The Legend of Kanyakumari

Kanyakumari represents the “youthful form” of the goddess and is translated “virgin goddess”. She also represents the divine power of the feminine spirit to nurture, nourish and make whole. There is a temple and statue honoring Kanyakumari at the most southern tip of India. Many energies merge at this sacred historical place at the cape of India. Kanyakumari is at the center of the convergence of three beautiful oceans - The Bay of Bengal, Indian Ocean and the Arabian Sea. One truly feels the unity of mind, body and spirit, and the interplay of the three doshas or physical energies in Ayurveda as these three seas merge into one. Many seekers in India pilgrimage to Kanyakumari in search of health, inner peace and balance. It is our hope that Kanyakumari U.S. will offer seekers the same holistic renewal.

The Kanyakumari legend and temple is an ancient one and has been mentioned in the Ramayana and the Mahabharata sacred texts. Legend has it that a demon wreaked havoc on the inhabitants of this world, and Mahavishnu asked the gods and humans to request the primeval energy of Paraaskthi to vanquish the demon. Answering the prayers of the oppressed, Shakti appeared as a young virgin girl at Kanyakumari and commenced penance with the desire of marrying Shiva at Suchindram.

Legend has it that the celestial sage, Narada, fixed the midnight hour as the auspicious time for the wedding. However, when Shiva’s procession reached the site, a rooster crowed, and Shiva assumed the auspicious hour was past and it was already dawn. He returned to Suchindram, missing Kanyakumari who was left stranded at the altar. The disappointed Goddess decided to spend her life in Kanyakumari as a virgin, protecting the faithful intentions of the oppressed. All of the food prepared for the wedding was laid to waste, and is said to have merged into the colored sand still seen upon the shores of southern India.

The demon returned after hearing of Shakti’s story and proceeded to Kanyakumari in an attempt to win her hand in marriage by force. He was slain by her in a fierce battle and she forevermore remained at the southern tip protecting all inland from those outsiders who try to enter the subcontinent with less than pure intentions.

Cheryl Silberman, our Director, first saw Kanyakumari in a painting while visiting friends in India many years ago, and was immediately drawn to it. In 2003, Cheryl and our Panchakarma Director, Corinna Schmidt, left the U.S. for India with the task of naming our Ayurvedic healing center. An unexpected trip led them to Kanyakumari and a nearby sacred hill named “Medicine Mountain”. There they performed a naming ritual and we became Kanyakumari Ayurveda Education & Retreat Center, in the U.S.

Kanyakumari, to us, signifies the blessed harmony of all things natural and the power of spirit in helping each of us to realize the beautiful oneness from which we are born. May the spirit of Kanyakumari touch and bless your life as well.