Tiruvalluvar, the king
S. PADMANABHAN
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It is interesting to learn that a hill in Kanyakumari district is named after Tiruvalluvar.
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ECHOES THE PAST: A view of the Thiruvalluvan hill
Heard of a hill dedicated to Tiruvalluvar? The Kanyakumari Historical and Cultural Research Centre recently brought to light the existence of Valluvan Kal Potrai in Koovaikkadu hamlet, Surulodu panchayat, Kalkulam taluk, Kanyakumari district. The author, along with two others, went to the hilltop to speak to the 105-year-old leader of the Kaanis, Kaaliyan Kaani.
During the visit, several new facts came to light, including the life history of Tiruvalluvar. According to Kaaliyan Kaani, locals call him Moottukaani, Tiruvalluvar was a king who had ruled the area in ancient days. Both the king and his queen were fond of the Kaanis' honey and Thinai (little millet) flour. The place where Tiruvalluvar was said to have taken rest is called Valluvan Kal Potrai and the adjoining hill was named after his wife as Valluvathi Potrai.
The inhabitants started worshipping him after his death and the footprints carved atop the Valluvan hill is revered by them. An inscription on the wall of a well at Koovaikkadu has the name of `Tiruvalluvar Kal Malai' engraved on it. Tiruvalluvar is believed to have lived in a place surrounded by four kinds of land — kurinji (mountainous), mullai (pastoral), marutham (agricultural) and neithal (maritime). Tirukkural mentions the techniques people had employed in all the four kinds of land.
The couplets also speak of Puzhuthivithaippu or Podivithaippu that is practised by the farmers of the then Naanjilnaadu (present Kanyakumari district). Also, Tiruvalluvar's birth place, Tirunayanarkurichi, lies between Muttom sea and an irrigation tank called Periyakulam. This is contrary to the popular belief that he belonged to Chennai or Madurai as held by some.
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