The 95-ft-high stone statue of famous Tamil poet, saint Thiruvalluvar, the author of Thirukkural couplets, is a beautiful landmark in the city. Located on a small island near the city, the statue has been erected on a 38-foot-tall pedestal. It represents 38 chapters from Thirukkaral on virtue and about weighs 7,000 tonnes. The total height of the statue including the pedestal is 133 ft and a total of 133 chapters of Thirukkural have been denoted on it. It is said that the stone structure can withstand natural calamities like earthquakes. The foundation stone of the statue was laid down by the then Prime Minister of India, Morarji Desai in 1979, but the installation and sculpting started in 1990, with the construction getting completed in 1999. On January 1, 2000, the statue, the stone for which was brought from Sirudhamoor, Ambasamudram and Pattumala Kuppam, was inaugurated by the then chief minister of Tamil Nadu, Dr M Karunanidhi. A total of 500 sculptors were involved in the creation of this sculpture, which was the brainchild of Dr Ganapati Sthapati, a famous architect.