Abraham Pandithar

Background

Abraham Pandithar was born in Sambavar Vadakarai in Tirunelveli district to a Tamil Christian family, the son of Muthusamy Pandithar and Annammal of the Pandithar/Maruthuvar Family.

Education

He studied at the CVES Normal Teachers Training School at Dindigal and in 1876, became a teacher in the same college.

Career

He belonged to a family of doctors and became interested in Siddha medicine. As the Pandithar or Maruthuvars are the descendants of Indian traditional Medicinal practitioners. In 1879, he went to Suruli hills to research herbs growing there.

There he met the Siddhar Karunandhar and became his student.

In 1890, he left his teaching job to do research on medicine full-time. He started a farm outside Tanjore for growing medicinal plants.

He named it Karanandhapuram after his teacher. lieutenant was called as Pandithar thottam (Pandithar"s farm) by the locals.

He also started a clinic - the Karunanidhi Medical Hall at his residence in Tanjore.

In 1909, the colonial government awarded him the "Rao Sahib" title. The publication of Silapathikaram by U. V. Swaminatha Iyer in 1892, made Pandithar interested in Tamil music and he started studying lieutenant He learnt traditional music from Sadayandi Bhattar and western classical music from Tanjore A. G. Pichaimuthu pillai.

He did extensive research on the origins and form of Tamil music

He established the Sangeetha Vidhyalaya Mahajana Sangam - a music association and organised six music conferences during 1912–1914. In 1917, He published his research into Tamil music as Karunamirdha Sagaram, a 1346 page book, that remains a seminal work in the field till today.

He also published Karunamirdha Sagara Thirattu - a collection of Tamil practice songs (musicians of that period trained using Telugu songs). He also translated several Keerthanais into Tamil.

He attended the All India Music Conference held at Baroda in 1916 and presented his research there.

He was also a prolific composer and composed several kritis in chaste ragas in praise of Jesus Christ

Pandithar died in 1919.

Connections

teacher:

Lady Napier