Valluvar Kottam

Valluvar Kottam in Chennai is a monument to the Tamil poet and saint Thiruvalluvar, built in the form of a temple chariot that rises 39 metres. It was planned in the 1970s under M. Karunanidhi and designed by the architect V. Ganapati Sthapati, using an estimated 3,000 stone blocks. A life-size statue of the poet sits within the chariot.

Granite pillars in its corridors and auditorium are inscribed with all 1,330 verses of the Thirukkural, Thiruvalluvar's work on ethics and conduct arranged in 133 chapters. Its halls can hold about 4,000 people, and the site hosts exhibitions and city events. A stone plaque records saplings planted by Mother Teresa during a visit in 1984.