrive at a place that feels timeless. That is exactly how I felt when I reached Kanyakumari, the southernmost tip of India. Following my heart was the motivation for the trip. And I was looking forward to visiting the beautiful and auspicious temples (and of course the delicious South Indian food). To highlight this part of my trip, I may run short of words.
I visited the Kanyakumari temple (Kumari Amman Temple) and Vivekananda Rock Memorial, both places being at the southernmost tip of India. This is the place where Bay of Bengal, Indian Ocean and Arabian Sea meet and it is called Triveni Sangam. It was a pleasant February day and the winds from ocean were blowing with all their strength and magnificence. I sat near the rocks looking at the ocean, hearing the winds, closed my eyes and felt like I was not alone. It was a beautiful sunset and end to a beautiful day. I felt grateful for being there at that moment.
My experience was so touching that it stayed with me and I believe is stored in my heart and mind. I thought of the reasons why the place was special and why I felt the pull towards it. I believe it is a mix of personal reasons that I wanted to take this trip and then I stumbled upon the mythological significance of the place.
I am a Hindu with faith in the divine and have tried to embrace this faith and look at life in a way that is meaningful, kind, loving and divine. The temple darshan was a divine experience. The temple is of Goddess Kanyakumari who is believed to be an incarnation of Goddess Parvati. The idol is of the Kumari (girl) Goddess dressed as a bride, with a garland in her hand. It is believed that Goddess Kanyakumari was set to marry Lord Shiva and she waited for him to arrive. She was also born to kill a demon who was troubling the Gods, called Banasura. It is said that only she could kill him and she did after a long battle. She won the battle and relieved the Gods but couldn’t be married to Lord Shiva before killing the demon and hence waited for him.
This place is also a Shakti Peeth — there are 51 Shakti Peethas in India and the story behind them is related to Shiva and Parvati. When Shakti (Parvati) died as Sati, 51 parts of her body fell at each of these Shakti Peethas. These places are believed to be divine and hold deep significance for devotees of Goddess Parvati and Lord Shiva. And as the story continues, Shiva and Parvati reunite with each other in connection to their past, to be together forever. Each of these places hold great importance in Hinduism and interestingly there is another story of Gods and Goddesses associated to each of these places. The Kanyakumari Shakti Peeth is the place where Sati’s back (shoulder) fell.
All the above are more widely known stories, however there is also a lesser known story of Kumari and Shankaran. I found this story in an old collection of books (stories of legendary women from Indian mythology). This dates back to probably a few hundred/thousand years ago (no written timeline mentioned). I have tried to translate the story here which was written in Marathi.
Kanyakumari was a small village (not too different in terms of size from today’s Kanyakumari). The sun rays from the sunrise made the the ocean glow, and the sunset painted the sky and ocean in beautiful colors. It was a magical place. Kumari and Shankaran both lived in the same town and were growing up quickly. They were now in a suitable age to get married. Kumari had started transforming to a woman and was beautiful with her loving, honest and kind heart and in her appearance too. Shankaran too was a handsome, lean and kind boy with evidently wide shoulders now, starting to look like a grown up man. He was a fisherman and had started going to the ocean with other villagers, learning the occupation. They both were friends who loved spending time with each other. They went on walks to the ocean and talked with each other. Kumari and Shankaran were falling in love with each other, they always wanted to marry each other. Hearing Kumari speak and see her smile would enlighten Shankaran’s entire world. Kumari’s big round eyes too sparkled when she met Shankaran and she had started blushing while his thoughts in her mind. Kumari’s parents and the villagers thought that they both getting married to each other would be wonderful. Shankaran was alone as his parents died when he was a kid and Kumari’s parents had supported him. When Kumari’s father asked Shankaran about the wedding, he was filled with satisfaction and joy. A dream was about to be true for both Shankaran and Kumari.
It was two days to the wedding and the sun was about to set. The waves were hitting the rocks rhythmically and Shankaran asked Kumari, “Kumari, will you come to the ocean? There is a lot I want to say.” She was curious what was different about that evening and said, “We went all these days and still?”. She agreed and they both left. They were sitting at the rock and the Kumari who spoke a lot usually was silent and waiting for Shankaran to tell her what he wanted to say. Shankaran shared his feelings with her, telling her that the nature becomes even more beautiful when they are together. Kumari was observing the waves and questioning Shankaran about the vastness of the ocean, on which he said that their love is deep and endless like the ocean. Kumari was listening to him and sharing her dreams of their life together. The sky was orangish yellow and was reflecting in the ocean. Shankaran shared his wish to take Kumari with him for a ride in the ocean on a full moon night. She was thrilled and took a promise from him. The sun set and it was dark. They both returned home with filled hearts.
It was one day before the wedding and Kumari’s father called Shankaran and told him about a wedding tradition that needs to be fulfilled. According to this tradition the groom has to go alone for fishing and bring back at least seven fishes. Shankaran accepted the tradition with great respect and was getting ready to go for the sail. Kumari went with him to the coast, he was leaving and she promised him that she would wait for him.
The day passed and Kumari was thinking of Shankaran all the time, waiting for him. It was almost sunset and he still was not back. Kumari’s father assured her that he may have gone further in search of the fishes. The next day arrived and Shankaran was still not back from the sail. Kumari did not sleep the entire night, waiting for Shankaran. The villagers were getting worried too and got the news that Shankaran lost his life during the sail. They brought condolences to Kumari and her parents, which shocked them and left them heartbroken. Kumari was numb and not saying a word, still waiting for Shankaran. Her parents were worried about her but couldn’t help her. She went everyday to the same place where she and Shankaran last met. Waited for him like how she promised him. She waited for him until the end and the villagers did her last rights at the same place where she waited for Shankaran. Later, the temple was built and the people worshipped the true love that Kumari and Shankaran had, the purity of their emotions; the innocence, determination and faith of Kumari. It is believed that she blesses the devotees with purity and true love.
This story may have some mentions in other old books or it is just a story that was told in the village long long ago. Or perhaps it is derived from the one of Goddess Kumari. Or maybe it was even before the sequences from the Shiva Puran (Mythological stories of Lord Shiva and Goddess Parvati) that happened at the same place. I am not too sure of the timelines and there is probably lot more literature that I can find.
I liked this story because of what I felt at the place, because of my experience. It made me wonder and think of the characters in the story. And ultimately about love and what it means to each one of us. The beautiful details of love and human beings in mythology are so deep and enlightening. If I have to share one thought from the story and sort of think of it in real life, it would be about the true and unconditional love Kumari and Shankaran had. And if we have that, we are really fortunate. There is no obstacle, no ego, no barrier or no doubt between two pure and loving hearts and the divine always guides them. It is important to realize that if there are any reasons, any blockages stopping them from truly loving each other, they will be healed and can be resolved. It is perhaps a promise made by two people for a life with kindness, understanding, honesty, faith, respect and beyond anything, love that stands by them; a promise to be together in their love.
What is beyond our control is already written. It is not too late because true love is perhaps timeless.
I wonder if only Shankaran had turned his boat around and returned to the coast, to his Kumari when he wanted to. I hope wherever Kumari and Shankaran are, they are together and happy!
Sunset at Kanyakumari, Tamil Nadu.
