. The temple and the adjoining ghat, situated overlooking the shore. The sparkling diamond nose-ring of the deity is said to be visible even from the sea. It is also the site of Vivekananda Rock Memorial built in 1970. On an adjacent rock is the towering statue of the great Tamil poet-saint Tiruvalluvar. It is 133 ft tall and one of the biggest statues in Asia. The Gandhi Memorial has been built on the spot where the urn containing the Mahatma's ashes was kept for public viewing before immersion. Resembling central Indian Hindu temples in form, the memorial was designed so that on Mahatma Gandhi's birthday, October 2, the first rays of the sun fall on the exact place where his ashes were kept.