2409:4043:2E9E:8555:B47D:FC35:DD28:FE64 at 07:43, 5 June 2021

2021-06-05T07:43:52Z

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{{EngvarB|date=August 2014}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=August 2014}}
{{Infobox scientist |
name = Kallidaikurichi Aiyah Nilakanta Sastri |
birth_date = {{Birth date|df=yes|1892|08|12}} |
image = KAN Sastri.jpg |
|birth_place = [[Kallidaikurichi]], [[British India]] |
spouse = Lakshmi Narasammal|
death_date = {{death date and age|df=yes|1975|06|15|1892|08|12}} |
death_place = [[Madras]], [[India]] |
alma_mater = [[Madras Christian College]]|
residence = Nileshwar |
occupation = Historian, [[Academician]], professor, author |
influences = [[S. Krishnaswami Aiyangar]] |
awards = [[Padma Bhushan]] {{small|(1957)}}
}}

'''Kallidaikurichi Aiyah Nilakanta Sastri''' (12 August 1892 – 15 June 1975) was an Indian historian who wrote on South Indian history. Many of his books form the standard reference works on the subject. Sastri was acclaimed for his scholarship and mastery of sources and was a recipient of the third highest Indian civilian honour of [[Padma Bhushan]].

== Career ==

Nilakanta Sastri was born in a [[Telugu people|Telugu]] [[Niyogi]] [[Brahmin]] family,<ref name="SS_obituary"/> in [[Kallidaikurichi]] near [[Tirunelveli]], on 12 August 1892.<ref name="modern_review">{{cite book | title=The Modern Review| year=1975| publisher=Prabasi Press Private, Ltd|pages=22}}</ref> He completed his FA in M.D.T Hindu College, Tirunelveli and his college education in [[Madras Christian College]].<ref name="encyclopedia_of_historiography">{{cite book | title=Encyclopaedia of Historiography| last=Rahman|first=M. M.| year=2006| publisher=Anmol Publications PVT LTD|pages=346|id={{ISBN|81-261-2305-2}}, {{ISBN|978-81-261-2305-6}}}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.mccdelhi.org/alumni.html|title=Famous Alumni |access-date=6 November 2009|publisher=Alumni Association of Delhi and North India,Madras Christian College}}</ref>

Sastri obtained his [[Master of Arts|MA]] by coming first in the [[Madras Presidency]]. He joined the Hindoo College as lecturer in 1913 where he taught till 1918.<ref name="kans"/><ref name ="journal">{{cite book
| title = Journal of Indian history, Volume 53
| publisher = Dept. of Modern Indian History
| year = 1975
| pages = 350
| url = https://books.google.com/books?id=UWxDAAAAYAAJ
}}</ref> He served as Professor of History, [[Banaras Hindu University]] from 1918 to 1920.<ref name="kans"/> After that he became the Principal of the (then) newly started Arts College of [[Annamalai University]].<ref name="principal_annamalaiuniversity">{{cite news | last=Muthiah | first= S.| title= High school to university | date=19 April 2004 | url=http://www.hinduonnet.com/thehindu/mp/2004/04/19/stories/2004041900220300.htm | work =The Hindu: Metro Plus | access-date = 12 November 2008}}</ref>
In 1929, he was employed as Professor of History at National College, [[Trichy]]. The same year, he succeeded [[S. Krishnaswami Aiyangar|Sakkottai Krishnaswamy Aiyangar]]<ref name="universityofmadras_depthistory">{{Cite web|url=http://www.unom.ac.in/indhis.html|title=History|access-date=7 September 2008|publisher=Department of History, University of Madras|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20080422192520/http://www.unom.ac.in/indhis.html  |archive-date = 22 April 2008}}</ref> as the Professor of History and [[Archaeology]] at the [[Madras University]],<ref name="a_textbook_of_historiography" /> a post he held till 1946.<ref name="encyclopedia_of_historiography" /> He was the Professor of [[Indology]] (Currently renamed as Department of History and Archaeology) at the [[University of Mysore]] from 1952 to 1955.<ref name="encyclopedia_of_historiography" /><ref name="kans"/><ref name="a_textbook_of_historiography" /> He was appointed as the ''[[Ex officio member|ex-officio]]'' Director of Archaeology for the [[Mysore State]] in 1954. He was also the President of the All-India Oriental Conference in the early 1950s.<ref name="prasad">{{cite book | title=Dr. Rajendra Prasad, correspondence and select documents, Volume 6| last=Prasad|first=Rajendra | year=1984| publisher=Allied Publishers|pages=168|id={{ISBN|81-7023-002-0}}, {{ISBN|978-81-7023-002-1}}| url = https://books.google.com/books?id=-3-5Hj2UzvEC | author-link=Rajendra Prasad}}</ref> From 1957 to 1972, he served with the [[UNESCO]]'s Institute of Traditional Cultures of South East Asia, as the Director of the institute.<ref name="encyclopedia_of_historiography" /><ref name="a_textbook_of_historiography" /> In 1957, he was awarded the [[Padma Bhushan]], India's third highest civilian honour.<ref name="SS_obituary">{{cite journal |author=S. Singaravelu |title=Obituary: Professor K. A. Nilakanta Sastri (1892-1975) |journal=Journal of the Malaysian Branch of the Royal Asiatic Society |volume=55 |issue=1 |year=1982 |page=94 |jstor=41492918 }}</ref> In the summer of 1959, he was a visiting professor at the [[University of Chicago]] where he delivered a series of lectures on South Indian History.<ref name="kans">{{cite book |editor=S Ganesan | title = Professor K. A. Nilakanta Sastri felicitation volume: in commemoration of his 80th birthday | publisher = Prof. K. A. Nilakanta Sastri Felicitation Committee | year = 1971 | pages = About Section }}</ref> Nilakanta Sastri died in 1975.<ref name="a_textbook_of_historiography" />

== Assessment ==

Nilakanta Sastri is regarded as the greatest and most prolific among professional historians of [[South India]].<ref name="a_textbook_of_historiography">{{cite book | title=A Textbook of Historiography, 500 B.C. to A.D. 2000: 500 BC to AD 2000| last=Sreedharan|first=E.| year=2004| publisher=Orient Longman|pages=462|id={{ISBN|81-250-2657-6}}, {{ISBN|978-81-250-2657-0}}}}</ref> [[Tamil people|Tamil]] historian [[A R Venkatachalapathy]] regards him as "arguably the most distinguished historian of twentieth-century Tamil Nadu".<ref name="coffeep2"/>

In 1915, a [[Bengali people|Bengali]] historian [[Jadunath Sarkar]], wrote an essay ''Confessions of a History Teacher'' in the ''Modern Review'' regretting the lack of acclaimed historical works in [[Vernacular|vernacular languages]] and stressed that efforts should be made to write history books and teach history in vernacular languages.<ref name="coffeep2">{{cite book | title=In Those Days There was No Coffee: Writings in Cultural History| last=Vēṅkaṭācalapati|first=Ā. Irā | year=2006| publisher=Yoda Press|pages=2|id={{ISBN|81-902272-7-0}}, {{ISBN|978-81-902272-7-8}}}}</ref> Nilakanta Sastri, who was then a young teacher in Thirunelveli, wrote a letter to the newspaper opposing Sarkar's suggestion by saying that "English serves me better as a medium of expression than Tamil – I mean in handling historical subjects. Perhaps the vernacular is not so well off in this part of the country as it should be".<ref name="coffeep2" /> Sastri's comments evoked sharp criticism from the nationalist poet [[Subramanya Bharathi]].<ref name="coffeep2" /><ref name="coffeep3">{{cite book | title=In Those Days There was No Coffee: Writings in Cultural History| last=Vēṅkaṭācalapati|first=Ā. Irā | year=2006| publisher=Yoda Press|pages=3|id={{ISBN|81-902272-7-0}}, {{ISBN|978-81-902272-7-8}}}}</ref> According to Venkatachalapathy, Sastri's Tamil proficiency was not good and he relied on Tamil scholar [[S. Vaiyapuri Pillai]] for understanding Tamil literary works. Thus he was not able to analyse the changing meaning of words over time. Venkatachalapathy says, "In the professional historiography in Tamil Nadu practised in the age of K. A. Nilakanta Sastri there was rarely any interrogation of sources (except in terms of authenticity and chronology)."<ref name="coffeep4">{{cite book | title=In Those Days There was No Coffee: Writings in Cultural History| last=Vēṅkaṭācalapati|first=Ā. Irā | year=2006| publisher=Yoda Press|pages=4–5|id={{ISBN|81-902272-7-0}}, {{ISBN|978-81-902272-7-8}} | url = https://books.google.com/books?id=tk-KZmcUEvAC | author-link=A R Venkatachalapathy}}</ref>

Sastri's ''A History of South India'' is a recommended textbook for university students of Indian history. In a preface to the 2013 reprint, historian [[Sanjay Subrahmanyam]] describes the book thus

{{quote|... a classic work, which retains its importance and has never quite been replaced. It shows the author's mastery over a huge set of sources, which placed him head and shoulders above other South Indian historians of his time}}

Historian [[Noboru Karashima]], who edited ''A Concise History of South India'' (2014), describes Sastri's ''A History of South India'' as an excellent book, and praises Sastri's examination of sources of south Indian history as "thoroughgoing and meticulous". However, Karashima also states that being a [[Brahmin]], Sastri was inclined to emphasize the role of "north Indian and Sanskrit culture in the development of south Indian society", which resulted in occasional bias. Karashima notes that Sastri's book remained the only authoritative scholarly book on the south Indian history for a number of reasons: nobody could match Sastri in bringing out a similar work; attacks from [[Dravidian movement|Tamil nationalists]] deterred historians from writing such a book; and new trends in history writing made composition of works on general history more difficult.<ref>{{cite book |author=Noboru Karashima |author-link=Noboru Karashima |title=A Concise History of South India |chapter=Preface |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=fpdVoAEACAAJ |year=2014 |publisher=Oxford University Press |isbn=978-0-19-809977-2 |page=xvii }}</ref>

Ganapathy Subbiah (2007) of the [[Indian History Congress]] describes Sastri as "the greatest" of all South Indian historians.{{sfn|Ganapathy Subbiah|2007|p=51}} During Sastri's period, strong language-based movements had emerged in various regions of South India. Subbiah notes that Sastri attempted to portray South India as a distinct geocultural unit, and was keen to dissolve the growth of regionalism in South Indian [[historiography]].{{sfn|Ganapathy Subbiah|2007|p=52}} Subbiah adds that Sastri's macro-level view of the South Indian history "revolved around Aryan-Dravidian syndrome", and this view changed with his age: in his 20s, Sastri asserted the existence of "an independent Tamil culture which flourished for centuries before it was touched by extraneous influences"; a few years later, he wrote that the culture of the [[Sangam period]] was a composite of two distinct "Tamilian and Aryan" cultures; and a decade later, he declared that "Sanskrit is the pivot of our whole culture, and [...] Tamil culture is no exception to this rule".{{sfn|Ganapathy Subbiah|2007|p=53}} According to Subbiah, Sastri's views should be analyzed in the context of the rise of the anti-Brahmin [[Dravida Nadu]] movement in the mid-20th century: his assertions over-emphasizing the importance of Indo-Aryan and Sanskrit influence in south Indian history can be seen as "his angry and desperate response" against the Dravida Nadu secessionists.{{sfn|Ganapathy Subbiah|2007|p=55}}

== Bibliography ==

In all, Nilakanta Sastri authored 25 historical works mostly on the history of South India.<ref name="a_textbook_of_historiography" />

* {{cite book | title=The Pāṇḍyan Kingdom from the Earliest Times to the Sixteenth Century| last=Sastri|first=K. A. Nilakanta| year=1929| publisher=Luzac}}
* {{cite book | title=Studies in Chola history and administration| last=Sastri|first=K. A. Nilakanta| year=1932| publisher=University of Madras}}
* {{cite book|title=The Cholas|last=Sastri|first=K. A. Nilakanta|year=1935|publisher=University of Madras}}
**{{cite book|title=The Cholas (revised 2nd ed.)|last=Sastri|first=K. A. Nilakanta|year=1955|publisher=University of Madras}}
* {{cite book | title=A comprehensive history of India| last=Sastri|first=K. A. Nilakanta| year=1936| publisher=Orient Longman}}
* {{cite book | title=Historical method in relation to problems of South Indian history.| last=Sastri|first=K. A. Nilakanta| year=1941| publisher=University of Madras}}
* {{cite book | title=Gleanings on social life from the Avadanas| last=Sastri|first=K. A. Nilakanta| year=1945| publisher=Indian Research Institute}}
* {{cite book | title=Further sources of Vijayanagara history| last=Sastri|first=K. A. Nilakanta| year=1946| publisher=University of Madras}}
* {{cite book | title=The Tamil kingdoms of South India| last=Sastri|first=K. A. Nilakanta| year=1948| publisher=The National Information & Publications}}
* {{cite book | title=South Indian Influences in the Far East| url=https://archive.org/details/in.gov.ignca.4278| last=Sastri|first=K. A. Nilakanta| year=1949| publisher=Hind Kitabs}}
* {{cite book | title=History of Sri Vijaya | last=Sastri|first=K. A. Nilakanta| year=1949| publisher=University of Madras}}
* {{cite book | title=[[A History of South India: From Prehistoric Times to the Fall of Vijayanagar]]| last=Sastri|first=K. A. Nilakanta| year=1955| publisher=Oxford University Press}}
* {{cite book | title=Historical method in relation to Indian history| url=https://archive.org/details/in.gov.ignca.5867|last=Sastri| first=K. A. Nilakanta|author2=H.S Ramanna | year=1956}}
* {{cite book | title=A Comprehensive History of India| last=Sastri|first=K. A. Nilakanta| year=1957| publisher=Orient Longman}}
* {{cite book | title=Development of religion in South India| last=Sastri|first=K. A. Nilakanta| year=1963| publisher=Orient Longman}}
* {{cite book | title=The Culture and History of the Tamils| last=Sastri| first=K. A. Nilakanta| year=1964| publisher=K. L. Mukhopadhyay}}
* {{cite book | title=Sources of Indian history with special reference to South India | last=Sastri| first=K. A. Nilakanta| year=1964| publisher=Asian Publishing House}}
* {{cite book|title=A great liberal: speeches and writings of Sir P. S. Sivaswami Aiyar|last=Sastri|first=K. A. Nilakanta|year=1965|publisher=Allied Publishers}}
* {{cite book | title=Life and culture of the Indian people: a historical survey| last=Sastri| first=K. A. Nilakanta|author2=G. Srinivasachari | year=1966| publisher=Allied Publishers}}
* {{cite book | title=Cultural Contacts Between Aryans and Dravidians| url=https://archive.org/details/in.gov.ignca.59646| last=Sastri|first=K. A. Nilakanta| year=1967| publisher=Manaktalas}}
* {{cite book | title=Age of the Nandas and Mauryas| last=Sastri|first=K. A. Nilakanta| year=1967| publisher=Motilal Banarsidass}}
* {{cite book | title=An Advanced history of India| last=Sastri|first=K. A. Nilakanta|author2=G. Srinivasachari | year=1971| publisher=Allied Publishers }}
* {{cite book | title=Foreign Notices of South India: From Megasthenes to Ma Huan| last=Sastri|first=K. A. Nilakanta| year=1972| publisher=University of Madras}}
* {{cite book | title=Sangam literature: its cults and cultures| last=Sastri|first=K. A. Nilakanta| year=1972| publisher=Swathi Publishers}}
* {{cite book | title=Aspects of India's history and culture| last=Sastri|first=K. A. Nilakanta| year=1974| publisher=Oriental Publishers}}
* {{cite book | title=South India and South-East Asia: studies in their history and culture| last=Sastri|first=K. A. Nilakanta| year=1978| publisher=Geetha Book House (Mysore)}}

== Notes ==

{{Reflist|2}}

=== Bibliography ===
{{ref begin}}
* {{cite journal |author=Ganapathy Subbiah |title=Sectional President's Address - Dakṣināpatha: Where does the path lead us? |journal=Proceedings of the Indian History Congress |volume=67 |year=2007 |pages=49-81 |jstor=44147923 }}
{{ref end}}

== Further reading ==

* {{cite web|title=Historic residences of Madras|url=http://madrasmusings.com/Vol%2019%20No%2015/historic_residences_of_chennai_30.html|work=Madras Musings}}

{{PadmaBhushanAwardRecipients 1954–59}}
{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Sastri, K. A. Nilakanta}}
[[Category:Tamil historians]]
[[Category:1892 births]]
[[Category:1975 deaths]]
[[Category:Indian Indologists]]
[[Category:Dravidologists]]
[[Category:Madras Christian College alumni]]
[[Category:Recipients of the Padma Bhushan in literature & education]]
[[Category:University of Mysore faculty]]
[[Category:People from Tirunelveli district]]
[[Category:Annamalai University faculty]]
[[Category:University of Madras faculty]]
[[Category:University of Madras alumni]]
[[Category:20th-century Indian historians]]
[[Category:Historians of South Asia]]
[[Category:Scholars from Tamil Nadu]]
[[Category:Telugu people]]
[[Category:Historians of Kerala]]

K. A. Nilakanta Sastri - Revision history

2409:4043:2E9E:8555:B47D:FC35:DD28:FE64 at 07:43, 5 June 2021