The statue was sculpted by Indian sculptor V. Ganapati Sthapati, who also created the Iraivan Temple, and was unveiled on the millennium day of 1 January 2000 by the then Chief Minister M. Karunanidhi.

This includes a 95-foot (29-metre) sculpture of Valluvar standing upon a 38-foot (12-metre) pedestal that represents the 38 chapters of Virtue, the first of the three books of the Kural text.

[3] The right hand of the statue with three fingers pointing skywards signifies the three cantos of the Kural text, namely, Aram, Porul, and Inbam (Virtue, Wealth, and Love, respectively), combined.

[5] The statue, with its slight bend around the waist is reminiscent[citation needed] of a dancing pose of the Hindu deities like Nataraja.

Built-in conformation with traditional Indian architecture, the statue has provision to provide a hollow portion inside from toe to scalp.

[4] However, the actual sculpting work, led by Dr. V. Ganapati Sthapathy, former principal of the Government College of Architecture at Mahabalipuram,[5] began a decade later on 6 September 1990, on the tiny island adjacent to the Vivekananda Rock Memorial when funds were allocated in the 1990–91 budget.

He observed that stone would be more durable than metal, citing that the Statue of Liberty, which is made of copper, required extensive renovation just a century after its installation.

Study of this prototype led to the identification of an energy line (known in Vastu as kayamadhyasutra), currently an empty cavity in the center of the statue from top to bottom.

An interesting detail is a 6-metre-high (19 ft) face, with the ears, nose, eyes, mouth, forehead all made of individual stones carved by hand.

Besides Indian political leaders and celebrities, foreign delegates including those from Malaysia, Singapore, and Sri Lanka, participated in the opening ceremony.

The chief minister, after unveiling the statue, called it a "beacon of light to guide human life for all time to come.