Valluvar Statue

Thiruvalluvar Statue is a popular tourist spot in Kanyakumari. Thiruvalluvar Statue is one of the biggest statues in India located atop a small island in Kanyakumari, nearby the confluence of the Arabian Sea, Bay of Bengal and Indian Ocean.

Thiruvalluvar Statue was built in the year 2000 to commemorate Thiruvalluvar who was a renowned ancient Tamil saint and poet who wrote Thirukkural. The statue was Inaugurated on Jan 1, 2000.

The statue of Thirukkural stands on a 3 – tier pedestal, known as Atharapeedam. Atharapeedam is surrounded by the 38 feet high Alankara Mandapam. There are ten elephant statues surrounding the Alankara Mandapam that symbolise the ten directions – eight for earth, one for sky and one for the space down.

The statue of Thiruvalluvar is so designed that it reflects the structure of Thirukkural. Thirukkural, ‘The Sacred Couplets’, has three sub sections, which are the Books of Aram, Porul and Inbam. The statue, with its slight bend around the waist is reminiscent of a dancing pose of the ancient Indian deities like Nataraja.

The total height of the sculpture of Thiruvalluvar is about 133 feet, which corresponds to the total number of chapters in the Book of Thirukkural. The 38 feet high pedestal or Atharapeedam corresponds to the 38 chapters of the Book of Aram. The 95 feet high statue on the pedestal correlates to the total number of chapters in the Books of Porul (75 Chapters) and Inbam (25 Chapters). It has a total weight of 7000 tons.

The statue standing on the pedestal represents "Wealth" and "Pleasures", signifying that wealth and love be earned and enjoyed on the foundation of solid virtue.

Thiruvalluvar Statue is a frequented all round the year. There are about 140 steps in the mandapam for worshippers to reach the feet of the holy statue. Ferry rides are available from the mainland to reach Thiruvalluvar Statue. The sculpture was designed by the noted Vasthu architect, V.Ganapathi Sthapati (1927-2011).