Background
He was born in a Hindu family, but later converted to Christianity.
He was born in a Hindu family, but later converted to Christianity.
After his retirement he worked on his magnum opus, Ratchanya Yaatrigam. This work was based on John Bunyan"s Pilgrim"s Progress, although not a translation. The work itself took 16 years to complete and is one of finest works of Tamil literature of the nineteenth century.
Krishna Pillai was born in 1827 at Karaiyiruppu, Tirunelveli District, Tamil Nadu.
He received his early education in Tamil grammar and literature in the village. In May 1853, he moved to Sawyerpuram, a Christian hamlet.
The settlement was founded by the Society for Propagation of the Gospel. Later in 1875, he was appointed as a Tamil pundit at Church Missionary Society (Content Management System) college at Tirunelveli.
Hence, he spent the 16 years writing the book Rakshanya Yatrikam (the journey of salvation, 1894).
This work was modeled after John Bunyan"s Pilgrim"s Progress. Nevertheless, it was not a translation but an adaptation of the story in Tamil. This work is considered as his masterpiece.
He had read the Pilgrim"s Progress even before his conversion and had planned to retell the story in Tamil verses.
However, he started working on it only in 1878 to appear serially in Friendly Instructor. He fell ill with malaria in 1879, and then, with encouragement from his friends, Krishnapillai decided to compile the work in an epic form similar to the Tamil Ramayana.
After 16 years, it was sent to print in 1894 and is considered one of the most significant Tamil poetry works of the nineteenth century. He is sometimes referred to as Christian Kamban.
His hymns were based on Hindu texts such as Tevaram.