From Poovar to Kanyakumari – Jain Temple, Padmanabhapuram Palace, Suchindram Temple & Sunset

Day 4 began with another peaceful morning at Poovar Island Resort. Just like the previous day, we woke up to the soothing chirping of birds and spent some time walking around the resort. With the lake right next to our cottage and the calm surroundings, it was difficult to leave such a beautiful place.

After enjoying a leisurely breakfast, we packed our bags and started our journey at around 8:30 AM towards Kanyakumari.

Our plan for the day was to cover:

Chitharal Jain Temple
Padmanabhapuram Palace
Suchindram Thanumalayan Temple

It turned out to be one of the busiest days of our trip, but also one of the most rewarding.

Our First Stop – Chitharal Jain Temple

Our first destination was Chitharal Jain Temple, located around 45 km from Poovar Island Resort. Although the distance wasn’t very long, the drive took us around one and a half hours. After reaching the base of the hill, we parked our vehicle and began the climb to the temple.

To reach the top, we had to climb approximately 500 steps. The climb was manageable, but by the time we reached the top, the weather had already become quite warm.

What We Found at the Top

If you’re expecting an active Jain temple where you can offer prayers, you may be disappointed.

During our visit, the temple complex was already closed. Since the site is protected by the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI), the temples remain preserved as historical monuments rather than functioning places of worship.

We couldn’t enter the temple structures, and darshan wasn’t possible. However, we could still see beautifully carved Jain Tirthankara murals and enjoy the peaceful surroundings. The biggest reward, in my opinion, was the view from the top of the hill.

We spent some time simply enjoying the scenery before beginning our descent.

Travel Tip from Our Experience

If you’re specifically travelling for Jain darshan, this may not be the right destination because the temples are generally closed for worship. However, if you enjoy history, archaeology or hilltop viewpoints, the visit is still worthwhile.

Overall, including the climb and the time spent at the top, it took us around one and a half hours to complete the visit.

Padmanabhapuram Palace

Our next destination was Padmanabhapuram Palace.

Although the palace is now located in Tamil Nadu, it was once part of the Travancore Kingdom. As a result, the architecture, traditions and royal heritage are very similar to what we had already seen in Thiruvananthapuram.

One thing we had to keep in mind was the afternoon closing time. Like many heritage sites and temples in Kerala, the palace closes around the afternoon, so we wanted to reach before 12:30 PM.

We managed to reach at around 12:15 PM, just in time.

Bigger Than Travancore Palace

Having visited Travancore Palace Museum the previous day, it was impossible not to compare the two. Padmanabhapuram Palace is definitely much larger.

However, I personally felt that the Travancore Palace in Thiruvananthapuram appeared slightly better maintained and more polished.

On the other hand, Padmanabhapuram Palace offers a much larger complex with bigger halls and more sections to explore.

Photography was allowed inside the palace, unlike the previous palace we had visited, so we made the most of the opportunity and clicked plenty of family photographs.

The palace took us around one hour to explore completely.

By the end, the children were visibly tired after walking through the large complex.

Waiting for Suchindram Thanumalayan Temple to Reopen

Our next destination was Suchindram Thanumalayan Temple. However, by the time we reached, the temple had already closed for the afternoon and was scheduled to reopen around 4:00 PM. Since we had some time to spare, we relaxed nearby, had some coconut water and light snacks, and waited for the temple to reopen.

A Guided Visit to Suchindram Thanumalayan Temple

One unexpected highlight of the day was our visit to Suchindram Thanumalayan Temple.

By chance, we met a Rajasthani family who already knew one of the temple priests. Through their introduction, the priest guided us through the temple and explained almost every important part of its history and significance.

Without his guidance, we would probably have admired the architecture without understanding many of its unique features.

What Makes the Temple Special?

The temple has several unique attractions. One of the first things that caught our attention was the enormous Hanuman statue, which is located near the exit of the darshan route.

The main deity is Thanumalayan, representing Brahma, Vishnu and Mahesh together in a single idol. The priest also showed us the famous musical pillars, which produce different musical notes when gently tapped. Another major attraction is the huge Nandi.

According to what we were told during our visit, it is considered the third-largest Nandi statue in India, after the ones at Rameswaram and another temple.

Travel Tip from Our Experience

If you can arrange a knowledgeable guide or priest during your visit, the experience becomes much more meaningful. Many interesting stories and architectural details are easy to miss otherwise.

Although we had initially thought we might spend around two hours here, our visit actually took about one hour.

Reaching Kanyakumari

After completing the temple visit, we finally continued towards Kanyakumari.

Our stay for the night was at Seashore Hotel.

Compared to the peaceful resort experience at Poovar, this hotel had a completely different atmosphere. It felt more like a comfortable city hotel serving pilgrims and tourists visiting the temple town. We had booked a base category room but we were promoted to sea-view room, and the view from the room was definitely its biggest highlight.

The room itself was comfortable and cosy, although naturally it didn’t offer the resort-like experience we had become used to over the previous two days.

Sunset at Kanyakumari

Since sunset was approaching, we quickly freshened up and headed towards Sunset Point. It was located around 4–5 km from our hotel. Our hotel, on the other hand, was very close to Sunrise Point, which would be useful the following morning.

When we reached Sunset Point, it felt more like a fair than a sightseeing spot. There were huge crowds, street vendors and decorative lights all around. Despite the crowd, watching the sun slowly disappear into the sea at India’s southernmost tip was a memorable experience.

Dinner at Saravana Bhavan

After returning from Sunset Point, we looked for dinner. Fortunately, there were several vegetarian and pure vegetarian restaurants near the hotel. We chose Saravana Bhavan, which was located next to our hotel near Bhagavathy Amman Temple.

Since it is a well-known restaurant chain, the prices were slightly higher than what we had been paying elsewhere during the trip. We ordered both South Indian and North Indian dishes for the family, and the total bill came to around ₹1,000.

The food was good, although a little more expensive than our previous meals.

Our Experience

Day 4 was easily one of the busiest days of our Kerala and Tamil Nadu trip.

We started the morning amidst the peaceful backwaters of Poovar, climbed a hill to visit an ancient Jain site, explored one of South India’s largest wooden palaces, spent time understanding the history of Suchindram Temple with the help of a priest, and finally ended the day watching the sunset at Kanyakumari.

It was certainly more hectic than our previous days, but looking back, it was also one of the most fulfilling days of the journey.