Kanyakumari also known as Cape Comorin is a district in the state of Tamil Nadu. It is the southernmost tip of Peninsular India. It is the meeting point of three oceans the Bay of Bengal, the Arabian Sea and the Indian Ocean. It is also the southern tip of Western Ghats range. Kanyakumari is a popular tourist destination and is been a town since Sangam period. Kanyakumari is been mentioned in the ancient Greek book, the Perplus of Erythraean Sea, which has the sailing directions from Red sea to Indus and Malabar. Ptolemy’s geography describes commercial relations between western India and Alexandria. Kanyakumari was a center for great trade and commerce. It was under rule by various kings like The Cholas, The Cheras, The Pandyas and The Nayaks. Kanyakumari is one of the popular tourist attractions in the south. Kanyakumari gets its name from the Devi Kanya Kumari , considered to be the sister of Krishna. The goddess is believed to be one who removes the rigidity of our mind. The temple here is a Sakthi Peetha. The place was also known as kanyashram of the Baalaamika, the deity of the temple. This is one of the temples in India where Devi is worshipped as a child. The rites and rituals are done in Kerala Namboothiri method. The temple is very old and mentioned in ancient Sanskrit literature.
Some of the places of interest are The Thiruvalluvar statue, Vivekananda Rock memorial, Gandhi memorial mandapam, Bhagavathy amman temple etc. Kanyakumari is also popular in India for its spectacular and unique sunrise and sunsets. On full moon evenings one can see the moonrise and sun set at the same time.
Kanyakumari is also noted for its medicinal plants and herbs. It also has a huge forest cover, accommodating a wide variety of plants, trees and hurbs. Commercial varieties include plantain, jackfruit, mango and coconut. Various types of plantain like Nenthiram, palayamkotan, thuluvam, matti, singan, robesta, rasathalli etc are grown.
Plantains/Banana can be aptly called a kalapataru. All the parts of the banana plant can be put to use without anything going waste. Banana is a sweet, creamy flesh fruit, which grows in a tropical or warm subtropical climate. Bananas requires lot of water and a very rich soil to grow. India is one of the largest producers of banana in the world. The fruits and leaves are the main source of income. Leaves are used as plates for serving food on them in the southern parts of India. The fruit contains multi vitamins and proteins and is super rich in potassium. Apart from the uses banana offers a good source of fiber with excellent commercial value. Fiber is extracted from the stems of the banana after the harvest. All varieties of banana trees abound in fibers. In fact almost each and every part of the banana plant gives fibers of various strength, color and beauty and length, which can be used for various products. The stem of the banana plant is usually thrown away once the plantain is harvested. Disposal of this was a problem. So fibers were extracted from this mechanically and used to make various products. Resistance of the fiber to the seawater and its natural buoyancy has created a ready market for it in the manufacturing of shipping cables. It is widely used in manufacturing of power transmission cables, fishing nets, lines and other types of cordage. All though banana plants and fibers are available in tropical regions in abundance, their application potential has not been exploited fully. At present other companies make the limited application of banana fibers, for example in making ropes, mats etc. One such company in Kanyakumari run by Ms Prema is making handbags, display products etc.
