Nagercoil (Tamil: ) (aka: Nagerkoil) is the 12th largest town in the southernmost Indian state of Tamil Nadu and a municipality and administrative headquarters of Kanyakumari District. The town is situated close to the tip of the Indian peninsula and is the southernmost town on the Indian mainland. The town was a part of the erstwhile Travancore state, or later Travancore-Cochin state, till almost a decade after the Indian independence in 1947. In 1956, the city and the District were merged with Tamil Nadu. In its earlier days, the town and its surroundings were known as Nanjilnadu. Nagercoil derives its name from the famous old Nagaraja Temple (temple of the serpent king) which is in the central part of town. It has been an important temple for Hindus for centuries as well as a tourist attraction. According to certain accounts, it may once have been a Jain temple, as icons of the Jain Tirthankaras Mahavira and Parsvanatha are found on the pillars of the temple....
