C. W. Thamotharampillai

Cirupitty Wyravanathar Thamotharampillai was born to Vairavanathapillai and Perundevi in Siruppiddy in British Ceylon. He chose to learn Tamil grammar and English at an early age. He studied science at the renowned Vaddukottai Seminary in Jaffna at the age of twelve. After that, In 1852 he worked sometime as a teacher in a School at Kopay, Ayalur. His son Alakasundaram is also a Tamil scholar. Graduation After finishing his college education in 1852 at Batticotta Seminary, Thamotharampillai taught for some years under the mission and then proceeded to Madras to head a mission-run daily. There he converted to Saivism, Editor In 1853, he came to Chennai to become editor of the Tamil Nadu Daily Gazette run by Rev. Peter Percival, owner of the Wesleyan English School in Jaffna. He also worked as a Tamil Pandit in the Rajasthani College. == Pioneer in Publishing ==

In 1853 he published a Tamil book on ethics entitled Needhi Neri Vilakkam, which not only sparked his interest in the field of book publishing, but also earned him the title of 'pioneer of Tamil publishing'. == Manuscript Recovery ==

Jaffna born Pillai was the earliest scholar to systematically hunt for long-lost manuscripts and publish them using modern tools of textual criticism. These included: • Viracoliyam (1881) • Iraiyanar Akapporul (1883) • Tolkappiyam-Porulatikaram (1885) • Kalittokai (1887) - the first of the Eight Anthologies (Eṭṭuttokai). Pillai, along with his contemporaries such as U. V. Swaminatha Iyer, was responsible for collecting and cataloguing numerous old Sangam manuscripts and preparing them into compilations and modern form. Both Iyer and Pillai printed and published Tholkappiyam, Nachinarkiniyar urai (1895), Tholkappiyam Senavariyar urai, (1868), Manimekalai (1898), Cilappatikaram (1889), Pattupattu (1889), and Purananuru (1894), all with scholarly commentaries. Between them, they published more 100 works in all, including minor poems. == Rao Bahadur Award ==

He continued to study law, and in 1871 received the 'B.L.'. After passing the examination, he worked as a lawyer in Kumbakonam and in 1884 he was appointed as a Judge of the Pudukottai High Court. In 1895, after his retirement of about six years, the government conferred the title of 'Rao Bahadur' on Damodaram Pillai. == Death ==

At the age of sixty-nine, Thamotharampillai died on January 1, 1901 (March 18, 1901) in the Purasaiwakkam of Chennai == Memorials ==

Statue of Thamotharampillai established at the Kopay Christian College where he studied,And a statue at sirupiddy where he was born == Bibliography ==

Thamotharampillai's History, D.A. Rajaratnam Pillai, Published by: n. Munisami Mudaliar, 'Ananda Bodhini', Madras, 1934 ==References==