The Government of Tamil Nadu celebrates the 15th (16th on leap years) of January as Thiruvalluvar Day in the honour of the poet Thiruvalluvar, as part of the Pongal celebrations. In some years, it may also be declared a public holiday in the Union Territory of Puducherry. Thiruvalluvar was a celebrated Tamil poet and philosopher who lived in the 4th century BCE. Commonly known as Valluvar, he is best known for authoring Thirukkural, a collection of couplets on ethics, political and economic matters, and love. The text is considered as one of the finest works of Tamil literature.
Thiruvalluvar was chosen as the Tamil languages greatest historical figure after Tamil scholars unanimously agreed to the proposal. As a result, a resolution to celebrate a day known as "Thiruvalluvar Day" for him by all Tamils was passed on January 17th 1935.
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 and houses one of the largest auditoriums in Asia. A 133-foot tall statue of Thiruvalluvar stands at Kanyakumari as well. Another statue of the legendary Tamil poet was unveiled in Ulsoor, near Bengaluru, in 2009. A statue of Valluvar was also erected outside the School of Oriental and African Studies in Russell Square, London.