''Abithana Chintamani'' is an encyclopedia of

Tamil Tamil may refer to: * Tamils, an ethnic group native to India and some other parts of Asia **Sri Lankan Tamils, Tamil people native to Sri Lanka also called ilankai tamils **Tamil Malaysians, Tamil people native to Malaysia * Tamil language, nativ ...

literature written by A. Singaravelu Mudaliar (1855 - 28 January 1931). This is the first encyclopedia of Tamil literature. The first edition, which contains a recommendation dated 1899 by V. Kanakasabai Pillai, appeared in 1910 and contained 1050 pages. The second edition, containing 1634 pages, appeared

posthumously Posthumous may refer to: * Posthumous award - an award, prize or medal granted after the recipient's death * Posthumous publication – material published after the author's death * ''Posthumous'' (album), by Warne Marsh, 1987 * ''Posthumous'' (E ...

in 1934, with a preface by the author's son, and is available as reprints.

History

The Fourth Tamil Sangam, a Tamil language academy, was formed in

Madurai Madurai ( , also , ) is a major city in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. It is the cultural capital of Tamil Nadu and the administrative headquarters of Madurai District. As of the 2011 census, it was the third largest Urban agglomeration in ...

on 14 September 1901. It was founded by

Pandithurai Thevar Vallal Pon Pandithurai Thevar (21 March 1867 – 2 December 1911), born Ukkira Pandian, also known as Pandi Durai Thevar, was the Zamindar of Palavanatham, Tamil Nadu, India. A scholar and poet belonging to the royal house of the Sethupathis o ...

of the royal family of Sethupathis of

Ramanathapuram Ramanathapuram (), also known as Ramnad, is a town and a municipality in Ramanathapuram district in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. It is the administrative headquarters of Ramanathapuram district and the second largest town (by population) in ...

. Thevar was seeking to publish an encyclopedia of Tamil literature. Meanwhile, Singaravelu Mudaliyar, a Tamil pandit working at

Pachaiyappa's College Pachaiyappa's College is one of the oldest educational institutions in Chennai, in the South Indian state of Tamil Nadu. In addition, it is the first sole Indian college in Madras Presidency. History Pachaiyappa's College, Chennai is the resul ...

Chennai Chennai (, ), formerly known as Madras ( the official name until 1996), is the capital city of Tamil Nadu, the southernmost Indian state. The largest city of the state in area and population, Chennai is located on the Coromandel Coast of th ...

had completed such a work, but had difficulties finding a publisher. Pandithurai Thevar heard about the work and supported the publication of the work financially. In the preface, Singaravelu Mudaliyar says:

References

External links

Project Madurai Homepage
Tamil language encyclopedias Encyclopedias of literature Indian encyclopedias 1910 non-fiction books 1934 non-fiction books 20th-century encyclopedias 20th-century Indian books {{lit-book-stub

History

See also

References

External links