Nagercoil and Kanyakumari - Tamil Nadu

Nagercoil

Nagercoil is a town in the southernmost Indian state of Tamil Nadu and a municipality and administrative headquarters of Kanyakumari District. The town is situated close to the tip of the Indian peninsula, locked with the Western Ghats on all sides.

Kanyakumari

Kanyakumari formerly known as Cape Comorin, is a town in Kanyakumari District in the state of Tamil Nadu. It lies at the southernmost tip of the Indian subcontinent. Cape Comorin is the southern tip of the Cardamom Hills, an extension of the Western Ghats range along the west coast of India. The nearest major city is Nagercoil, 22 km away. Kanyakumari was one of the important towns of the ancient Tamilakam and is a popular tourist destination.

Hill Range:

   
• Ullaakarvi falls - It is about 35 km from Kanyakumari town and about 17 km from Nagercoil town, near Azhakiyapandiapuram village. The falls is up in the middle of forested Western Ghat hills, which is accessible only on foot from the base of the hills. The hour's trek from the base of the hills is through rocky, forested area, which is thrilling in itself. On a clear day, one can view the waterfalls from the base of the hills through naked eye, or even better through binoculars/zoom lens. There are two falls - the lower falls, which is a good picnic spot, and the higher falls, which is further uphill. The water is basically spring water, coming in as a stream up from the hills nearby.

• Marunthuvazh Malai -  Also known as the Maruthuva Malai, nearer to Vaikunda Pathi, forms the part and the southernmost tip of the Western Ghats. According to tradition, the Maruthuva Malai is a fragment of the Sanjeevi Mountain, a piece of which fell down here, and it was carried by Hanuman from Mahendragiri to Lanka for healing the fatal wounds of Lakshmana, the brother of Rama, the epic hero. It stretches for more than a km, reaching a height of 800 feet at the highest point. It is about 2 km from Swamithoppe and 11 km from Nagercoil.

   
• Agasthyamalai Hills - Also called the Ashambu Hills, they lie at the extreme southern end of the Western Ghats mountain range along the western side of South India. There are at least 26 peaks over 1,600 metres among these hills. The hills are notable as the habitat for over 2,000 species of medicinal plants and as the abode of the Vedic sage Agasthya, founder of the Siddhar practitioners of Rasayana herbal medicine. He is often depicted holding a mortar and pestle. These hills contain areas of exceptional natural beauty and aesthetic importance. The hills contain outstanding examples of ecosystems and communities of plants and animals representing significant ecological and biological processes.

• Mahendragiri - Its the name of a hill in Tirunelveli District, South Tamil Nadu. It is part of the southern tip of the Western Ghats, with an elevation of 1,645.2 metres. ISRO Propulsion Complex, a test facility for Indian Space Research Organisation's launch vehicle and satellite propulsion systems, is situated on the lower slopes of this mountain.

Ayya Vaikundar procession

• Vaikunda Malai - Its a hill which is part of the Mahendragiri Hills situated near Athala vilai of Kanyakumari district in the Western Ghats of India. This hill has religious importance in the Ayyavazhi religion during the festival of Ayya Vaikunda Avataram, the day of incarnation of Ayya Vaikundar. During the celebration two processions, one from Thiruvananthapuram and other from Tiruchendur, reach Athala vilai and circle the hill. A flame is lit at the top of this hill to symbolise the birth of Vaikundar. Unlike other Ayyavazhi holy places, Vaikunda Malai is not mentioned in the Ayyavazhi scriptures.

• Anaimalai Hills - Its a range of mountains in the Western Ghats in Tamil Nadu and Kerala states of South India. The name "Anaimalai" derives from the Tamil/Malayalam word 'Anai' meaning elephant and 'Malai' meaning hill, thus Elephant Hill. The highest peak of the Anaimalai Hills is Anamudi, (2,695 meters), located in the Idukki district of Kerala. It is the highest peak in the Western ghats and South India. To the north, Palghat Gap divides the Western Ghats. The lower slopes of hills now have coffee and tea plantations as well as teak forests of great economic value.

Rivers:

Kothai River

• Kothai- Its a river in the Kanyakumari district of Tamil Nadu state, which originates from the Kodayar Lake. Kothai is name of a female in Tamil. In Tamil it means 'Beautiful girl of no mistakes'

View from the Mathur bridge

• Pahrali River- It flows through the Kanyakumari District in southern India. It originates in the Mahendragiri hills. The Mathur Hanging Trough, the highest and longest aqueduct in Asia, was built over it near Mathur. Perunchani dam is constructed across Pahrali river.

Lakes:

• Parakkai Lake- is a lake in Kanniyakumari district in the state of Tamil Nadu, India. It is located near the southern tip of India, just to the north of Parakkai village and west of the town of Suchindram.

• Kodayar Lake.

Animals:

• Bonnet Macaque 
• Black Napped 
• Common Langur 
• Elephant 
• Gaur Bos gaurus Vulnerable 
• Jungle Cat 
• Leopard
• Lion Tailed Macaque 
• Indian Giant Squirrel 
• Brown Mongoose 
• Mouse Deer 
• Nilgiri Langur 
• Nilgiri Marten 
• Nilgiri Tahr 
• Palm civet 
• Pangolin 
• Porcupine 
• Sambar 
• Sloth Bear 
• Small Indian Civet 
• Spiny Dormouse 
• Tiger
• Wild boar 
• Wild Dog
• Indian Fox 
• Jackal 
• Striped Hyena 

Birds:

• White-cheeked Barbet 
• Yellow-browed Bulbul 
• Red-whiskered Bulbul 
• Black Bulbul 
• Southern Hill-Myna 
• Indian Hanging-Parrot 
• Blyth's Reed-Warbler 
• Asian Fairy-Bluebird 
• Grey Junglefowl 
• Plain Flowerpecker 
• Scarlet Minivet 
• Common Iora 
• Red-vented Bulbul 
• Small Minivet 
• Common Rosefinch 
• Indian Scimitar-Babbler 
• Tickell’s Flowerpecker 
• Greater Racket-tailed Drongo 
• White-bellied Treepie 
• Large-billed Leaf-Warbler 
• Asian Palm-Swift 
• Greenish Leaf-Warbler 
• Small Sunbird 
• Grey-headed Bulbul