From January 2nd to 3rd we travelled to Kanyakumari, Tamil Nadu, the city at the southernmost tip of India.
DAY 1
On the way to Kanyakumari, we visited Padmanabhapuram Palace, the former home of the Princely State of Travancore's royal family. The palace is a huge complex of buildings with striking examples of traditional south Indian architecture.
Virtually every architectural element of the palace is ornately detailed:
The shape of the palatial buildings is reminiscent of a pagoda, however I wonder if the shape is religious or practical (to keep out rain for example?)
More detailing; each of these 90 flowers is different:
Incredibly ornate exterior:
A view of the entrance to the palace:
Palace roofs:
Some rooms are under renovation:
A view of the dance hall from upstairs. Women would watch from this screened balcony to enjoy the show without drawing the attention of the audience below:
Other buildings in the palace complex:
DAY 2
Monday morning we woke early to catch the sunrise. The hotel was conveniently east-facing but the sky was inconveniently cloudy. Still it was satisfying to finally see the Indian Ocean in daylight. I can now claim to have seen three of the world's major oceans!
Fishermen on the beach at Kanyakumari:
We began the day with a journey to the southernmost point in India, the Vivekananda Memorial Island. The island contains several temples, as well as a memorial to one of India's most celebrated philosophers, Swami Vivekananda. Below is the memorial itself:
The rocky islet below is officially the southernmost point in India. Incredibly, the next landmass across the sea from here is Antarctica.
A view of the island:
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