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The Hindu : If you thought Kanyakumari District was all about temples, beaches, forests and waterfalls, think again. You need to explore the area some more to discover lesser-known places of interest. Kanyakumari hides quite a few ruins of time-ravaged forts andwatch towers. They can all be found within a radius of three km from the main temple. I learnt about Murugan Kuntram by chance, just as I was leaving the hotel in Nagercoil. The friendly manager advised me to visit this small hillock just to catch the scenic view from the top. What excited me was that Murugan Kuntram is the last hillock on the way to the confluence of the three seas at the southernmost tip of the country.There was quite a bit of traffic on the highway and it took me half-an-hour to cover the 17-odd km from Nagercoil to the hillock, which was earlier called “Savari Kothalam Parai” by the locals. It is just three km short of Kanyakumari.The hillock with its sparkling white temple on the top is visible even from the highway. From the main road, I turned right on the narrow road that culminated at its base. Thirty odd steps took me to the top. Once I got there, I was glad I had made the effort, because I was instantly transported to an abode of serenity. Shade giving casuarinas neatly lined the boundary wall of the temple. All you could hear was the soughing of the casuarinas, though, barely a km away, there was ample noise caused by the work of laying the four-way National Highway, part of the golden quadrilateral that will connect the North with the South.Indeed, Murugan Kuntram is a spot from where you can get a panoramic view of the surroundings - oceans on the one side, the Aramboly field with its whirring wind mills on the other and verdant groves of coconut and banana on…More