Dec20,2023
Kanniyakumari derives its name from from Goddess Kanniyakumari Amman, the presiding deity of the area. The most prominent temple, the Kumari Amman, is dedicated to the goddess Parvathi as a virgin.
She is variously described by various traditions of Hinduism to either be a form of Parvati or Lakshmi, and is known by several names such as Shrī Bāla Bhadra, Shrī Bāla, Kanya Devi, and Devi Kumari.
The worship of Devi Kanya Kumari is also associated with the Kumari Kandam, a mythical lost continent.
Kanya Kumari is regarded to be the goddess who killed the demon Banasura, who performed a continuous penance with utmost austerities. The Vaishnava Saint Vadiraja Tirtha, in his Tirtha Prabhanda, describes Kanya Kumari as Lakshmi
Devi Kanya Kumari has been mentioned in Ramayana, Mahabharata, and the Sangam works Manimekalai, Purananuru and the Nārāyaṇa (Mahānārāyaṇa) Upanishad
The Bhagavati Kumari Amman Temple is one of the 52 Shakti Peetha. It is believed that the back spine area of Sati's corpse fell here creating the presence of Kundalini Shakti in the region
The shrine is accessed through the Western door. The eastern door is opened only on certain days of a year, as on the new moon days in the months of Thai, Aadi (Karkidaka) July, during Navaratri and in the month of Kaartikai