Thiruvalluvar Day: Thiruvalluvar Day is celebrated by the state of Tamil Nadu in honour of the Saint Poet Thiruvalluvar.

Key Highlights:

• It is celebrated during Pongal celebrations.
• Every year, the day is celebrated on the 2nd day of the Thai month.
• This day was first celebrated on May 17 and 18 in 1935.
• This year it was observed on 15th January as part of Pongal celebrations.
• The Puducherry Government also complies with this regulation.

About Thiruvalluvar:

• Little is known about Thiruvalluvar's life.
• Different sources gave different dates. Czech scholars like Kamil Zvelebil deduced that he lived around 500 CE while Maraimalai Adigal deduced that his birth year was 31 BC.
• Thiruvalluvar, commonly known as Valluvar, is a poet and Philosopher.
• Mahatma Gandhi was greatly inspired by Thirukkural
• He is regarded as a cultural icon by Tamils.
• He is known for his book Thirukkural.
• The book is also called as the fifth Veda or ‘Bible of the Tamil Land’.
• The Tamil poet Mamulanar of Sangam period has mentioned that Thiruvalluvar was the greatest Tamil scholar.

About Thirukkural:

• Thirukkural is a collection of couplets on political and economic matters, ethics and love.
• The text is considered an exceptional and widely cherished work of the Tamil literature.
• The work consists of 1330 couplets, divided into 13 parts, each part has 10 couplets.
• The text is divided into three parts with teachings on dharma, artha, and kama (virtue, wealth and love).
• Thirukkural has been translated into many international and Indian languages.

Social Significance of Thiruvalluvar:

• In the early 16th century, a temple dedicated to Thiruvalluvar was built within the Ekambareswarar temple complex in Mylapore, Chennai.
• Locals believe that this was where he was born, underneath a tree within the temple complex.
• In 1976, a temple-memorial called Valluvar Kotam was built in Chennai.
• It houses one of the largest auditoriums in Asia.
• A 133-foot tall statue of Thiruvalluvar stands at Kanyakumari as well.
• In 2009, another statue of this legendary Tamil poet was unveiled in Ulsoor, near Bengaluru.
• A statue of Valluvar was also erected outside the School of Oriental and African Studies in Russell Square, London (United Kingdom).

History of Thiruvalluvar Day:

• The resolution to celebrate Thiruvalluvar Day was passed on January 17, 1935.
• The resolution was passed by Kali Sivakannuswami Pillai  and Padmashri Suppayya.
• The first Thiruvalluvar Day was celebrated in May 1935.
• Later the thiruvalluvar day celebrations began to fade away.
• In 1954, an Elam scholar of Sri Lanka took efforts to celebrate the day. Today the day is celebrated widely in Tamil Nadu, Sri Lanka and Myanmar.