>GreenC bot at 19:26, 21 April 2021

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{{Use dmy dates|date=August 2020}}
{{EngvarB|date=August 2020}}
{{Infobox person
| honorific_prefix = Rao Sahib
| name = Abraham Pandithar
| image = Abraham Pandithar.png
| alt = Abraham Pandithar
| caption = Abraham Pandithar in 1917
| birth_name = 
| birth_date = {{Birth date|df=yes|1859|08|02}}
| birth_place = [[Sambavar Vadagarai]]
| death_date = {{Death date and age|df=yes|1919|08|31|1859|08|02}}
| death_place =
| nationality = [[British India]]
| mother = Annammal
| father = Muthusamy Nadar
| spouse = Nyanavadivu Ponnammaal(1882-1911), Koil Bakkiyam Ammal
| children = '''From first wife''' Annapoornavalli Soundaravalli Sundara Pandiyan Anandavalli Jothi Pandiyan Maragathavalli '''From second wife''' Varaguna Pandiyan Pandithar Soundara Pandiyan Kanagavalli Mangalavalli
| relatives = D. A. Thanapandian Pandithar (grandson)
| occupation =
| years_active =
| known_for = Tamil music books
| notable_works = Karunamirdha Sagaram
| signature = Abraham Pandithar signature.png
}}

[[Rao Sahib]] ''' Pandithar''' ({{lang-ta| பண்டிதர்}}, 2 August 1859 – 31 August 1919) was a [[Tamil people|Tamil]] [[musicologist]], composer and a traditional medicine practitioner from Sambavar vadakarai of [[Tirunelveli District]] (That day [[Kollam district]]), who is celebrated for his patronage of numerous Tamil musicians and his influential studies concerning the origins and evolution of traditional Tamil music.

==Biography==
Abraham Pandithar was born in Sambavar Vadakarai near Surandai in [[Tirunelveli district]] to a Tamil [[Christians|Christian]] family, the son of Muthusamy Nadar and Annammal(maruthuvar/pandithar) community. He studied at the CVES Normal Teachers Training School at [[Dindigal]] and in 1876, became a teacher in the same college. He belonged to a family of doctors and became interested in [[Siddha medicine]].

In 1879, he went to Suruli hills to research herbs growing there. There he met the [[Siddha]]r Karunandhar and became his student. After completing his studies he went to [[Tanjore]] and worked as a Tamil teacher in Lady Napier Girls School. His wife Gnanavadivu Ponnammal was the headmistress in the same school. 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. It 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. In 1911, Gnanavadivu died and Pandithar married Bhagyammal.<ref name=hindu1/>

The publication of ''[[Silapathikaram]]'' by [[U. V. Swaminatha Iyer]] in 1892, made Pandithar interested in [[Ancient Tamil music|Tamil music]] and he started studying it. He learnt traditional music as he is part of the maruthuvar/pandithar Community, 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 language|Telugu]] songs). He also translated several ''[[Keerthana]]is'' into Tamil. He attended the All India Music Conference held at Baroda in 1916 and presented his research there.<ref name=hindu1>{{cite news|title=Mother of all Music Conferences|url=http://www.hindu.com/fr/2005/12/16/stories/2005121603150300.htm|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20051219085623/http://www.hindu.com/fr/2005/12/16/stories/2005121603150300.htm|url-status=dead|archive-date=19 December 2005|accessdate=14 March 2011|newspaper=[[The Hindu]]|date=16 December 2005}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|title=Renowned work of Tamil scholar lauded|url=http://www.hindu.com/2007/09/01/stories/2007090160960600.htm|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071210121203/http://www.hindu.com/2007/09/01/stories/2007090160960600.htm|url-status=dead|archive-date=10 December 2007|accessdate=14 March 2011|newspaper=[[The Hindu]]|date=1 September 2007}}</ref>

== Death ==
Pandithar died in 1919.

== Descendants ==
His family continued his research - His son Varaguna Pandiyan Pandithar wrote the Tamil musical research work Paanarkaivazhi and his daughter Maragathavalli Duraipandian Pandithar completed part 2 of ''Karunamirdha Sagaram''. His grandson D. A. Thanapandian Pandithar is also a musician and musicologist.<ref>{{cite web|title=ஆபிரகாம் பண்டிதர்|url=http://www.tamilvu.org/courses/degree/d051/d0513/html/d0513661.htm|work=[[Tamil Virtual University]]|accessdate=16 March 2011}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|last=Jeyamohan|author-link=Jeyamohan|title=தஞ்சை ஆபிரகாம் பண்டிதர்
| url=http://www.thinnai.com/?module=displaystory&story_id=60205051&format=html|work=Thinnai.com|accessdate=16 March 2011}}</ref> In 2008, the [[Government of Tamil Nadu]] nationalised his works.<ref>{{cite news|title=Rs.1.65 crore royalty for scholars' heirs|url=http://www.hindu.com/2008/05/22/stories/2008052252750400.htm|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080601201921/http://www.hindu.com/2008/05/22/stories/2008052252750400.htm|url-status=dead|archive-date=1 June 2008|accessdate=16 March 2011|newspaper=[[The Hindu]]|date=22 May 2008}}</ref>

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==Further reading & Notes==
*Kareem, C.K (1976). Kerala District Gazetteers: Palghat. printed by the Superintendent of Govt. Presses. p. 188. Retrieved 2011-06-24.
*Kooiman, Dick (1996). "Who is to benefit from missionary education? Travancore in the 1930s". In Bickers, Robert A.; Seton, Rosemary E.. Missionary Encounters: Sources & Issues. Routledge. p. 158. {{ISBN|9780700703708}}.
*Gadgil, Madhav (2005). Ecological Journeys. Orient Blackswan. p. 82. Retrieved 2011-06-15.
*Singh, Abhay Kumar (2006). Modern World System and Indian Proto-Industrialization. Northern book center. p. 312. Retrieved 2011-06-15.
*Pandithar is the priestly class/caste of south India, also known as Maruthuvar, Valakatiya Nayar in Kerala, equal of the Sharma, Nai Brahmin or Nai in the North India.

==External links==
*http://www.indian-heritage.org/music/garlanda.htm
*[https://www.tamildigitallibrary.in/book-detail.php?id=jZY9lup2kZl6TuXGlZQdjZQ9kJty Biography of Abraham Pandithar]

{{DEFAULTSORT:Pandithar, Abraham}}
[[Category:1859 births]]
[[Category:1919 deaths]]
[[Category:Tamil scholars]]
[[Category:Tamil musicians]]
[[Category:Musicologists]]
[[Category:20th-century Indian musicians]]

Abraham Pandithar - Revision history

>GreenC bot at 19:26, 21 April 2021