Friday, December 1, 2017

Thiruvalluvar Statue, Kanyakumari

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.