Thiruvalluvar Statue

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India /Tamil Nadu /Kanyakumari /Kanyakumari

Sight Address : Thiruvalluvar Statue, Kanyakumari,Tamil Nadu Edit

Detail InformationEdit

Thiruvalluvar statue is another one of the most famous Arrraction of Kanyakumari which was opened for general public access on the first day of the new millennium that is January 1, 2000. The statue is situated at a distance of 400 m from the city’s coastline on a small island rock. Its total height is of 133 feet. This statue is of the famous Tamil poet and saint Thiruvalluvar. The statue is located just near the Vivekananda Rock Memorial. Both of these rocks are close to each other and one can easily access by a ferry available from the mainland.

Thiruvalluvar Statue

HistoryEdit

In 1979, the then Prime Minister Morarji Desai laid the foundation stone for the statue. However, the installation and the sculpting work began on September 6, 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 January 1, 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 science [4] 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 Shankarapuram. Ambasamudram contributed 5,000 tons of stones, while Shankarapuram 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.

Must SeeEdit

Must-see

Visiting TimeEdit

9am to 4pm

Closed OnEdit

Monday

Best Season to VisitEdit

October to March

Best Time To VisitEdit

Morning,Afternoon

Time Required for SightseeingEdit

30 minutes to 45 minutes

Ticket Required : No Edit

Individual National Adult Rs. : N.A.

Kids Rs. : N.A.

Individual Foreigner Adult Rs. : N.A.

Kids Rs. : N.A.

Still Photo Camera Rs. : N.A.

Video Camera Rs. : N.A.

Guide Required : No Edit

Approximate cost: N.A.

Dress Code (If Any) : No Edit

Dress Require: N.A.

Restaurants NearbyAdd / Edit

Hotel Srimaniya ; Sannathi Street Kanyakumari, Tamil Nadu ; Ph/M – 04652 246 161 ; Food Serve – N.A.

How to ReachEdit

Taxi : (Kanniyakumari Car Rental), taxiGUIDE.in ☎ +91 888 023 4455 (support@taxiguide.in), [1]. Inquiry: 7am to 11pm. Kanniyakumari Car Rental services on taxiGUIDE.in – a Chauffeur Driven Car Rental service in 75 Cities in India. Fares start from Rs.2000 for full day local & Rs.14.5/km for Outstation.

BUS : From Thirvananthapuram (or Kovalam Beach) or take one of the daily Kanyakumari tours organised by KTDC (Kerala Tourism Development Corporation). Frequent buses run from Thiruvananthapuram’s Thampanoor bus stand for Padmanabhampuram, on the highway to Kanyakumari. Best way is to board any bus for Nagercoil or Kanyakumari and alight at Thuckalay. You could also hire a cab from Thiruvananthapuram.

Train : Kanyakumari (CAPE), Kanyakumari Railway Station and the nearest 2 nd railway station is at Nagercoil (15km) and local station is Iraniel (6km) from the palace.Railways are considered as the most prominent means of transport to get here. Travelers can get any number of trains to reach Kanyakumari including trains to Delhi and Bangalore. The Kanyakumari express, Himsagar express, Kanyakumari Howrah express, Tirrukural express, Bangalore express and Island express and many others are some trains which operate from major cities connecting Kanyakumari.

Air : Nearest Airport is Trivandrum International Airport which is at a distance of 87 km from Kanyakumari. Trivandrum airport is well connected with many major cities in India and abroad. Direct flights from many gulf countries are available from Trivandrum. Tourist taxi charges about Rs 1,500 from Trivandrum to Kanyakumari.

Others : Most people travel around Kanniyakumari using a hired vehicle. Auto-rickshaws (tuk tuks) are available, along with buses. Buses are about Rs15 from the station to the point, and Rs 7.5 from the bus station to the point.