The Thiruvalluvar Statue has a height of 95 feet ( 29 m ) and stands upon a 38-foot ( 11.5 m ) rock that represents the 38 chapters of " virtue " in the Thirukkural . The statue standing on the rock represents " wealth " and " pleasures " , signifying that wealth and love be earned and enjoyed on the foundation of solid virtue . The combined height of the statue and pedestal is 133 feet ( 40.5 m ) , denoting the 133 chapters in the Thirukkural . It has a total weight of 7000 tons . The statue , with its slight bend around the waist , is reminiscent of a dancing pose of the ancient Indian deities like Nataraja . It was sculpted by the Indian sculptor Dr V. Ganapati Sthapati , who also created the Iraivan Temple . Its opening ceremony was on 1 January 2000 . The monument was hit by the Indian Ocean tsunami on 26 December 2004 . but stood unaffected . The statue is designed to survive earthquakes of unexpected magnitudes , such as magnitude 6 on the Richter Scale occurring within 100 kilometres . This is far beyond that of any event recorded in the regional history . During maintenance work , as well as during rough sea , entry is restricted for tourists
Indian Ocean tsunami
2004 Indian Ocean earthquake and tsunami
Kanyakumari