The Tiruvalluvar statue is made of 3,681 stones and weighs a total of 6.4 million kilos. It was built by 150 sculptors and laborers using carving techniques more than a thousand years old. They completed the work on January 1, 2000.§
The chief architect lays out the statue’s foundation after the granite rock of the small island has been leveled§
Using a massive chisel, workers shape a large granite stone weighing several tons§
Blacksmiths at the worksite manually sharpen steel chisels by the hundreds every day for the stone carvers§
A stone mason puts finishing touches on one of the saint’s enormous feet§
Saint Tiruvalluvar’s face is 19 feet high. Each stone was lifted into place with ropes and pulleys fixed to a scaffold of strong palm trees. §
Every worker, rock and piece of equipment had to be ferried to the small island by boat. In the 1999 photo above, the grand statue was nearly finished. Its total cost: 1.4 million US dollars.§
In the early 1890s, Swami Vivekananda wandered India without a penny to his name. He represented Hinduism at the Chicago Parliament of the World’s Religions in 1893, where he gave a rousing speech about the glories of India. He was later welcomed by the rich and educated of America and England as an extraordinary religious figure.§
- List: Name the large monuments to individuals you know of.
- Discuss: What are a few reasons for building monuments to famous people?
- Explain: Why do you think a poor monk from India was able to make such a dramatic impression on people in America and England?
- Analyze and Comment: Who would you choose to honor with such a monument? Why?