The demon king Banasura(grand son of Mahabali) did penance to get a boon from Lord Shiva. He obtained a boon from Lord Shiva that he could be vanquished only by a virgin. Later he became the emperror of the three worlds. His evil ways had caused much agony to Devas,sages and saints. Unable to bear the harassment of the demon king Bhoomi Devi(Mother Earth) and the Devas approached Lord Vishnu and requested him to kill Banasura. Mahavishnu advised them to worship Sathi(Parvathy) the Goddess of the universe to vanquish the demon. Answering the prayers of the oppressed, Shakti appeared as Kumari(a young virgin girl) and promised to annihilate the evil forces championed by Banasura. Asking the devas to be patient for the right time for the killing of Banasura, Devi travelled to the southern-most tip of India, where she began to meditate upon Lord Shiva. As time went on she grew into a teenager. This is how the southern tip of India got the name Kanya Kumari, as kanya kumari means "a virgin teenaged girl" at Kanyakumari and commenced penance with the desire of marrying Shiva at Suchindram.
Lord Shiva (from nearby Suchindrum) was so enchanted by the beauty of Goddess Kumari that he decided to marry her. The divine sage, Narada, felt this would endanger the chances of destroying Banasura, for it was preordained that the king of demons could meet his death only at the hands of a virgin. Therefore, Narada had to find someway to scuttle the marriage.
Narada, fixed the midnight hour as the auspicious time for the wedding. When Shiva's procession reached a site by name Vazhukkumpaarai, Narada falsely heralded the break of dawn by assuming the form of a cock. On hearing the crowing of thr cock, Lord Shiva presumed the auspicious hour had past, turned back and returned to Suchindrum. Meanwhile, in Kanyakumari all waited for Lord Shiva's arrival and eventually, when he didn't turn up, the wedding ceremonies were cancelled. The rice and other grains meant for the wedding feast remained uncooked. It is said that in Kanya Kumari's anger over Shiva not arriving that she scattered all the food items that had been assembled for the wedding. Today tourists can buy tiny stones which look like rice, in remembrance of the marriage that was never solemnized.
The disappointed Kumari Devi decided to do penance and continue with her quest to fight the evil forces of Banasura. The Devi resumed Her penance on the rock, now known as Sripadaparai, a few hundred metres offshore. Meanwhile, Banasura heard about the beauty of the girl and came to request Her hand in marriage. When Devi rejected the idea, the demon king decided to win her by force. This led to a fierce battle, which ended with Kanya Kumari slaying Banasura with her chakra (divine discus) in Mahadana Puram (4 km north of Kanya Kumari).
It is said that at the moment of his death, Banasura repented for his adharmic acts and prayed to Parashakti to have compassion upon him and absolve him and anyone else who bathed in the waters off Kanya Kumari of their sins. Devi granted Banasura the boon, and this is why people come from all over the world to bathe in this holy confluence of seas. The relieved Devas returned blessed. Lord Parasurama and Sage Narada requsted to stay there till the end of Kaliyuga. The goddess agreed and remains at this place ever-dedicated to Lord Shiva and continues to perform austerities to this day with the hopes that he will one day unite with her. Later Parasurama built a temple on the shores and installed a beautiful idol of Goddess Kanya Kumari. The beautiful image of the Goddess in resplendent glory, with a garland in her right hand doing eternal penance as she waits for Lord Shiva to come, bestows on the devotee immense wealth of spiritual energy and peace of mind.
KanyaKumari Devi Temple Image Gallry
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