திருக்குறள்

திருவள்ளுவர் (Thiruvalluvar)

c. 5th century CE (traditional dating varies)

Very little is reliably known of Thiruvalluvar's life, and scholars disagree even on his era. Tradition places him in Mylapore, Chennai, and associates him with weaving as a trade. Legends about his identity abound, but it is the work itself that has endured, read and quoted across every generation since.

The Thirukkural is a work of 1,330 couplets on ethics, organized into three major divisions - Virtue (அறம்), Wealth (பொருள்), and Love (இன்பம்) - and 133 chapters of 10 couplets each. Revered across caste, religion, and era, it is regarded as one of the world's great works of ethical literature.