Valluvar Kottam, Monument in Chennai, India

Valluvar Kottam is a monument in Chennai, India, built as a stone chariot reaching roughly 39 meters tall (128 feet). The walls display 1330 stone tablets engraved with verses from the Thirukkural.

Architect V. Ganapati Sthapati designed the structure, completed in 1976, to honor Tamil poet Thiruvalluvar. The construction came at a time of growing awareness of Tamil language and literary tradition in the region.

The name derives from Thiruvalluvar, the poet whose Thirukkural serves as a moral guide in Tamil households. Visitors see stone panels inscribed with verses in Tamil script, arranged by chapters on virtue, wealth and love.

The structure sits on Kodambakkam High Road and opens daily, from morning until late afternoon. Access is straightforward, with ramps for wheelchair users at the main entrances.

The chariot's base is built of marble blocks measuring 25 by 25 feet, and two 7-foot elephants are carved as if pulling it. The sanctum holding the Valluvar statue sits 30 feet above ground level, reached from the roof terrace of the hall in front. The four wheels are each cut from a single stone, the outer pair larger than the inner two.