Thiruvalluvar Statue, Kanyakumari
The Thiruvalluvar
Statue is a 133 feet (40.6 m) tall stone sculpture of the Tamil poet and philosopher Thiruvalluvar, author of the Thirukural. It is located atop a small island near the town
of Kanyakumari on the southernmost Coromandel
Coast, where two seas and an ocean meet;
the Bay of Bengal, the Arabian
Sea, and the Ocean. Thiruvalluvar Statue is located at
about 400m from the shore, on the minor rock adjoining the Vivekananda rock
memorial. It weighs a staggering 7,000 tons. The statue, standing amid the
dancing blue waves, creates a lasting impression as it rises high over the
rock. This Statue was constructed by then Chief Minister Kalaignar
Karunanidhi.
History
In 1979,
the then Prime Minister Morarji
Desai laid the foundation stone for
the statue. However, the installation and the sculpting work began on 6
September 1990, on the tiny island adjacent to Vivekananda Rock Memorial when funds were
allocated in the 1990-91 budget. Initially, the project stalled but then
recommenced in 1997 and was completed on 1 January 2000. At the cost of more
than US$1 million (INR 61.4 million), it employed about 150 workers, sculptors, assistants and supervisors. The slight bend around the
waist made the design challenging. Dr. V. Ganapati Sthapati solved the
problem 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. Sthapati designed the
statue to survive earthquakes of unexpected magnitude.
The
stone work was divided amongst three workshops, in Kanyakumari, Ambasamudram and Sholinganallur. Ambasamudram contributed 5,000 tons of stones, while
Sholinganallur was quarried for 2,000 tons of high quality granite stones for the outer portion of the statue. While
the largest of the 3,681 stones weighed over 15 tons, the majority weighed
three to eight tons. An interesting detail is the 19-foot-high face, with the
ears, nose, eyes, mouth, forehead all made of individual stones carved by hand.
Stumps of 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.
The
Structure
The
statue has a height of 95 feet (29 m) and stands upon a 38-foot (11.5 m)
pedestal that represents the 38 chapters of "virtue" in the Thirukural. 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. The combined height of
the statue and pedestal is 133 feet (40.5 m), denoting the 133 chapters in the Thirukural.
It has a total weight of 7000 tons. The statue, with its slight bend around the
waist is reminiscent of a dancing pose of the ancient Indian deities like Nataraja.
It was
sculpted by the Indian sculptor Dr. V. Ganapati Sthapati, who also created the Iraivan
Temple. Thiruvalluvar Statue will spark
interest in culture aficionados. Within the pedestal, you will find inscribed
the 1330 couplets and 133 chapters, which are the works of the Thiruvalluvar.
These verses, which have been translated into over 60 languages, are celebrated
the world over for their universal wisdom. The pedestal is encircled by a
pretty mandapam known as 'Alankara mandapam'.
Around
the mandapam are ten imposing stone elephants. These symbolize the ten
directions. If you’d like to climb up to the foot of this impressive statue,
there are 140 steps inside the mandapam that will lead you there. There were
plans to inscribe select couplets from 'Thirukural' on the outer periphery of
the pedestal. Its opening ceremony was on 1 January 2000 (Millennium). The
monument was hit by the Indian Ocean tsunami on 26 December 2004.
Statistical Details of the Statue:
Height of the statue
|
95 ft
|
Height of the pedestal
|
38 ft
|
Height of the face
|
10 ft
|
Height of the body parts
|
30 ft
|
Height of the legs
|
20 ft
|
Length of the forearm
|
10 ft
|
Length of the palm leaves
|
10 ft
|
Width of the shoulders
|
30 ft
|
Length of the matted hair
|
05 ft
|
Total weight
|
7000 tons
|
Entry Fee
·
Boat Ride: Rs. 20/-
Contact
Thiruvalluvar
Statue, Kanyakumari
Phone: +91 4652 246276
Connectivity
Thiruvalluvar
Statue stands 400 meters 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 Thiruvalluvar Statue. There
are many ferry services that run between the island and the mainland with
minimal charges. The ferry services usually operate from 8 AM to 4 PM. Kanyakumari
Town is well connected to major cities by road / rail / air across India. Kanyakumari
is located at about 20 Kms from Nagercoil, 13 Kms from Suchindrum, 47 Kms from Thiruvattaru,
33 Kms from Thuckalay, 47 Kms from Marthandam, 100 Kms from Thiruvananthapuram
and 245 Kms from Madurai.
By Road:
Thiruvalluvar
Statue is located about 1.5 Kms from Kanyakumari State Transport Corporation
Bus Stand. Thiruvalluvar Statue is well connected from Bus Stand by means of
Buses, Taxis and Autos. One should avail the ferry services that run between
the island and the mainland with minimal charges to reach this place.
By Train:
Thiruvalluvar
Statue is located at about 1.3 Kms from Kanyakumari Railway Station. Thiruvalluvar
Statue is well connected from Railway Station by means of Buses, Taxis and
Autos.
By Air:
Thiruvalluvar
Statue is located at about 100 Kms from Trivandrum International Airport and
240 Kms from Madurai International Airport.