At the confluence of three oceans, President graces Golden Jubilee celebrations of the Vivekananda Rock

Kanyakumari, December 26: “The vision and enthusiasm of Swami Vivekananda continue to inspire the nation and its youth,” said President Ramnath Kovind has while addressing the Golden Jubilee celebrations of the Vivekananda Rock Memorial in Kanyakumari, today morning.

 

 

 

The President recalled that Kanyakumari held a special place in the life of Swami Vivekananda. He pointed out that the Swamiji had spent three days in meditation in Kanyakumari, before embarking on his famous trip to Chicago for addressing the World Conference of Religions. Kovind also had special words of praise for the Rock Memorial, built on a rock at the confluence of three oceans, which attracts tens of thousands of visitors every year.

 

The function was attended by many dignitaries including Tamilnadu Governor Banwarilal Purohit. The President later visited the special audio-visual exhibition on India’s perennial epics the Ramayana and the Mahabharatha, being held in the premises of the Vivekananda Kendra in Kanyakumari.

 

 

 

In January 1962, marking the birth centenary of Swamiji, the ‘Kanyakumari Committee’ was set up by a group of people who aimed at establishing a memorial of Swamiji on the rock as also a bridge for people to visit the rock. The ‘Ramakrishna Mission’ in Madras also conceived of such a memorial during that time. However the concept met with certain hurdles with the local Catholic fishermen displaying aversion and putting up a big Cross on the rock and on the other hand the Hindus were protesting such move of the Catholic populace. As matters became worse, the rock was marked as a prohibited place and armed guards were stationed to patrol it. On January 17, 1963 as permitted by the government, a tablet was put up at the rock that mentioned its association with Swami Vivekananda. 

 

The construction of the Vivekananda Rock Memorial was completed in a short span of six years in 1970, which involved around 650 workers. It was inaugurated and dedicated to the nation in that year.