>Scorpions13256 at 03:59, 10 July 2021

2021-07-10T03:59:05Z

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{{short description|Indian historian}}
{{moresources|date=June 2018}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=June 2018}}
{{Use Indian English|date=June 2018}}
'''Cadambi Minakshi''' (12 September 1905 – 3 March 1940) was an Indian historian and expert on [[Pallava]] history. In 1936, she became the first woman to get a doctorate from the [[University of Madras]].

== Early life and education==

Minakshi was born in [[Madras]] on 12 September 1905 to Cadambi Balakrishnan, a bench clerk in the [[Madras High Court]] and his wife, Mangalammal. Balakrishnan died when Minakshi was young and Mangalammal took care of the family. Minakshi was interested in [[history]] from an early age and visited historic sites as [[Mannargudi]], [[Pudukkottai]], [[Villuppuram]] and [[Kanchipuram]].

On completion of her schooling Minakshi joined the [[Women's Christian College, Chennai|Women's Christian College]] in Madras, graduating in 1929. She wanted to her master's degree at [[Madras Christian College]] but her candidature was initially rejected on grounds of being a woman. However, Minakshi persisted and the authorities relented when her eldest C. Lakshminarayanan, who was working as a Professor in the college gave a written undertaking to take care of her. Minakshi eventually completed her master's degree and went on to pursue her doctorate obtaining it in 1936. Her doctoral thesis on "Administration and Social life under the Pallavas" was published in 1938 by the University of Madras as a part of a history series by eminent historian [[K. A. Nilakanta Sastri]]. The Madras daily ''[[The Hindu]]'' describes the book as "the eminently successful piece of research and is one of the best of a valuable series".

== Career and research ==

Soon after obtaining her doctorate in 1936, Minakshi started looking for a job. She was, initially turned down by the [[All India Radio]] and other organizations she applied for. Finally, in 1939, [[Sir Mirza Ismaill]], the [[Diwan (title)|Diwan]] of the [[Mysore kingdom]] offered her a job as Assistant Professor at the Maharani College in [[Bangalore]].

== Death ==

Minakshi fell ill a few months after moving to Bangalore and died on 3 March 1940 at the age of 34. Condoling her death, the historian [[K. A. Nilakanta Sastri]] wrote to her mother in July 1941:

{{quotation|It is cruel she died young. Whenever I think about it, pain engulfs me}}

== Works ==

* {{cite book|title=Administration and social life under the Pallavas|url=https://archive.org/details/in.ernet.dli.2015.39468|author=C. Minakshi|year=1938|publisher=University of Madras}}
* {{cite book|title=Kañchi: an introduction to its architecture|publisher=Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, Government of India|author=C. Minakshi|year=1940}}
* {{cite book|title=The historical sculptures of the vaikuṇṭhaperumāḷ temple, Kāñchī|publisher=Archaeological Survey of India|author=C. Minakshi|year=1941}}

== References ==

* {{cite news|title=Scholar extraordinaire|author=A. Srivathsan|work=[[The Hindu]]|url=http://www.hindu.com/mag/2010/08/15/stories/2010081550040200.htm|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100818071637/http://www.hindu.com/mag/2010/08/15/stories/2010081550040200.htm|url-status=dead|archive-date=18 August 2010|date=15 August 2010}}

{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Minakshi, C.}}
[[Category:1905 births]]
[[Category:1940 deaths]]
[[Category:20th-century Indian historians]]
[[Category:Madras Christian College alumni]]
[[Category:Dravidologists]]
[[Category:20th-century Indian women scientists]]
[[Category:20th-century Indian social scientists]]
[[Category:University of Madras alumni]]
[[Category:Tamil scientists]]
[[Category:Scientists from Chennai]]
[[Category:Pallava dynasty]]
[[Category:Scientists from Bangalore]]
[[Category:Historians of India]]
[[Category:Indian women historians]]
[[Category:Women educators from Tamil Nadu]]
[[Category:Educators from Tamil Nadu]]

C. Minakshi - Revision history

>Scorpions13256 at 03:59, 10 July 2021