Maruda
Malai is located
six miles from Cape
Comorin. It is a
mountain with a
legendary history.
The name literally
means the medicinal
mountain. Maruda
denotes medicine.
 In
the Ramayana, Hanuman
was asked by Lord
Rama to get the
Sanjeevini medicinal
herb from Mount
Kailasa to cure
the snake poison
in Laksmana’s
body caused by the
arrow of Ravana’s
son Indrajit. Anjaneya
flew to Mount Kailas
but couldn’t
find the medicinal
herb in the Mount
Gandhamarutha. So
he uprooted the
mountain and took
it to Rama to choose
the medicine from
it. On his journey
a chip of it fell
down and this is
what we call now
as Maruda Malai
or Marunthu Malai.
This place is still
famous for the different
types of medicinal
herbs that it produces.
These are used in
a large number of
medicinal preparations
in Ayurveda. People
believe that the
bitter leaves of
trees and grass
found here tastes
sweet when cooked.
Hanuman instilled
a Linga which is
visited by pilgrims
even today.
The Cape Comorin
can be reached from
Tirunelveli and
Trivandrum railway
stations. There
are buses plying
very frequently
from these stations.
There are a lot
of government and
private hotels there
along with a Government
Traveler’s
Bungalow and Devasthanam
Choultries.
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