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	{{Short description\|Stone sculpture of the Tamil philosopher-poet Valluvar; in Kanyakumari, Tamil Nadu, India}}		{{Short description\|Stone sculpture of the Tamil philosopher and poet Valluvar in Kanyakumari, Tamil Nadu, India}}
	{{Use dmy dates\|date=October 2019}}		{{Use dmy dates\|date=October 2019}}
	{{Use Indian English\|date=March 2017}}		{{Use Indian English\|date=March 2017}}
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	\| access-date = 3 September 2017}}</ref>		\| access-date = 3 September 2017}}</ref>

	The statue has been thus treated three times since its unveiling. The fourth treatment began on 17 April 2017 and is completed by 15 October 2017.<ref name="Dinamalar_30Aug2017"/>		The statue has been thus treated three times since its unveiling. The fourth treatment began on 17 April 2017 and was completed by 15 October 2017.<ref name="Dinamalar_30Aug2017"/>

	==Access==		==Access==
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	File:Tiruvallur Statue Sea.JPG\|From the sea below		File:Tiruvallur Statue Sea.JPG\|From the sea below
	File:Tiruvallur Statue Foot.JPG\|Foot of the Valluvar Statue		File:Tiruvallur Statue Foot.JPG\|Foot of the Valluvar Statue
			File:Vivekananda Mandapam and Thiruvalluvar Statue.jpg\|Sunrise View
	</gallery>		</gallery>

	==See also==		==See also==
	* [[Tirukkural]]		* [[Tirukkural]]
	* [[List of statues ~~by height~~]]		* [[List of tallest statues]]

	==References==		==References==

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2021-07-06T00:00:55Z

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{{Short description|Stone sculpture of the Tamil philosopher-poet Valluvar; in Kanyakumari, Tamil Nadu, India}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=October 2019}}
{{Use Indian English|date=March 2017}}
{{Italic title}}
{{Infobox monument
| monument_name = ''Thiruvalluvar Statue''
| native_name =
| image = Thiruvalluvar Statue at Kanyakumari 02.jpg
| caption = Thiruvalluvar Statue in Kanyakumari
| location = [[Kanyakumari]], [[Tamil Nadu]], [[India]]
| designer = [[V. Ganapati Sthapati]]
| type = Monument (statue)
| material = [[Stone]] and [[concrete]]
| length =
| width =
| height = {{cvt|133|ft|m|order=flip}}
| begin = 7 September 1990
| complete = 1999
| open = 1 January 2000
| dedicated_to = [[Valluvar]], author of the [[Kural text]]
| map_image =
| map_caption =
| map_width =
| coordinates = {{coord|8.0777|N|77.5539|E|type:landmark|display=inline,title}}
| lat =
| long =
| extra =
}}

The '''''Thiruvalluvar Statue''''', or the '''''Valluvar Statue''''', is a {{convert|133|ft|m|order=flip|adj=mid|-tall}} stone sculpture of the [[Tamil people|Tamil]] poet and philosopher [[Valluvar]], author of the [[Tirukkural]], an ancient Tamil work on [[Dharma]] and [[morality]]. It is located atop a small island near the town of [[Kanyakumari (town)|Kanyakumari]] on the southernmost point of the [[Indian peninsula]] on the [[Coromandel Coast]], where two seas (the [[Bay of Bengal]] and the [[Arabian Sea]]) and an ocean (the [[Indian Ocean]]) meet. The statue was sculpted by the Indian sculptor [[V. Ganapati Sthapati]], who also created the [[Iraivan Temple]], and was unveiled on the millennium day of 1 January 2000 by the then Chief Minister [[M. Karunanidhi]]. It is currently the 25th tallest statue in [[India]].

==Description==
[[File:திருவள்ளுவர் கலைப் படைப்பு.jpg|thumb|upright=0.70|left|Portrait of [[Valluvar]]]]
The combined height of the statue and pedestal is {{not a typo|{{convert|133|ft|m|abbr=off}}}}, denoting the 133 chapters of the Tirukkural. This includes {{not a typo|{{convert|95|ft|m|abbr=off}}}} sculpture of Valluvar standing upon a {{not a typo|{{convert|38|ft|m|abbr=off}}}} pedestal that represents the 38 chapters of [[Book of Aram|Virtue]], the first of the three books of the Kural text. The statue itself represents the second and third books of the Kural text, namely, [[Book of Porul|Wealth]] and [[Book of Inbam|Love]]. The whole design signifies that wealth and love be earned and enjoyed on the foundation of solid virtue.<ref>{{cite web
| url = http://www.tamilnaduathleticassociation.org/currentevent.php?ceid=204&lid=3328
| title = Tamilnadu Athletic Association, Kanyakumari tourism section
| date = n.d.
| website =
| publisher = Tamilnadu Athletic Association
| access-date = 30 July 2007
}}</ref> The right hand of the statue with three fingers pointing skywards signifies the three cantos of the Kural text, namely, ''[[Aram (Kural book)|Aram]]'', ''[[Porul (Kural book)|Porul]]'', and ''[[Inbam (Kural book)|Inbam]]'' (Virtue, Wealth, and Love, respectively), combined.<ref name="TH_CMUnveilsStatue">{{cite news
| title = CM unveils Thiruvalluvar statue
| location = Kanyakumari
| url = http://www.thehindu.com/thehindu/2000/01/02/stories/04022231.htm
| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20160201090516/http://www.thehindu.com/thehindu/2000/01/02/stories/04022231.htm
| url-status = dead
| archive-date = 1 February 2016
| newspaper = [[The Hindu]]
| access-date = 3 September 2017}}</ref> The head of the statue stands at a height of {{convert|200|ft|order=flip}} above the [[Mean sea level|sea level]].<ref name="StatueOfLiberation"/>

The statue, with its slight bend around the waist is reminiscent{{citation needed|date=November 2018}} of a dancing pose of the [[Hindu]] deities like [[Nataraja]]. The statue weighs {{convert|7000|t}}.<ref>{{cite web
| url = http://kanyakumari.nic.in/tourist.htm
| title = Government of Tamil Nadu website, Kanyakumari tourism section
| date = n.d.
| website =
| publisher = Government of Tamil Nadu
| access-date = 26 July 2007
}}</ref>

The monument is regarded as a cultural fusion because of its juxtaposition beside the [[Vivekananda Rock Memorial]]. Built-in conformation with traditional [[Indian architecture]], the statue has provision to provide a hollow portion inside from toe to scalp. Visitors, however, will not be allowed to scale, but instead be permitted to climb up to the foot of the statue at a height of {{convert|38|ft|order=flip}}.<ref name="TH_CMUnveilsStatue"/>

==Construction==
[[File:Vivekananda Rock & Valluvar Statue at Sunrise.JPG|thumb|300px|right|''Thiruvalluvar'' Statue and the adjacent [[Vivekananda Rock Memorial]] at sunrise]]
The project was conceived by then Chief Minister M. Karunanidhi in December 1975. On 15 April 1979, the then Prime Minister [[Morarji Desai]] laid the foundation stone for the statue, in the presence of the then Chief Minister, [[M. G. Ramachandran]].<ref name="TH_CMUnveilsStatue"/> However, the actual sculpting work, led by Dr. V. Ganapati Sthapati, former principal of the Government College of Architecture at [[Mahabalipuram]],<ref name="StatueOfLiberation"/> began a decade later on 6 September 1990, on the tiny island adjacent to the [[Vivekananda Rock Memorial]] when funds were allocated in the 1990{{ndash}}91 budget.<ref name="TH_CMUnveilsStatue"/> Sthapathy was chosen for the project over 300 master builders because his suggestion for an all-stone monument to the poet-philosopher prevailed. He observed that stone would be more durable than metal, citing that the [[Statue of Liberty]], which is made of [[copper]], required extensive renovation just a century after its installation. Initially, the project stalled, perhaps owing to Karunanidhi's election loss, but then recommenced in 1997 when he returned to office.<ref name="StatueOfLiberation"/> At the cost of more than {{INRConvert|61.4|m|lk=r|year=1999}}, the project employed about 150 workers, [[sculptors]], assistants and supervisors, who worked about 16 hours a day to complete the work.<ref name="StatueOfLiberation"/> The bend around the waist depicting a dance pose made the design challenging. However, the problem was tackled well in advance by the sculptor by creating a full-length wooden [[prototype]] before construction. Study of this prototype led to the identification of an energy line (known in [[Vastu]] as ''kayamadhyasutra''), currently an empty cavity in the center of the statue from top to bottom.<ref name="StatueOfLiberation"/>

The stonework was divided amongst three workshops, in [[Kanyakumari (town)|Kanyakumari]], [[Ambasamudram]] and [[Sholinganallur]]. Ambasamudram contributed {{convert|5000|t}} of stones, while Sholinganallur was quarried for {{convert|2000|t}} of high-quality [[granite]] stones for the outer portion of the statue. While the largest of the 3,681 stones were {{convert|13|ft|0|order=flip}} long and weighed over {{convert|15|t}}, the majority weighed {{convert|3|to|8|t}}. Stones of such proportions were previously used only in [[Maya architecture|Mayan temples]] in [[South America]]. An interesting detail is a {{convert|19|ft|m|0|order=flip|adj=mid|-high}} face, with the ears, nose, eyes, mouth, forehead all made of individual stones carved by hand. The work was done mostly by hand, with each carver wearing down 40 to 50 sharp chisels a day. The sculptors' team considered that the manual method on granite stones is the most dependable since machines may tend to break stones and precision is difficult. Stumps of [[Borassus|palmyra tree]] and poles of [[casuarina]] ([[ironwood]]) were used for [[scaffolding]]. It took 18,000 casuarina poles tied together with two truckloads of ropes to reach the top of the statue.<ref name="StatueOfLiberation">{{cite web
| url = http://www.hinduismtoday.com/modules/smartsection/item.php?itemid=4223
| title = India's Statue of Liberation
| last = Gopalakrishnan
| first = Vrindavanam S.
| date = 2000
| website =
| publisher = Hinduism Today
| access-date = 7 April 2019
}}</ref> The statue was placed on its pedestal on 19 October 1999.<ref name="TH_CMUnveilsStatue"/>

The statue was unveiled on the millennium day of 1 January 2000. The statue was inaugurated on 1 January 2000 by Dr. M. Karunanidhi, the then chief minister of Tamil Nadu. Besides Indian political leaders and celebrities, foreign delegates including those from [[Malaysia]], [[Singapore]], and [[Sri Lanka]], participated in the opening ceremony. Several Tamil teachers from the state of [[Tamil Nadu]] took out a rally from [[Kottaram]] to Kanyakumari carrying Tirukkural placards to mark the ceremony.<ref name="TH_CMUnveilsStatue"/> More than fifty thousand people gathered for the event.<ref name="StatueOfLiberation"/> The chief minister, after unveiling the statue, called it a "beacon of light to guide human life for all time to come."<ref name="StatueOfLiberation"/>

The monument was hit by the [[Indian Ocean tsunami]] on 26 December 2004 but stood unaffected. The statue is designed to survive earthquakes of unexpected magnitude, such as magnitude 6 on the Richter Scale occurring within {{convert|100|km}}. This is far beyond that of any event recorded in the regional history because the bedrock in the region is ancient and without known local faults.<ref name="StatueOfLiberation"/>

==Maintenance==
To prevent the statue from [[corrosion]] due to [[sea breeze]], the statue is chemically treated once in four years. The salty deposits in every joint are removed and replaced with new cement mixture. [[Paper pulp]] is then applied on the whole of the statue. As the paper pulp coating dries, it absorbs the salty deposits completely, after which it is removed.<ref name="Dinamalar_30Aug2017">{{cite news
| title = வள்ளுவர் சிலையின் காகிதக்கூழ் கரைந்தது
| newspaper = Dinamalar
| location = Nagarcoil
| pages = 15
| language = Tamil
| publisher = Dinamalar
| date = 30 August 2017
| url = http://www.dinamalar.com/news_detail.asp?id=1844245
| access-date = 3 September 2017}}</ref>

The statue has been thus treated three times since its unveiling. The fourth treatment began on 17 April 2017 and is completed by 15 October 2017.<ref name="Dinamalar_30Aug2017"/>

==Access==
The statue stands {{convert|400|m}} from the coastline of Kanyakumari on a small island rock. Ferry service are available from the mainland. The ferry service to Vivekananda Rock Memorial stops for a while at the Valluvar Statue.

The Vivekananda Kendra has a proposal to connect the Valluvar memorial with the Vivekananda rock memorial by bridge to enable visitors to move easily from one island to the other.<ref name="StatueOfLiberation"/>

==Gallery==
<gallery>
File:Statue of Thiruvalluvar.jpg|From the ferry
File:Thiruvalluvar Statue at Night.JPG|A night view
File:Tiruvallur Statue Sea.JPG|From the sea below
File:Tiruvallur Statue Foot.JPG|Foot of the Valluvar Statue
</gallery>

==See also==
* [[Tirukkural]]
* [[List of statues by height]]

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
{{Commons category|Thiruvalluvar Statue, Kanyakumari}}

* [http://www.tribuneindia.com/2001/20010916/spectrum/heritage.htm ''The Tribune'']
* [http://kanyakumaridistrict.com/thiruvalluvar%20statue Thiruvalluvar statue and other visiting places in kanyakumari]

{{Statues in India}}
{{Tirukkural}}
{{District of Kanyakumari|state=collapsed}}

[[Category:Colossal statues in India]]
[[Category:Monuments and memorials in Tamil Nadu]]
[[Category:Memorials to Valluvar]]
[[Category:Kanyakumari]]
[[Category:Coromandel Coast]]
[[Category:Buildings and structures in Tamil Nadu]]
[[Category:2000 sculptures]]
[[Category:Buildings and structures completed in 2000]]
[[Category:Tourist attractions in Tamil Nadu]]
[[Category:Statues of writers]]
[[Category:Tirukkural]]
[[Category:2000 establishments in Tamil Nadu]]

Thiruvalluvar Statue - Revision history

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