The dating of the Tirukkural, and by extension the period of its author Valluvar, has been a subject of intense debate among scholars for centuries, and it continues to remain so. The Kural is variously dated between 300 BCE and 5th century CE. According to Blackburn, the "current scholarly consensus" dates the text and the author to approximately 500 CE.[1] The Tamil Nadu government has ratified 31 BCE as the year of birth of Valluvar.[2] Still the precise date as to when Valluvar completed writing the Kural text remains murky. This article speaks about various dates arrived at by various scholars over time.
- ^ Blackburn 2000, p. 454 with footnote 7.
- ^ Iraikkuruvanar, 2009, p. 72.