Svaminatha Ayyar (svāminātha ayyar)

(Language: Tamil)

Short Description: A savant who brought to light a number of Tamil classics.

Long Description: A savant who brought to light a number of Tamil classics. It was under Mahvidvan Minaksisundaram Pillai that he found the inspiration for his lifelong work for Tamil. U Ve (his Tamil initials) Svaminatha Ayyar travelled all over Tamil Nadu, (vent from village to village, house to house, in search of palm-leaf manuscripts of ancient and medieval Tamil works. His prodigious labors were rewarded with the discovery of a number of manuscripts which he edited and published. He has also written a lengthy autobiography. Dr Ayyar who died in 1942 at the age of 87 was fondly called “Tamil Tatta” (“Grand Old Man of Tamil”).