A traveller entering Kanniyakumari district, at the southern tip of the country, from Tirunelveli district, will immediately sense a perceptible change in the weather. A cool breeze greets the visitor, while paddy fields—interspersed with coconut and banana groves—stretch towards the horizon, though increasingly encroached upon by real estate development.
Once celebrated as the rice bowl of the erstwhile Travancore—and annexed to Tamil Nadu in 1956—its fertility finds mention in Manonmaniam, a verse drama by P. Sundaram Pillai. “In Vanchi country lies Nanjil Nadu, and who is not aware of its immense wealth,” goes a celebrated line. In the drama, the Pandya king, eager to marry the Chera princess Manonmani, seeks Nanjil Nadu—part of present-day Kanniyakumari—as dowry.
Published - May 13, 2026 06:30 am IST