The text has been dated from 300 BCE to the 5th century CE. People say Valluvar (full name Thiruvalluvar) wrote the work. It is also known for its all-inclusiveness and secular nature. It is thought as one of the greatest works ever written on ethics and morality.
The text is divided into three books with aphorisms (sayings) on virtue ( aram), wealth ( porul) and love ( inbam). It has 1,330 short couplets (two-line poem parts), or kurals, of seven words each. The Tirukkuṟaḷ ( Tamil: திருக்குறள், lit.'sacred verses'), or shortly the Kural ( Tamil: குறள்), is a classic Tamil language text.