The Flowers and the Gemstones

Skanda Puranam (from mythology) tells the story of Kanyakumari who threw into the sea, the flowers and gemstones kept for her marriage with Shiva. It is said to have coloured the shores. When the last Maharaja of Travancore dynasty travelled through Kanyakumari, he was awed by the exquisite garland made of Oleander flowers and called it Manikkamalai – the ruby garland. Ever since, a family in Thovalai village of Kanyakumari has been weaving Maharaja’s favourite garland every morning, to be sent to his Palace temple. The dynasty ended long ago and state borders were marked in modern India. Yet, the custom holding the two lands, in Kerala and Tamil Nadu, remains intact.