SSC · Railway
The Vivekananda Rock Memorial is situated at:
Answer (Detailed Solution Below)View answer ▾Hide ▴
Answer: Option A — Kanyakumari
Detailed Solution
The Vivekananda Rock Memorial stands on a rocky island in the sea, about 500 metres off the coast of Kanyakumari, at the southern tip of mainland India, in Tamil Nadu.
About the memorial:
- It was built to commemorate Swami Vivekananda, who is believed to have swum to the rock and meditated there from 25 to 27 December 1892, before he went to the Parliament of the World's Religions in Chicago (1893).
- It is said that he attained enlightenment about his mission there.
- The rock is also known as "Shripada Parai", because, according to legend, Goddess Kanyakumari (Devi Kumari) did penance there and left her footprint.
- The memorial was built by the Vivekananda Rock Memorial Committee, led by Eknath Ranade, through contributions from people and state governments across India.
It was inaugurated on 2 September 1970 by President V. V. Giri.
It has two main structures: the "Vivekananda Mandapam" and the "Shripada Mandapam".
Its architecture combines styles from different parts of India.
Nearby attractions:
A 133-foot (about 41 m) statue of the Tamil poet Thiruvalluvar, author of the "Thirukkural", stands on a neighbouring rock. It was unveiled on 1 January 2000. Its height represents the 133 chapters of the Thirukkural.
A glass-floored bridge connecting the two rocks was opened in December 2024.
Kanyakumari is located at the meeting point of the Arabian Sea, the Bay of Bengal and the Indian Ocean. It is famous for its sunrise and sunset views.
The Kanyakumari Bhagavathy Amman Temple is located on the shore.
Other places related to Vivekananda:
- Belur Math (West Bengal): headquarters of the Ramakrishna Math and Mission, founded by Vivekananda.
- Vivekananda's birthday, 12 January, is observed as National Youth Day.
Why not the other options?
- ✗Rameswaram is famous for the Ramanathaswamy Temple and the Pamban Bridge.
- ✗Belur, West Bengal, is the site of Belur Math.
- ✗Puri is famous for the Jagannath Temple.
Quick tip
Remember: Vivekananda Rock Memorial = Kanyakumari, Tamil Nadu (Vivekananda meditated December 1892; built by Eknath Ranade; inaugurated 1970); Thiruvalluvar statue 133 feet (2000); Belur Math = Ramakrishna Mission HQ.
💬 Discussions on this question
Ask a doubt ›Still stuck on this question? Ask our faculty and fellow students — answers appear here.
Ask a doubtMore Monuments & Religious Places Questions
View all ›- Q1.The Somnath Jyotirlinga temple is located in which state?
- Q2.The Kamakhya Temple is located in:
- Q3.The brick temple of Bhitargaon, one of the oldest surviving brick temples of India, is situated in:
- Q4.The Mahabodhi Temple is situated at:
- Q5.The famous Brihadeeswara Temple, built by Rajaraja Chola I, is situated in:
More General Knowledge Questions
- Q1.The techniques of Rasa and Bhava used in Indian classical dance trace their origin to which ancient text?Indian Dance Forms
- Q2.Lavani, Powada, Koli, Waghya Murali and Dhangari Gaja are folk dances of which state?Indian Dance Forms
- Q3.The one-act play associated with the Sattriya tradition of Assam is called:Indian Dance Forms
- Q4.Which dance form of Goa is known as the 'Warrior Dance'?Indian Dance Forms
- Q5.Manipuri dance is based on the Rasleela themes of:Indian Dance Forms
Monuments & Religious Places — Preparation
This question tests your understanding of Monuments & Religious Places, a key topic in the General Knowledge section. The detailed solution above uses a step-by-step approach to show the reasoning, and where available, a shortcut that helps you solve similar questions in under 90 seconds during the actual exam.
This topic covers India's important monuments, temples, mosques, churches, gurudwaras and pilgrimage sites, who built them and when, their architectural styles, and India's UNESCO World Heritage Sites. Questions ask who built a monument, where it is located, or which dynasty or style it belongs to. For example, the Qutub Minar was begun by Qutbuddin Aibak, and the Sun Temple at Konark was built by the Eastern Ganga king Narasimhadeva I. Revise the UNESCO World Heritage Sites as a list, noting the most recent additions. Practise the monuments and religious places questions below, written in the style of the general awareness sections of exams such as SSC, banking, railways, CUET GAT, MAH CET and CLAT. Each question comes with a detailed explanation that adds related facts, so every question helps you revise more than one point.