Pandithurai Thevar facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Pandithurai Thevar
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Pon Pandithurai Thevar
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| Born |
Ukkira Pandian
March 21, 1867 Ramanathapuram
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| Died | December 2, 1911 (aged 44) Ramanathapuram
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| Nationality | Indian |
| Occupation | Zameendhar |
| Known for | Philanthropy |
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Notable work
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Establishing Madurai 4th Tamil Sangam |
Vallal Pon Pandithurai Thevar (born Ukkira Pandian) was an important person from India. He lived from March 21, 1867, to December 2, 1911. He was a Zamindar, which means he was a landowner who collected taxes in a region called Palavanatham in Tamil Nadu.
Pandithurai Thevar was also a smart scholar and a poet. He came from the royal family of the Sethupathis in Ramanathapuram. He did a lot to help the Tamil language become popular again. He started the Fourth Tamil Sangam in Madurai. He also helped find and print old, rare Tamil books. He supported many scholars who studied the Tamil language. He even published a magazine called Senthamizh as part of the Fourth Tamil Sangam.
Contents
His Early Life
Pandithurai Thevar was born on March 21, 1867. He was the third son of Ponnusamy Thevar. His father was a minister in the Ramanathapuram kingdom. Sadly, Pandithurai Thevar's father passed away when he was still a child.
He learned the Tamil language from a poet named Azhagar Raju. He also learned English from a lawyer named Venkateshwara Shastri. He became very good at both languages. When he was young, he grew up with his cousin, Bhaskara Sethupathi, in the Ramanathapuram kingdom.
When he became an adult, he took over the family properties. These included the Palavanatham Zameen, which had been managed by an agent until then.
Supporting the Tamil Language
Pandithurai Thevar was very dedicated to helping the Tamil language. He invited a famous Tamil scholar, U.V.Swaminatha Iyer, to Ramanathapuram. This scholar was known for finding and printing rare Tamil books. Pandithurai Thevar promised to help him print important ancient texts like Manimekalai and Purapporul venbaamaalai.
He also published other books. These included Thevarathalaimurai Pathippu with his teacher, Gnanasambandha Pillai. He also published Sivagnana Swamigal Prabandha Thirattu. To support the Shaivism religion, he published books on this topic with the help of Sabapathy Navalar. He also helped Chunnakam Kumaraswamypulavar publish a book called Thandiyalankaram. Kumaraswamypulavar thanked Pandithurai Thevar for his support in another book called Saivamanjari.
Starting the Fourth Tamil Sangam
In 1901, Pandithurai Thevar visited Madurai. He was sad to find that many important Tamil books, like Thirukkural and Parimelazhagar Urai, were hard to find. This was surprising because Madurai was where the third Tamil Sangam had been located long ago.
So, on May 24, 1901, he held a meeting with famous poets at Madurai Sethupathi High School. Their goal was to create a new Tamil Sangam in Madurai.
On September 14, 1901, Pandithurai Thevar officially started the Fourth Tamil Sangam in Madurai. This happened at Sethupathi High School. Many important people were there, including Baskara Sethupathy, the Zamindar of Ramnad, and many Tamil scholars from Tamil Nadu and Sri Lanka.
He put Thiru Narayana Iyengar, a scholar he knew from childhood, in charge of the Sangam. The Sangam had different parts:
- A college called "Sethupathi Senthamizh Kalaasaalai".
- A library called "Pandiyan Puthaga Saalai".
- A research center for literature called "Nool Aaraaichisaalai".
The Sangam also started a monthly magazine called Senthamizh. This magazine published essays by well-known poets. It has been published for over a hundred years! Many famous poets published their work in Senthamizh. These included U. V. Swaminatha Iyer, Thiru Narayana Iyengar, R. Raghava Iyengar, M. Raghava Iyengar, Abdul Qadir Rowther, Ettayapuram Sami Iyengar, Parithimar Kalaignar, Arangasamy Iyengar, and C. W. Thamotharampillai.
At one point, there were problems creating an academic department for Tamil language at Madras University. Pandithurai Thevar's Sangam helped by training many Tamil Pundits through its own college and exams. Parithimar Kalaignar believed Tamil was a classical language. He worked hard to make sure it was recognized as such at Madras University, with support from the Fourth Tamil Sangam, Pandithurai Thevar, and Bhaskara Sethupathi.
Challenging British Trade
Pandithurai Thevar also supported Indian businesses. He gave money and helped find investors for the Swadeshi Steam Navigation Company. This company was started by V.O. Chidambaram Pillai in 1906. It ran steamship services between Tuticorin and Colombo. The goal was to break the control that British companies had over trade routes. Pandithurai Thevar later became the chairman of this company.
What People Said About Him
Pandithurai Thevar was highly respected. Bhaskara Sethupathi, the Zamindar of Ramanathapuram, called him the 'Marava chief of the West'. This was because his Palavanatham zameen was located to the west of Ramanathapuram.
When the first edition of Manimekalai was printed in 1898, it thanked Pandithurai Thevar. It said he was very important in helping U.V. Swaminatha Iyer print the book.
His Own Writings
Pandithurai Thevar was also a poet himself. He wrote several poetry works. These included Sivagnanapuram Murugan Kavadich Sindhu and Rettai Manimalai. He wrote Rettai Manimalai for his teacher, Sivagnana Swamigal. He also wrote Raja Rajeshwari Padhikam and many other poems.
