jagrat mahimamyi devi tirth kanyakumari do. rakesh kumar sinha 'ravi' bharatavarsh men aitihasik, pauranik aur dharmik mahatva vale kai kshetra aur tirth sthal hain jinmen dakshin men avasthit kanyakumari (kanniya kumari) ka apna vishisht mahatva hai. puratan mahatva ke is sthan ko prachyakal men 'sagrtirtha' aur age khasakar angrejon ke jamane men kaip komorin kaha jata tha.
desh ke dakshin prakshetra ko suchit karne vali do shilayen yahin hain jinmen ek ko matritirth aur dusre ko pitritirth kaha jata hai. tin rang yatha lal, hare aur matmaile rang ke jal aur baluka rashi ka ek hi sath darshan karna yahan ki sabse bari khasiyat hai. purva men bangal ki khari, dakshin men hind mahasagar aur pashchim men arab sagar ki miln-sthali hi aj ka kanyakumari hai jo ek antrip hai aur iski ganna bharatavarsh ke punya sthalon men ki jati hai.
paryatan drishti se vaise to kanyakumari aur iske aspas samriddh darshaniya sthalon ki koi kami nahin, par is nagar ki nagrdevi man kumari ki bat hi kuch aur hai. yahi karan hai ki yahan ane vale man ke is mandir ka darshana-pujan avashya karte hain jise kumari amman mandir kaha jata hai. vidvanon ki ray men jis prakar uttar men shri vaishnodevi tirthon ka mukutmni hai, thik usi prakar yah mandir dakshin men pratishtha prapt hai.
itihas ke pannon par chol, cher aur pandya rajvanshon ki pavitra nagri kanyakumari dharmik drishtikon se bhi kam mahatvapurn nahin hai. vivaran milta hai ki chakravarti samrat bharat ke ath putra aur ek putri thi. age ke samay men raja ne pure desh ko nau bhagon men vibhakt kar sabse dakshini bhag putri ko saunp diya. tab us kshetra vishesh ka nam kumari (kumarinadu) para jise purva kal men 'kumarinparda' bhi kaha jata tha.
prachin keral pradesh ke isi tat par parashakti, kanya ka rup dharan karke tapasya karti thi, is karan iska nam kanyakumari para. yahan se sanbaddh ek puran ki katha ka sar kuch is prakar hai ki rakshas bhanasur (kahin-kahin banasur) ke sanhar ke lie devi ammavanni (kanyakumari) ka avataran hua hai. vivaran milta hai ki akhil vishva men atank machane vale banasur ko shankar ji ka vardan prapt tha ki tum kanyakumari kanya ke alava sabapar ajey rahoge.
idhar devi ne prakat hone ke pashchat devadhidev mahadev ko pati ke rup men pane ke lie kathor tapasya praranbh ki jahan shila par sati ke pad-chihn ka ankan aj bhi dekha ja sakta hai. shankar ji se svikriti milne par vivah ki bat tay ho gayi, par brahma sahit samast devagan ko yah chinta thi ki agar yah vivah ho gaya to bhanasur ka sanhar sanbhav n ho sakega. is karan devkripa ka fal kahen ki shankar ji ka dola shuchindram men hi ruka rah gaya aur devi kumari hi rah gai.
idhar shubh muhurt bhi tal gaya. is prakar devi kumari hi rah gayi aur kanyakumari ke nam se prasiddh ho gai. jan vishvas v dharmik tathya hai ki devi ka vivah kaliyug ke bad fir hoga. idhar jab bhanasur ne devi ke rup v saundarya ki prashansa suni to vah devi se vivah karne ka hath karne laga. is karan hue yuddh men antatah devi ne uski iti shri kar di.
tab se yah kshetra mai ke pujn-archan ka vishisht kendra ban gaya hai jiski paranpra aj bhi jari hai. dvadash devi pradhan tirthon men tritiya sthan par virajman man ka yah mandir tamilnadu rajyantargat kanyakumari jile ke nimnatam chor par vishal ghere ke andar sushobhit hai- kerle tu kumari sa amba'varteshu sansthita॥ (tripura rahasya, mahatmya khand 48/61-65) vivaran milta hai ki prachya kal men is mandir ke char darvaje the jo charon dishaon men khula karte the.
aj inki sankhya tin hai jinmen ek pradhan pravesh dvar hai. ek dvar jo samudra ki or khulta tha, band kar diya gaya hai. yahan samudra tat ke snan ghat par ek chota mandir hai. uske darshan ke pashchat hi man kumari ka darshan kiya jata hai jahan pratyek purush ke lie shart, ganji, kurta adi upri paridhan kholakar hi devi darshan karne ki paranpra hai. bharatavarsh ke purane, durust aur vishal mandiron men se ek is mandir men sthapit mata ki murti atyant akarshak v prabhavotpadak hai jahan ki pujarchana v shrringar karne ka shrey adikal se keral ke nanbudri brahman parivar ko prapt hai.
kaha jata hai ki mata ki nak men jo hire ki sink hai, uski roshni itni tej hua karti thi ki prachya kal men kitne hi naukayan v jalbere isse bhram men par jate the. vishesh avsron par suvarna-hirakar ratnon se devi ka shrringar hota hai. svikar kiya jata hai ki sati ke sharir ka prishth bhag yahin gira tha.
dharmagyaon ki ray men mata kanyakumari dayamyi hain jo solah kalaon se paripurn v safal shubhkarini hain. mukhay mandir pravesh kram men hi dvar ke pas bhairav ka darshan hota hai. mandir ke nikat purva disha men bangal ki khari ke tat par 'gayatri, savitri, sarasvati, kanya, vinayak tirth adi hain to pashchim disha men arab sagar ke kinare sthanu tirth hain. dakshin men hind mahasagar ke kinare matri, pitri v bhimatirth ka sthan hai.
is vishal devi mandir ke andar bahut sare devalay hain jinmen mahadev mandir, bhadrakali mandir, ayappa svami, indrakant vinayak, chakratirth adi pramukh hain. iske alava shritirth, manduk tirth aur pap vinasham pushpakarani yahan ki shobha ko dvigunit kar rahe hain. kanyakumari ke samudrattiya akarshan men shri vivekanand memoriyal hol, tirullur ki vishal murti, shri gandhi mandap v sangrahalay adi ka pramukh sthan hai. kul milakar desh ki dakshinatam sima par sthapit yah mandir darshaniya hai, pujniya hai aur vandniya bhi jinke charan ek nahin tin-tin sagar pakharte hain.
yah vah sthal hai jahan ek hi sath devi darshan aur prakriti ke divya, naisargik v shantimay saundarya ka darshan kiya jata hai. yahi karan hai ki dakshin bharat darshan ke kram men log kanyakumari jarur jate hain jahan desh ke mahangron ke alava madurai, trivendram v rameshvaram se jaya ja sakta hai.