Uttarakhand CM Harish Rawat on 19th Dec 2016 unveiled the statue of renowned Tamil philosopher and poet Thiruvalluvar in Haridwar.
Thiruvalluvar is a renowned poet who lived between 3rd and 1st century BC.
Thiruvalluvar is a celebrated Tamil poet who contributed a work on ethics called
Thirukural, in Tamil Literature. It is one of the most revered ancient works in the Tamil language.
He was born either in Thiru Mylai (Mylapore) Chennai in Tamil Nadu or in Thirunainar Kuruchi, a village in Tamil Nadu’s Kanyakumari district.
Tamil poet Mamulanar of the Sangam period mentioned that Thiruvalluvar was the greatest Tamil scholar.
The first mention of the name Thiruvalluvar was found in 10th century text called Thriruvalluvarmalai. He is believed to have been a weaver and the house he lived in is now a temple.
There is a 133 foot tall statue of the celebrated poet in the southernmost tip of the Indian subcontinent,
Kanyakumari.
There is also a statue of the poet at
Russell Square in London.
The statue of the celebrated poet was to be unveiled in June 2016, but was deferred as local ascetics objected to it being installed near Har ki Pauri on the banks of the river Ganges. Project was opposed by Ganga Sabha and Akhil Bharatiya Teerth Purohit Mahasabha.
The opposition resulted in a decision in consultation with the district administration to install the statue near Shankaracharya Chowk, which also has a statue of Adi Shankaracharya.
Know More About Thirukural- 1330 couplets or kurals dealing with virtue
- Originally published: 1812
- Author: Thiruvalluvar
- Genre: Poetry
- Country: India
- Published in English: 1840
- Subjects: Ethics, Morality
