The Valluvar Kottam, located in Chennai, is one such historical monument which is dedicated to the well-known intellectual poet, philosopher and saint, Thiruvalluvar, who penned his well-known Thirukkural more than 2,000 years ago.
The architectural pattern of the Valluvar Kottam is like a temple chariot (39 m high), inside which there is a huge stone effigy of the saint Thiruvalluvar. The architect under whose guidance the Valluvar Kottam was built is a South Indian architect, V. Ganapati Sthapati, who is also the architect of the statue of saint Thiruvalluvar, sited at Kanyakumari.
A very unique feature of the Valluvar Kottam is that it stands baseless, without the support of any pillar. The 1330 verses of the epic Thirukkural are engraved on the granite columns in the facade hall corridors, enclosing the vast auditorium of the Valluvar Kottam. In the construction of this, about 3000 blocks of stone were used.
