Vivekananda Rock Memorial
Encyclopedia
Vivekananda Rock Memorial is a sacred monument and popular tourist attraction in Vavathurai
, Kanyakumari
, India. The memorial stands on one of two rocks located about 500 meters off mainland of Vavathurai, India's southernmost tip
. It was built in 1970 by the Vivekananda Rock Memorial Committee in honour of the visit of the great spiritual teacher Swami Vivekananda
to Shripada Parai during the month of December 1892 for deep meditation and enlightenment. He swam to this rock and meditated about the past, present and future of India. It is said that he attained enlightenment on the rock, and henceforth became a reformer and philosopher.
From very ancient times, the rock has been regarded as a sacred place. The mythical tradition states that it has been known as 'Sripada Parai', meaning the rock that has been blessed by the touch of ‘the sacred feet’ of the Devi Kumari. On the rock is a projection similar in form to a human foot and a little brownish in complexion, which has traditionally been venerated as a symbol of Shripadam. According to legend, it was on this rock that Devi Kumari performed austerity.
A meditation hall (Dhyana Mandapa
m) is also attached to the memorial for visitors to meditate. The design of the mandapa incorporates different styles of temple architecture from all over India. It houses a statue of Vivekananda. The merger of three seas - Bay of Bengal
, Arabian Sea
and Indian Ocean
can be seen from these rocks.
The memorial consists of two main structures, the Vivekananda Mandapam and the Shripada Mandapam.
This monument was hit by the Indian Ocean Tsunami of December 26, 2004.http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lvyPv3einJM&feature=related
m erected in honour of Vivekananda consists of
Both the Mandapams are so designed that the vision of Vivekananda in the statue would be seen direct towards the Shripadam.
There is also Sri Padaparai (Padam-feet; Parai - rock) Mandapam which is a shrine erected at the spot where the footprint of the Virgin Goddess is seen on the rock.
Vavathurai
Vavathurai is a village in Kanyakumari in the state of Tamilnadu in India. The closest major city is Nagercoil, the administrative headquarters of Kanyakumari District, ....
, Kanyakumari
Kanyakumari District
Kanyakumari District ) is a district of Tamil Nadu state, India and is the southernmost land area of mainland India.The district is the second most urbanised district in Tamilnadu, next only to Chennai and ahead of Coimbatore. It also has the highest literacy and education levels in the...
, India. The memorial stands on one of two rocks located about 500 meters off mainland of Vavathurai, India's southernmost tip
Extreme points of India
The extreme points of India include the coordinates that are further north, south, east or west than any other location in India; and the highest and the lowest altitudes in the country. Also included in this list is the southern-most Indian station in Antarctica...
. It was built in 1970 by the Vivekananda Rock Memorial Committee in honour of the visit of the great spiritual teacher Swami Vivekananda
Swami Vivekananda
Swami Vivekananda , born Narendranath Dutta , was the chief disciple of the 19th century mystic Ramakrishna Paramahansa and the founder of the Ramakrishna Math and the Ramakrishna Mission...
to Shripada Parai during the month of December 1892 for deep meditation and enlightenment. He swam to this rock and meditated about the past, present and future of India. It is said that he attained enlightenment on the rock, and henceforth became a reformer and philosopher.
From very ancient times, the rock has been regarded as a sacred place. The mythical tradition states that it has been known as 'Sripada Parai', meaning the rock that has been blessed by the touch of ‘the sacred feet’ of the Devi Kumari. On the rock is a projection similar in form to a human foot and a little brownish in complexion, which has traditionally been venerated as a symbol of Shripadam. According to legend, it was on this rock that Devi Kumari performed austerity.
A meditation hall (Dhyana Mandapa
Mandapa
A mandapa in Indian architecture is a pillared outdoor hall or pavilion for public rituals.-Temple architecture:...
m) is also attached to the memorial for visitors to meditate. The design of the mandapa incorporates different styles of temple architecture from all over India. It houses a statue of Vivekananda. The merger of three seas - Bay of Bengal
Bay of Bengal
The Bay of Bengal , the largest bay in the world, forms the northeastern part of the Indian Ocean. It resembles a triangle in shape, and is bordered mostly by the Eastern Coast of India, southern coast of Bangladesh and Sri Lanka to the west and Burma and the Andaman and Nicobar Islands to the...
, Arabian Sea
Arabian Sea
The Arabian Sea is a region of the Indian Ocean bounded on the east by India, on the north by Pakistan and Iran, on the west by the Arabian Peninsula, on the south, approximately, by a line between Cape Guardafui in northeastern Somalia and Kanyakumari in India...
and Indian Ocean
Indian Ocean
The Indian Ocean is the third largest of the world's oceanic divisions, covering approximately 20% of the water on the Earth's surface. It is bounded on the north by the Indian Subcontinent and Arabian Peninsula ; on the west by eastern Africa; on the east by Indochina, the Sunda Islands, and...
can be seen from these rocks.
The memorial consists of two main structures, the Vivekananda Mandapam and the Shripada Mandapam.
This monument was hit by the Indian Ocean Tsunami of December 26, 2004.http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lvyPv3einJM&feature=related
Vivekananda Mandapam
This MandapaMandapa
A mandapa in Indian architecture is a pillared outdoor hall or pavilion for public rituals.-Temple architecture:...
m erected in honour of Vivekananda consists of
- Dhyana Mandapam - The meditation Hall with six adjacent rooms
- Sabha Mandapam - The Assembly Hall including Pralima Mandapam (statue section) two rooms, a corridor and an open prakaramPrakaramA Prakaram, also spelled Pragaram or Pragaaram) in Indian architecture is an outer parth around the Hindu temple sanctum. These may be enclosed or open and are typically enclosed for the inner most prakaram....
(outer courtyard) round the Sabha Mandapam - Mukha Mandapam
- Front Entrance - The steps with two rooms and a corridor below the steps.Prajakta
Shripada Mandapam
This square hall consists of the following structures.- Garbha Graham - The sanctum sanctorum
- Inner Prakaram
- Outer Prakaram
- Outer Platform
Both the Mandapams are so designed that the vision of Vivekananda in the statue would be seen direct towards the Shripadam.
There is also Sri Padaparai (Padam-feet; Parai - rock) Mandapam which is a shrine erected at the spot where the footprint of the Virgin Goddess is seen on the rock.
External links
- Vivekananda Kendra
- Vivekananda Kendra Publication
- Vivekananda Kendra, Kanyakumari
- Vivekananda Kendra International
- Vivekananda Kendra Institute of Culture
- Vivekananda Kendra in Arunachal Pradesh
- Vivekananda Kendra ArunJyoti Project
- Vivekananda Kendra Vidyalaya Arunachal Pradesh Trust
- Vivekananda Kendra Shiksha Prasar Vibhag
- Vivekananda Kendra Natural Resources Development Project
- Vivekananda Kendra Utkal Seva Prakalp
- Books Publisehd by Vivekananda Kendra
- Vivekananda Kendra Vidyalaya Siksha Prasar Vibhag
- Vivekananda Kendra Vidyalaya
- Vivekananda Kendra Prakashan Trust
- Vivekananda Rock Memorial
- published and edited by Frank Par lato Jr.