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DAILY NEWS ANALYSIS

  • 18 January, 2023

  • 5 Min Read

Thiruvalluvar Day

Thiruvalluvar Day

  • On Thiruvalluvar Day, Union Minister for Home and Cooperation extends warm greetings to the people.
  • The way to a devout life has been illuminated for ages by the divine wisdom and life teachings imparted by Thiruvalluvar.
  • The first Thiruvalluvar Day celebration took place on 17th-18th May 1935.
  • It is currently celebrated as part of Pongal celebrations and is often observed in Tamil Nadu on either January 15 or January 16.

Regarding Thiruvalluvar:

  • A Tamil poet-saint by the name of Thiruvalluvar, also known as Valluvar.
  • He is revered by Tamils of all castes and religions as a cultural and moral figure.
  • His family history, place of religious affiliation, and birthplace are all mostly unknown.
  • It is thought that he once resided in Chennai's Mylapore neighborhood, which is now a town.
  • According to some versions, he lived between the eighth and ninth centuries.
  • Maraimalai Adigal, a Tamil orator, writer, and the founder of the Pure Tamil movement, estimated Valluvar's birth year to be 31 BC, whereas Kamil Zvelebil, a Czech expert on Indian literature and linguistics, estimated Thiruvalluvar's life span to be approximately 500 AD.
  • Some refer to him as a Hindu, while others claim that he was a Jain. Dravidian communities see him as a saint since he rejected the caste system.

Works:

  • Thirukkural, the main work of Thiruvalluvar, is composed of 1330 couplets (kurals), which are divided into 133 sections, each of which has ten couplets.
  • Three sections of the text provide teachings on dharma, artha, and kama (virtue, wealth and love).

Social importance:

  • Within the Mylapore Ekambareswarar temple complex, a temple with the name Thiruvalluvar was constructed at the beginning of the 16th century.
  • One of the largest auditoriums in Asia can be seen inside Valluvar Kotam, a religious memorial that was constructed in Chennai in 1976.
  • In Ulsoor, close to Bengaluru, a second statue of the renowned Tamil poet was unveiled in 2009.
  • Additionally, a statue of Valluvar was placed in Russell Square, London, in front of the School of Oriental and African Studies.
  • Kanyakumari also has a Thiruvalluvar statue that is 133 feet tall.
  • The Thiruvalluvar University was founded by the Tamil Nadu government in the Vellore district in October 2002.

Source: PIB


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