The Directory of Historians of Tamil Nadu

The present article explored the life career and the work of historians in Tamil Nadu, it is an effort to create a Directory of Historians of Tamil Nadu is about the contributions made by the scholars to the historiography of Tamil Nadu. Historical writings had their beginning in Tamil Nadu only after the coming of Europeans hence many European scholars have made significant contributions in recreating the history of Tamil Nadu from the closing years of the nineteenth-century historians have been making sincere attempts to bring to light all dark areas in the history of Tamil Nadu. This study will be exploring the development of historiography in Tamil Nadu.

It is the only history that can be called critical social memory. The region inhabited by the Tamils has had a civilized existence for at least two million years. The literary and artistic tradition of Tamil Nadu speaks volumes about the achievements of our ancestors but, strangely, South Indians have not produced any Historical writings worth their name in the Pre-British period. Tamil literature is a veritable mind of Historical information. There are countless monuments in Tamil Nadu no region in India has so much of inscriptions as Tamil Nadu possesses. All these source materials remained untouched till the Europeans introduced Historiographical methods to this part of the world. Hence Historiography in the modern sense of the term had its beginning in South India only with the advent of the English East India Company.
Robert Orme
Robert Orme was perhaps the first among the company servants to write about the political and military activities of the company in the Carnatic. Born in England in 1728, Orme entered the company services in 1743, between 1754 and 1758 he was a member of the Madras Governor’s Executive Council. He was the official Historian from 1764 to 1801. “A History of the Military Transactions etc, published in 1764 was his first book in which he narrated an eyewitness account of the events connected with Carnatic wars in 1782 he published the historical fragments of the Mughal empire of the moralities and the English concern in Hindustan from the year 1759 in these two books Orme attempted to narrate the military, political and diplomatic moments of his time. Though Ormes’s accounts are partisan. His books are however indispensable for a serious student who wants to know about eighteenth-century south India.[1]
Collin Mackenzie
Mackenzie was a cadet of engineers who came to serve the English East India Company in Madras in 1783. He was in charge of surveying the territories that the British added to the dominions in the Carnatic. Before becoming the Surveyor General of Madras in 1809 he had served in several places in South India. He was appointed as Surveyor General of India in Calcutta. He passed away in 1821. Mackenzie collected the largest number of manuscripts and artifacts with the help of two Andhra gentle men Boriah and Lakshmriah. He left behind him a collection of inscriptions including Manuscripts, 6218 Coins, 3000 Neo- Lithic and Copperplate inscriptions, 2600 Drawings, 1568 manuscripts, 160 Images, and 78 Plates. He wrote little of great value. But, his collections are the largest, most useful, and most famous in the history of our part of the country.[2]
H. H. Wilson
The Orientalist made a Catalogue of his manuscripts and called it, a descriptive catalog of the oriental Manuscripts and other articles illustrative of the Literature, statistics, and antiquities of South India collected by the late Lieutenant col. Collin Mackenzie Surveyor General of India in two volumes. After His death, Mackenzie’s wife sold the collection to the East India Company for $10,000. Asiatic Society of Calcutta made the first catalog. Parts of the collection were sent to England in 1823 and 1825. Madras manuscripts were cataloged by Wilson in Calcutta and sent to Madras in 1828. The Madras collection Included 264 Volumes of these 152 in Telugu, 43 in Tamil, 40 in Marathi, 29 in Kannada. The Madras government entrusted the Work of Catalogue the manuscripts to William Taylor. He Brought out three Volumes the First in 1857, the second in 1859, and the third in 1862. Tailor’s work received a lot of criticism from the scholars like G.Buttler and C. P. Brown. Brown for instance dubbed Tailor as an ignorant man acquainted with colloquial Tamil alone and unskilled in chronology.[3]
J. Abbe Jene Antoine Duboi
Doboi among European visitors to India in Modern times was Unique Behind him was the most valuable comment on the social life of south India and particularly in Tamil Nadu. His Hindu manners, customs, and ceremonies, originally written in French and translated into English by H. K. Beauchamp is one of the most elaborate accounts of the customs and manners of the people of South India in those times. His other book The State of Christianity in India is about the difficulties that the missionaries confronted in getting converts to Christianity.[4]
F. Buchanan
Buchanan wrote ‘A Journey from Madras through the Countries of Mylapore Canara, and Malabhar’ on a Commission from Wellesley. Buchanan’s accounts were based on his first-hand information collected by him from different places which he visited. He provides Valuable data for those who are interested in the Social-Economic life of the rural areas during the early Colonial Period.[5]
Bishop Heber
Bishop Heber lived in India in the first quarter of the 19th century. His impressions were published in his Indian Journal. His Reflections On sati, hook swinging and Other Odious Hindu customs to many of which he was an eyewitness are interesting. An Account of a Journey to Madras and the southern provinces (1826) and letters written in India was published in three volumes in 1828 posthumously. Heber died in 1826. His Works Are Valuable to the Students of early 19th-century social history.[6]
Sir Alexander Cunningham
Cunningham has rightly been called the Father of Indian Archeology. Essentially a Military engineer Cunningham’s Love of monuments made him a great Archeologist. He started his career in India in 1833. In 1862 he was made Director of Archeology in India. He laid the foundation for Indian Archaeological studies. He edited Asoka’s inscriptions in the Corpus Inscription Indecorum Vol. 1 and wrote the Ancient Geography of India, the Book of Indian eras, etc. He was also a great numismatist.[7]
James Burgess (1822-1917)
James Burgess started the Famous journal Antiquary in 1872. This journal is a storehouse of information on ancient Indian History. Burgess was Cunningham’s to the post of Director of Archaeology. He was responsible for starting the Epigraphica Indica in 1888. Again it was Burgess who promoted Epigraphic Studies in South India in 1886 he brought out a Volume on Tamil inscriptions.[8]
George Butler
This German-born scholar who worked in London was introduced to India by Max Muller. He took up the professorship of Oriental languages at Elphinstone College, Bombay. In 1880 he was a Professor of Sanskrit and Indology in Vienna. He completed the monumental work Encyclopedia of Indo-Aryan research. The following archaeologists have contributed to the study of South Indian history. Alexander Rea assisted Hultzsch in his work in Mamallapuram in 1886. Bruce Foote discovered the epoch-making Neolithic site in Adichanallur. He was the first to prove that Peninsular India had cultural relations with the eastern Mesopotamian region.
James Fergusson
James Fergusson joined the Royal Asiatic Society in 1840. His contribution to South Indian art is laudable as the following works prove.
1. Tree and serpent Worship (1868)
2. Ancient Buddhist Architecture in India.
3. History of Indian and Eastern Architecture (2 vols. 1860)
4. Rock-cut temples of South India
5. Cave temples of India.
German-born Keilhorn was an eminent epigraphist. His articles on inscriptions to Indian Antiquary and Epigraphia India are highly informative. Another German-born epigraphist was Hultzsch published 6 Volumes of South Indian inscriptions. He made detailed studies on the coins of the Cholas and the Madurai Sultans.[9]
Bishop R. Caldwell
Caldwell’s Contribution to historiography was significant. His History of Tinnevaly published in 1881 is still regarded as a valuable source of information. His work on the comparative grammar of Dravidian languages published in 1875 was his magnum opus. Coldwell through this work proved that Tamils had a great past and created among Tamil scholars an interest to carry on various aspects of Tamil culture.[10]
J. H. Nelson
Nelson is known for his contribution to legal ideas and Historical studies. In 1861 he came to Madras and stayed here for the next 25 years. While he was serving as a judge of the court of small causes at Madurai from 1865 to 1867, he was asked to compile a manual for the Madurai district. His work The Madura Country a Manual compiled by order of the Madras Government was completed in 1868. He wrote about the geographical, climatic, geological, agricultural, and ethnological features of the district and gave a large section to political and revenue history. Nelson’s work is a very useful source of information for serious students of history.[11]
Robert Sewell
Robert Sewell was admitted to the Indian Civil service in 1868 Sewell held important positions in the Revenue and Judicial administration in Madras. He spent his spare time for researches the history of South India. His List of Antiquarian Remains in the Madras Presidency (2 volumes) is a valuable source of information useful for scholars and laymen. He prepared the chronological table for South India (1881) Indian Chronography (1912). In 1883 he published the Sketch of the dynasties of Southern India. He was also interested in architecture and made some research on Pallava temples at Kanchipuram.[12]
Sir Walter Elliot served as collector of many districts. His coins of South India (1886) were a pioneering study.[13] Vincent Smith was one of the greatest administrative historians and his Early History of India (1904) and Oxford History of India (1890) made him famous. His work, A History of Fine Arts in India and Ceylon was one of his notes worthy contributions.[14] Love, Col. Henry Davison‘s work Vestiges of old Madras (1913) gives the story of Madras from the beginning to 1800 A.D. information about the growth of the Madras city can be had from this wonderful book.[15]
H. H. Dodwell
Н. Н. Dodwell was a professional historian. He served as curator of the Madras Record Office. His Nabos of Madras appeared in 1926. Work Dupleix and Clive (1920) give valuable information on the Carnatic wars. He was editor of the Cambridge History of India Vol. V & Vol. VI. He and Price translated the Diary of Ananda Ranga Pillai into 12 volumes (1904-1928) 37 Historical sketches of ancient Deccan can be regarded as a scholarly work. He edited several volumes of South Indian inscriptions.[16] He came from Spain in 1922 and worked as Prof. of History at St. Xavier’s College, Bombay. During his 3 decades of stay in India, he wrote on all aspects of history. He wrote on Pallavas and his observation that the Indus script was proto Tamil finds acceptance from Russian and Finnish Scholars.[17]

Wheeler, Sir. Mortimer was made Director-General of Archaeology in 1944. His excavations at Arikkamedu, near Pondicherry, proved that it was a trading center where Roman traders in the first century A.D. stored their goods.[18] Bishop whitehead‘s the village deities of South India, G. Oppert‘s On the ancient commerce of India, Warmington‘s Commerce between the Roman Empire and India, G. Slater‘s The Dravidian element in Indian culture, Mark Wilke‘s Historical sketches of South India (3 vols) Thurston Thurston‘s Castes and Tribes of South India are some valuable contributions to South Indian historiography. Among the historians, hailing from Tamilnadu but writing in English the following deserve mention.[19]
Venkayya
Venkayya was a great epigraphist and for nearly 20 years he spent his life copying editing and interpreting inscriptions. He contributed extensively to the Indian Antiquary. It was he who fixed A.D. 769 as the date of the Velvikkudi grant.[20] T. A. Gopinatha Rao made a pioneering study on the history of Sri Vaishnavism. He contributed a lot to Sentamil, a Tamil literary journal. However, fame rests on his Iconography magnum opus Hindu Iconography He also wrote a small Tamil work Cholavamsa Charitra Suruk K. V. Subramania Aiyar of Coimbatore was introduced to epigraph Venkayya. He explored the rock-cut caves discovered the famous Thirumukkudal inscription in which men’s hospital, and also edited the Uttaramerur inscriptions. Among contributions was the Discovery of Tiruvalangadu plates. His Historical sketch of ancient Deccan can be regarded as a scholarly work. He edited several volumes of South Indian inscriptions.[21]
H. Krishna Sastri
H. Krishna Sastri was another great epigraphist of note. His work South Indian images of Gods and Goddesses is a good book on Art.[22] Т. N. Subramaniyam is regarded as the greatest epigraphist of Tamilnadu. His work on South Indian Temple inscriptions in 3 volumes is a monumental work of great scholarship. His work on Kattabommu is still considered an authentic work on the revolt of the Polygar. The Pallavas of Kanchi in South East Asia was his last great work.
S. R. Balasubramanyam
S. R. Balasubramanyam got his M.A. degree in History political science and economics in 1933 and worked as a teacher in the Ramaswamy Chettiar Town High School, Chidambaram. A chance meeting with K. A. N. Sastri made him evince a great interest in temple studies. He produced four massive volumes on Chola temple art and architecture. His Tamil books Kopperunjigan and Cholar Kalippani are significant contributions.[23]
Iravatham Mahadevan
Like the English civil servants. Mahadevan was also a brilliant officer and scholar. He edited and interpreted the short Tamil Brahmi Cave inscriptions in and around Madurai. He has also made an extensive study on the Indus scripts and believes that the Indus valley civilization was Dravidian.[24]
Srinivasa Raghava Iyengar
His memorandum of the progress of the Madras Presidency ring the past 50 years of British administration is a primary source of the history of British administration in the 19th century. S. Srinivasachari improved on the theme. The Economic condition of the Madras Presidency on the eve of the British conquest is another notable contribution made by him.[25]
Р. Sundaram Pillai
Born in Alleppey in 1855 Sundaram Pillai had his education at Trivandrum and Madras. He was proficient in Tamil and Philosophy. He was Headmaster of the Anglo-Vernacular school at Tinnavalley in 1877. There he came under the influence of Kodanganallur Sundara Swamigal. He became the teacher of Philosophy at Maharaja’s College, Trivandrum in 1879. He wrote the Nuttogai Vilakkam, an introduction to science and various branches of scientific knowledge. Milestones in the history of Tamil literature were published in 1913. He wrote an article on the age of Thirugnana Sambandar in I891. His early sovereigns of Travancore were working on history. He is remembered for his play Manonmaniyam in blank verse. It was he who laid down the foundation for Tamil Chauvinism. He said that the story of India should begin only from South India.[26]
Kanakasabai
He was the first to write the history of ancient Tamilnadu systematically. The Tamils 1800 years ago earned him a durable place in Tamilian historiography. The book was a collection of articles that he wrote in the Madras Review between 1895 and 1901. It appeared in book form in 1904. He identified the I st century as the core of the Sangam period.[27]
S. Krishnaswamy Aiyangar
He was born in 1879. Practically a student of science he took his MA. degree in history in 1899. He was a Professor of English at Central College, Bangalore for nearly 10 years. In 1914 he became Prof. of History and archaeology. He retired in 1929. His contribution to South Indian historiography was marvelous. The following works are a standing testimony to his great scholarship.
1. Ancient India
2. South Indian history and culture
3. Some Contributions of South India to Indian culture
4. Beginnings of South Indian History (1019)
5. South India and her Muhammadan Invaders (1921)
6. Manimekalai in its historical setting (1o28)
7. Evolution of Hindu Administrative institutions in South India (1930-31) etc.
He was joint editor of the Indian Antiquary for 40 years. He was not at all worried about the literary value of his writings.[28]
R. Sathyanatha Aiyar
R. Sathyanatha Aiyar was known as a great teacher at Annamalai University. His Nayaks of Madura is a scholarly work. He learned French to translate some of his source materials. He wrote the Early History of Tamilnadu and the History of Tamilaham in the 17th century. His History of India in volumes has been a popular textbook for several years.[29] R.Gopalan’s Pallavas of Kanchi written in 1929 and A. Krishnaswamy Pillai’s Tamilahamunder Vijayanagara are scholarly works.[30]
V. Rangacharya
V. Rangacharya (I884-1950) was a great teacher. He lived both in Tamilnadu and Kerala. He wrote on Nayaks of Madurai and also contributed articles to the Indian Antiquary.
P. T. Srinivasa Aiyangar
P. T. Srinivasa Aiyangar is known for the Work “History of the Tamils which contains valuable information.
C. S. Srinivasachariar
He was taught history at Pachayappar’s College, Madras from 1910 to 1932 and was Prof. of History and Politics from 1932 to 1946. He was a good teacher, a keen researcher, and a powerful orator. He was a political writer and he used to dictate at least 30 pages of typed matter for printing every day. He has written on the Nawab of Wallajah and the right and left-hand dispute in Madras. Specialist in the study of British administration in The History of Gingee in 1943.
K. A. Nilakanta Sastri
He was born in Kallidaikurichi in the Tirunelveli district on 12.8.1881. He had his education at his native place, Ambasamudram. Tirunelveli and Madras. He studied M.A. History at the Madras Christan College and stood first in the presidency. He worked in the Hindu College as a history teacher from 1913 to 1918. For a short period, he taught history at the Benaras Hindu University (1918-1920). In 1920 he became the Principal of Sri Minakshi College, Chidambaram, and continued in that post-1928. In 1929 Sastri became a Professor of Indian History and Archaeology. He held that post till 1947. From 1952 to 1956 he was a Professor of Indology in Mysore. From 1957 to 1971 he was director of the Institute of Traditional cultures situated on the Madras University campus. He had visited several countries and was a member of several academic bodies. He passed away in 1975.[31] Nilakanta Sastri’s contribution to Tamilian historiography surpasses the contribution made by all his predecessors. He authored several scholarly works. His Nandas and Mauryas and History of India in 3 volumes were appreciated for his scholarship. He wrote extensively on the history of Tamil Nadu. His History of South India, the Pandyan Kingdom, and the Cholas are original contributions. His Foreign Notices of South India is a very good reference work. Nilakanta Sastri’s works are known for their good language. Cholas made him a great historian. Sastri was influenced by the Hindu religion and philosophy. That is the reason why he was prejudicial in his writings.[32]
V. R. Ramachandra Dikshitar
He was a lecturer in the Department of Indian History and Archaeology, the University of Madras from 1929 to 1947. He was made Professor of History in 1947. His major works are studies in Tamil Literature and History, the Mauryan Polity. the Gupta Polity and the Purana Index in 3 volumes. In the Mauryan Polity, he has tried to show that Asoka was a Hindu ruler. Dikshitar translated Silappadigaram into English prose.[33]
T. V. Mahalingam
He came from a family of Sanskrit scholars in Tanjore. He worked in Madura College, Madurai, and later at the Raja’s College, Pudukkottai. From 1947 to 1956 he was a reader in the Department of History and Archaeology. From 1956 to 1971 he was a professor of history. He has written a lot on history. His works like Administration and Social life under Vijayanagar, South Indian polity, Early South Indian Palaeography, Kanchipuram in Early South Indian History throw a lot of new light on the subject. His works give importance to facts and not to interpretations.[34]
К. К. Pillay (1905-1981)
K. K. Pillay was a Professor of History University of Madras for nearly 15 years and he wrote the following works 1. The Suchindram Temple 2. South India and Ceylon 3. Municipal Administration in Madras and 4. Social History of the Tamils vol. 1. He also wrote a history of South India in Tamil. Dr. K. K. Pillay was a scholar belonging to the old tradition and his works are more factual than interpretative.[35]
Dr. K. Rajayyan
Rajayyan worked in several institutions of repute like the Sri Venkateswara University. Tirupati, Presidency College, Madras and the Madurai Kamaraj University in his colorful academic career, Administration and society in the Carnatic, A history of British Diplomacy in Tanjore, History of Madurai (1736-1801) South Indian Rebellion, the First War of Independence (1800-1801) Rise and Fall of the Poligars of Tamilnadu and History of Tamilnadu (1565-1965) are Rajayyan’s contributions to Tamilian historiography. His fame rests on the South Indian rebellion. He has provided convincing evidence to prove that an organized struggle against the British started first only in Tamilnadu. Dr. K. Rajayyan has succeeded in throwing light on a period characterized by Chaos and Confusion. He is known for his clarity of expression.[36]
N. Subramanian
Born in 1916 Ν. Subramanian obtained his M.A. degree from Annamalai University in 1937. He took his Ph.D. degree in 1958. He is well versed in Tamil He started his academic career as an Assistant Editor of the Tamil Encyclopedia in Madras. He served as a lecturer at the Jain College, Madras from 1953 to 1959. From 1959 to 1970 he served at Madras University. He was a Professor of History in the Madurai Kamaraj University from 1970 to 1976 and NEHU, Shillong from 1976 to 1979. His contributions to historical studies are 1. The Sangam Polity 2. Index of historical Material in Pre-Pallavan Tamil literature 3. History of Tamilnadu in 2 volumes 4. First part of South India in 3 vols and 5. Social history of the Tamils.
He has contributed a lot of scholarly articles also. His works are known for their deep scholarship and pleasant style. There are a lot of great scholars who choose to write on different aspects of the history of Tamil culture in Tamil. In this regard names of a few eminent scholars deserve mention. M. Raghava Aiyangars Velir Varalau, Cheran Chenguttuvan, Alvargal Kala Nilai, etc are examples of his scholarly works.
M. Rajamanickam Pillai wrote on Periyapuranam and Saivism. Several young scholars have brought out works on various aspects of the history of Tamils.[37]
Historians of Tamil Nadu studied the past by interpreting evidence. They worked on examining primary sources, texts, artifacts, and other materials from the time. From comparing these sources and evaluating them in context, the Historians of Tamil Nadu developed interpretations, often in light of the interpretations of other historians. It is well expressed by the quote of Napoleon Bonaparte, as “History is the invention of historians” is true.
References[edit source]
1. ^ http://www.new.dli.ernet.in/bitstream/handle/2015/93985/A-History-Of-The-Military-Transactions—Vol-1-Ed-4th.pdf
2. ^ Blake, David M. (1991). “Colin Mackenzie: Collector Extraordinary” (PDF). British Library Journal 128–150
3. ^ Dictionary of National Biography. London: Smith, Elder & Co. 1885–1900. “Wilson, Horace Hayman”.
4. ^ Hough, James. A Reply to the Letters of the Abbé Dubois on the State of Christianity in India. London: L. B. Seeley & Son, 1824.
5. ^ Watson, Mark F.; Noltie, Henry J. (2016). “Career, collections, reports and publications of Dr Francis Buchanan (later Hamilton), 1762–1829: Natural history studies in Nepal, Burma (Myanmar), Bangladesh and India. Part 1”. Annals of Science. 73 (4): 392. doi:10.1080/00033790.2016.1195446. PMID 27399603.
6. ^ “Reginald Heber, Bishop of Calcutta and Hymnodist, 1826”. For All the Saints. Retrieved 4 September 2015.
7. ^ Sir Alexander Cunningham (1814–1893): “The first phase of Indian archaeology”. Journal of the Royal Asiatic Society of Great Britain and Ireland (3–4): 194–207. 1963.
8. ^ Hayavadana Rao, C. (Ed.) (1915) The Indian biographical Dictionary 1915. Madras: Pillar & Co., pp. 71-72.
9. ^ Pugsley, Chris. “Butler, George Edmund”. Dictionary of New Zealand Biography. Ministry for Culture and Heritage. Retrieved 3 May 2011.
10. ^ Kumaradoss, Y. Vincent, Robert Caldwell: A Scholar – Missionary in Colonial South India, Delhi, ISPCK
11. ^ Nelson J. H. The Madura Country a Manual compiled by order of the Madras Government, Delhi, Asian Education Services, p. 5.
12. ^ Stein, Burton. The New Cambridge History of India: Vijayanagara. Cambridge University Press.
13. ^ Arbuthnot, Aj. Elliot, Sir Walter (1803-1887). Oxford University Press.
14. ^ J. F. Riddick, The History of British India: A Chronology.
15. ^ https://www.thehindu.com/news/cities/chennai/chen-columns/love-this-historian/article3699740.ece
16. ^ H. H. Dodwell in The Times, 31 October 1946, p. 7.
17. ^ Correia-Afonso, J. (ed.) Henry Heras, the Scholar, and his work, Bombay, 1976.
18. ^ Guha, Sudeshna (2003b). “Mortimer Wheeler’s Archaeology in South Asia and its Photographic Presentation”. South Asian Studies. Taylor & Francis. 19 (1): 43–55.
19. ^ Obituary Bishop Whitehead Forty Years In India. The Times. 17 April 1947; p. 7.
20. ^ N. Subrahmanian (1980). Heritage of the Tamils Volume I: Tamil epigraphy: a survey. Ennes Publication. p. 31.
21. ^ Cumming, John (1939). Revealing India’s Past: a Record of Archaeological Conservation and Exploration in India and Beyond. Genesis Publishing Ltd. p. 297.
22. ^ G. Ramakrishna, N. Gayathri, Debiprasad Chattopadhyaya (1983). An encyclopedia of South Indian culture. p. 247.
23. ^ S. R. Balasubramanyam and K. V. Raju, The Cholas of Erumbur, Vol VII, 1939.
24. ^ “Honour for Iravatham Mahadevan”. The Hindu. 17 April 2009. Retrieved 4 July 2009.
25. ^ Some Madras Leaders. Babu Bishambher Nath Bhargava. 1922.
26. ^ P. Sundaram Pillai, Some Early Sovereigns of Travancore, Madras, 1894, p. 6.
27. ^ Sumathi Ramaswamy (2005). Fabulous Geographies Catastropic Histories: The Lost Land of Lemuria. Orient Blackswan. p. 267.
28. ^ Ganganatha Jha Research Institute (1945). The Journal of the Ganganatha Jha Research Institute. p. 80.
29. ^ Sathyanatha Aiyar, R., History of the Nayaks of Madura, Madras, 1991. Tamilaham in the 17th Century, University of Madras, 1956.
30. ^ Romila Thapar, Proceedings of the Indian History Congress, Vol. 24 (1961), pp. 345-350.
31. ^ S. Singaravelu (1982). “Obituary: Professor K. A. Nilakanta Sastri (1892-1975)”. Journal of the Malaysian Branch of the Royal Asiatic Society. 55.
32. ^ Ganapathy Subbiah (2007). “Sectional President’s Address – Dakṣināpatha: Where does the path lead us?” Proceedings of the Indian History Congress. 67: 49–81
33. ^ Sundaram, V. (26 August 2008). “A historian extraordinaire of South Indian culture”. News Today. Archived from the original on 5 September 2009. Retrieved 4 January 2009
34. ^ Rama Sundari Mantena (2012). The Origins of Modern Historiography in India: Antiquarianism and Philology, 1780-1880. Palgrave Macmillan. p. 145
35. ^ K. K. Pillai Historical Heritage of the Tamils, MJP Publishers, 2008.
36. ^ K. Rajayyan, History in Theory and Method: A Study in Historiography, Raj Publishers (1982)
37. ^ Rahman, M. M. (2006). Encyclopedia of Historiography. Anmol Publications PVT LTD. p. 346.