Tiruvalluvar

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Modern representation of Tiruvalluvar

Tiruvalluvar ( Tamil : திருவள்ளுவர் Tiruvalluvar [ t̪iɾɯʋaɭːɯʋər ], even Thiruvalluvar ) or short Valluvar ( வள்ளுவர் Valluvar [ ʋaɭːɯʋər ]) is the author of Tirukkural , a work of classical Tamil literature . As the author of the highly respected Tirukkural , Tiruvalluvar is revered today as an icon of Tamil cultural nationalism.

Life

There are many legends about Tiruvalluvar, but no historical facts whatsoever. Not even his real name is known: Valluvar ( Tiru - is a respectful prefix) is the title of ritual specialists in the Paraiyar caste , a group of Tamil Dalits ("untouchables"). Tiruvalluvar's lifetime depends on the dating of the Tirukkural , which is uncertain, but is usually put in the 5th or 6th century. Tamil nationalist circles, on the other hand, start his life much earlier. The government of the Indian state of Tamil Nadu officially announced the year of his birth on 31 BC. Established. Judging by the contents of the Tirukkural , its author was probably a Jaina . However, other religious communities have also applied for Tiruvalluvar.

Legends

There are a number of legends about Tiruvalluvar's life . The earliest source for this is the Tiruvalluvamalai , a poem of praise for Tiruvalluvar possibly dating from the 10th century. Other versions of the legend come from oral tradition and were first recorded in writing during the British colonial era . The key points of the legend can be summarized as follows: Tiruvalluvar was born the son of a Brahmin named Bhagavan and an untouchable named Adi. His siblings were the poet Auvaiyar , the goddesses Mariyamman , Bhadrakali and Valli, and the poets Adigaman and Kabilar . Bhagavan had married Adi without knowing of her lower caste. When he found out, he made it a condition of her to give up all the children who were to be born out of the marriage. Therefore, Tiruvalluvar grew up with a couple from the Vellala caste in Mylapore and learned the trade of weaver there .

Another storyline of the legend links Tiruvalluvar with the Sangam legend , according to which a poetry academy in Madurai is said to have cultivated Tamil literature (cf. Sangam literature ). After Tiruvalluvar had completed the Tirukkural , he went to Madurai to present his text to the Academy. Because of his low caste, the poets initially refused to accept his work. Then Tiruvalluvar put the tirukkural on the bench on which the poets were sitting. The bench then shrank to the size of the book and threw off the poets. They had to admit their defeat and immediately wrote the Tiruvalluvamalai in praise of Tiruvalluvar .

Adoration

The Tirukkural is probably the most important icon of Tamil culture today. This carries over to the figure of the author Tiruvalluvar, who is venerated as a kind of Tamil national saint. The government of the Indian state of Tamil Nadu officially introduced the Tiruvalluvar era , which has the assumed year of birth of Tiruvalluvar (31 BC) as the epoch date. The second day of the Pongal festival ( February 15 or 16 ) was determined to be his birthday and is celebrated as "Tiruvalluvar Day". Depictions of Tiruvalluvar can be found in many places in Tamil Nadu in public spaces. Its iconography is largely standardized. Tiruvalluvar appears as a sage with a long beard and an imposing topknot and is usually depicted sitting. He usually holds a palm leaf manuscript and a pen in his hands . Often three fingers of the right hand are stretched out, which is supposed to symbolize the three books of the Tirukkural .

Valluvar Kottam in Chennai
The Tiruvalluvar statue in Kanyakumari

There are numerous monuments to Tiruvalluvar. The most important are two monuments that were created during the reign of M. Karunanidhi in the state of Tamil Nadu. The Valluvar Kottam in the capital Chennai , built in 1976, consists of an auditorium based on a medieval Hindu temple, on the walls of which the complete text of the Tirukkural is carved, and an oversized stone replica of a temple wagon . The colossal Tiruvalluvar statue in Kanyakumari is also active on Karunanidhis . The statue, unveiled in 2000, stands on a rock in front of the southern tip of India and shows Tiruvalluvar in a standing pose. Together with the base, it measures 40.5 meters or 133 feet, which is supposed to symbolize the 133 chapters of the Tirukkural .

Countless other Tiruvalluvar statues are in different places in Tamil Nadu, for example one on Chennai's city beach Marina Beach as part of a group of statues of important personalities of Tamil cultural history. Tiruvalluvar statues also serve as markers of Tamil identity outside of Tamil Nadu. In Jaffna , the largest city in the Tamil areas of Sri Lanka , there is a statue of Tiruvalluvar in a prominent place. In Bangalore , the capital of the Indian state of Karnataka , a Tiruvalluvar statue was erected in 1992 at the instigation of Tamils living there, but due to the tense relationship between the states of Karnataka and Tamil Nadu, it became a political issue and was only unveiled in 2009. A Tiruvalluvar statue has also been in front of the School of Oriental and African Studies in London since 1996 .

Finally, attempts can be observed to take over Tiruvalluvar in the sense of the Hindutva ideology. The Hindu nationalist BJP party in Tamil Nadu started a campaign in 2019 with which it tried to consolidate a "Hindu" image of Tiruvalluvar with an orange robe, prayer beads and holy ashes .

The worship of Tiruvalluvar in his alleged place of birth Mylapore (today a district of Chennais) has religious forms. Here is a Hindu temple dedicated to him, which is said to date back to the 16th century.

literature

  • Stuart Blackburn, "Corruption and Redemption: The Legend of Valluvar and Tamil Literary History". In: Modern Asian Studies 34.2 (2000). Pp. 449-482.
  • François Gros: "Introducing Tiruvaḷḷuvar: the book of love". In: Kannan M. and J. Clare (Eds.): Deep Rivers. Selected Writings on Tamil Literature . Pondicherry / Berkeley: Institut Français de Pondichéry / Tamil Chair, Department of South and Southeast Asian Studies, University of California at Berkeley, 2009, pp. 123–152.

Web links

Commons : Thiruvalluvar  - collection of images, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Stuart Blackburn: “Corruption and Redemption: The Legend of Valluvar and Tamil Literary History”, in: Modern Asian Studies 34.2 (2000), pp. 449-482, here p. 455.
  2. ^ Kamil Zvelebil: Lexicon of Tamil Literature, Leiden, New York, Cologne: EJ Brill, 1995, p. 669.
  3. ↑ Blackburn 2000, p. 453.
  4. ↑ Blackburn 2000, pp. 456-459.
  5. ↑ Blackburn 2000, pp. 460-461.
  6. ↑ Blackburn 2000, pp. 461-462.
  7. ↑ Jakob Rösel: Shape and emergence of Tamil nationalism, Berlin: Duncker & Humblot, 1997, pp. 120–121.
  8. ↑ The Hindu : " CM unveils Thiruvalluvar statue ", January 2, 2000.
  9. ↑ The Hindu : “ Thiruvalluvar's statue unveiled in Bangalore without hitch ”, August 10, 2009.
  10. ↑ Blackburn 2000, p. 452.
  11. ↑ The Times of India: " Thiruvalluvar saffronisation triggers political row in Tamil Nadu ", November 4, 2019.
  12. ↑ Pradeep Chakravarthy and Ramesh Ramachandran: "Thiruvalluvar's shrine" , in: Madras Musings XIV.9 (16–31 August 2009).
personal data
SURNAME Tiruvalluvar
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Valluvar; Tiruvaḷḷuvar; Vaḷḷuvar; திருவள்ளுவர் (Tamil); வள்ளுவர்
BRIEF DESCRIPTION Tamil poet
DATE OF BIRTH uncertain: 5th century or 6th century
DATE OF DEATH uncertain: 5th century or 6th century