Kanniyakumari district once known as the granary of Travancore lies at the south-western part of Indian peninsula. It was in Travancore for a long time and then merged with Tamil Nadu in 1956 under the State Linguistic Reorganisation Act. It is famous for its vast green stretches of paddy fields, rich forests, coconut groves and mineral sands. The district has many beautiful spots, besides Cape-Comorin, the southern-most tip of the sub- continent where two seas and an ocean mark the Land's end. The district has been named after the Goddess Kanniyakumari Amman who is the popular deity of the area.

Lenged has it that the Goddess Parvathy in one of her incarnations as Devi Kanniya did penance on one of the rocks of this land's end to obtain the hand of Lord Shiva. Kanniyakumari district is the smallest district in the State having an area of 1684.00 sq. kms. The District lies between 77* 05' and 77* 36' of the eastern longitude and 8* 03' and 8* 35' of the northern latitude. The district is bounded by Tirunelveli district in the north and north-east by Kerala State in the north-west and confluence of Arabian Sea and Indian Ocean in the west and south. The coastline in almost regular except for some points of land projecting into the sea at Cape Comorin. There are minor ports in the district at Kolachel, Thengaipattinam, Manakudy, Kovalam, Le puram and Marthandam. Total area of the district is 1684 sq. kms. Headquarters of this district is Nagercoil.