THE HILLS OF NILAPPAARAI – ST. THOMAS CHURCH AT KURUSUMALAI

It drizzled at first. In a few minutes, it turned into heavy rain. The rain pitter-pattered on the balcony roof.  An hour and a half rain had left the streets murky.  The Sun peeked through the clouds that moved faster with the wind.  The dark clouds had gone and so the rain stopped for a while. Though it foiled our last day plan to visit Kanyakumari before we boarded the Kanyakumari express to reach Chennai, we decided to go to Kurusumalai – St Thomas church.

Kurusumalai – St Thomas church

It’s a 10 mins drive from my cousin’s home. Kurusumalai – St. Thomas church is located in Nilappaarai, also called Thirumoola Nagar.

Nestled in the hills, the eight-foot-high statue of St.Thomas greets you, far from the hill!

On the way to the church, I stopped by to take a look at the beauty of the colorful sprigs of bougainvillea! Do not attempt to pluck the flowers and you’ll end up in utter dismay..

THE HILLS OF NILAPPAARAI

The flight of stairs at the foothills gives way to the grotto of St. Thomas created a beautiful holiness in the church.

As you climb, there’s another grotto of St. Thomas carved in the rock caves that stands sublimely and you can only hear the whizzing sound of the wind rustling in the rock.

Fret not, climb more, the view from the top of the hill is so mesmerizing!!

And, we were able to see the tall wind turbines in Punniyavalanpuram and the hazy glimpse of 133 Ft-high statue of Thiruvalluvar, far across the floating dark clouds, miles away… The wind blew harder and harder that it buzzed in our ears.

We didn’t spend much time as there were a lot of monkeys that started trailing behind us. The hilly terrain has become an abode for lots of monkeys around.

The locals frequent it here as they find solace in the solitude of the hills. In the foothills, a community hall was constructed for feasts and other celebrations. I remember being there for my Cousin’s Baptism celebration. It was fun being around people you love…

Take a look at our first day trip which went on church hopping spree, The Church of Our Lady of Velankanni at Punniyavalanpuram, Selva Matha Church and St. Antony’s Shrine at Uvari, Athisaya Manal Matha Church at Sokkan kudieruppu, ThiruKalyana Matha Shrine at Pothakalanvilai and Sacred Heart Grotto at Alanthalai, and Holy Cross Church at  Manapad.

Our second day trip to Padmanabhapuram Palace, Mathur Thottipalam and the silvery Thirparappu waterfalls was filled with more fun and laughter.

With that, we bid adieu to Kanyakumari and boarded our return train to Chennai.

Here’s our 3 Days Kanyakumari Itinerary covering the major tourist places in Kanyakumari to plan your trip efficiently !

With luv,