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{{Short description|Indian author and diplomat (1895-1963)}}
{{Similar names|Kavalam Narayana Panicker|K. N. Panikkar|Ayyappa Paniker}}
{{family name hatnote|Kavalam|Madhava Panikkar|Indian name|lang=Toponymic}}
{{more citations needed|date=October 2012}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=August 2015}}
{{Use Indian English|date=April 2018}}
{{Infobox officeholder
| honorific_prefix = Sardar
| name = K. M. Panikkar
| image =
| caption =
| birth_date = {{Birth date|df=yes|1895|6|3}}
| birth_place = [[Travancore]] (Modern day [[Kerala]], India)
| death_date = {{Death date and age|df=yes|1963|12|10|1895|6|3}}
| death_place = [[Mysore]], [[Karnataka]], [[India]]
| occupation = Novelist, journalist, historian, administrator, diplomat
| office2 = [[Ambassador of India to China]]
| term2 = 20 May 1950 – 12 September 1952
| predecessor2 =
| successor2 = N. Raghavan
| office1 = [[List of ambassadors of India to Egypt|Ambassador of India to Egypt]]
| predecessor1 = [[Asaf Ali Asghar Fyzee]]
| successor1 = [[Ali Yavar Jung]]
| term1 = 1952–1954
| office = [[List of ambassadors of India to France|Ambassador of India to France]]
| predecessor = [[Hardit Malik]]
| term = 1956–1959
| successor = N. Raghavan
| alma_mater = [[Madras Christian College]]<br>[[University of Oxford]]
}}

'''Kavalam Madhava Panikkar''' (3 June 1895 – 10 December 1963),<ref>{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ISFBJarYX7YC&q=Kavalam+Madhava+Panikkar+1895&pg=PA153|title=Students' Britannica India|date=22 April 2018|publisher=Popular Prakashan|isbn=9780852297605|via=Google Books}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.britannica.com/biography/Kavalam-Madhava-Panikkar|title=Kavalam Madhava Panikkar - Indian statesman|date=6 December 2023 }}</ref> popularly known as '''Sardar K. M. Panikkar''', was an Indian statesman and diplomat. He was also a professor, newspaper editor, historian and novelist.<ref>{{cite journal|url=http://www.ukwhoswho.com/view/10.1093/ww/9780199540891.001.0001/ww-9780199540884-e-55219|title=Panikkar, Kavalam Madhava, (1895–10 Dec. 1963), Vice-Chancellor Jammu and Kashmir University, Srinagar, since 1961; Ex-Member of Parliament, Rajya Sabha |journal= Who's Who & Who Was Who|year=2007 |doi=10.1093/ww/9780199540884.013.U55219|isbn=978-0-19-954089-1 |url-access=subscription}}</ref> He was born in [[Travancore]], then a [[princely state]] in the [[British Indian Empire]] and was educated in [[Madras]] and at the [[University of Oxford]].

After a stint as professor at [[Aligarh Muslim University]] and later at [[University of Calcutta]], he became editor of ''[[Hindustan Times]]'' in 1925. Later, he was appointed Secretary to the [[Chamber of Princes]], whence he moved to [[Patiala State]] and then to [[Bikaner State]] as Foreign Minister and later became the latter's Prime Minister. When India achieved political independence, Sardar Madhava Panikkar represented the country at the 1947 session of the [[UN General Assembly]]. In 1950, he was appointed Ambassador of India (the first non-Socialist country to recognise People's Republic of China) to [[China]]. After a successful tenure there, he went as Ambassador to [[Egypt]] in 1952. He was appointed a member of the [[States Reorganisation Commission]] set up in 1953. He was also India's Ambassador to France and a member of [[Rajya Sabha]], the upper house of the Indian parliament. He also served as Vice-Chancellor of the [[University of Kashmir]] and the [[University of Mysore]].

==Early life and education==
Madhava Panikkar was born into a [[Nair]] family to Puthillathu Parameswaran Namboodiri and Chalayil Kunjikutti Kunjamma<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.keralasahityaakademi.org/Writers/Profiles/SardarPanikkar/Html/Sardarpanikkargraphy.htm|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200413123206/http://www.keralasahityaakademi.org/Writers/Profiles/SardarPanikkar/Html/Sardarpanikkargraphy.htm|url-status=dead|archive-date=2020-04-13|title=Sardar K.M. Panikkar - Biography|date=2020-04-13|access-date=2020-04-13}}</ref> in the princely state of Travancore in 1895. He completed his basic studies at CMS College School, [[Kottayam]] and St. Paul's School, [[Vepery]], [[Madras]]. Later on he joined [[Madras Christian College]] for intermediate classes. At MCC he was a contemporary of [[Puthezhath Raman Menon]], Nandyelath Padmanabha Menon and Sadasiva Reddy among others. He left for England in April 1914 to read history at [[Christ Church, Oxford|Christ Church]], [[University of Oxford]]. After leaving Oxford, Panikkar read for the bar at the [[Middle Temple]], London.

[[File:Mao Zedong with Kavalam Madhava Panikkar.jpg|thumb|Panikkar presents his credentials to [[Mao Zedong]], {{Circa|1950}}.]]
He was the first president of the [[Kerala Sahitya Academy]]. After his studies, Panikkar travelled to Portugal and Holland to research the involvement of these countries with Malabar, the results of which were published in the books ''Malabar and the Portuguese'' (1929) and ''Malabar and the Dutch'' (1931).
<ref>An Autobiography, K M Panikkar, (Madras: Oxford University Press, 1977)</ref> He was the maternal uncle of the noted poet, dramatist and lyricist [[Kavalam Narayana Panicker]].

==Career==
On returning to India, he first taught at the [[Aligarh Muslim University]] and later at the [[University of Calcutta]]. He turned to journalism in 1925 as editor of the ''[[Hindustan Times]]''.
[[File:Zhou_Enlai,_Vijaya_Lakshmi_Pandit_and_Kavalam_Madhava_Panikkar.jpg|alt=|left|thumb|Panikkar (left) with [[Vijaya Lakshmi Pandit]] and [[Zhou Enlai]].]]
For the next 20 years, Madhava Panikkar served the Princely States, becoming secretary to the chancellor of the [[Chamber of Princes]]. He also served as the foreign minister of the state of [[Patiala]] and as foreign minister of [[Bikaner]], and became the [[dewan]] of Bikaner in 1944. He served in China until 1952, building a relationship with [[Chiang Kai-shek]], and remaining there through the Communist takeover in 1949 and the following period. He wrote of his experiences in the book ''In Two Chinas'' (1955). This period also saw the completion of his work ''Asia and Western Dominance'' (1953).<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Pauker |first=Guy J. |date=1954 |title=Panikkarism, the Highest Stage of Opportunism |url=https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/world-politics/article/abs/panikkarism-the-highest-stage-of-opportunism/E771129BA4FC8B51845A014EDB54BF2E |journal=World Politics |language=en |volume=7 |issue=1 |pages=157–177 |doi=10.2307/2009174 |jstor=2009174 |s2cid=147228542 |issn=1086-3338|url-access=subscription }}</ref> He subsequently served as ambassador to Egypt (1952–1953), and France (1956–1959), before a severe stroke forced him to return to India. He remained nominated member of [[Rajya Sabha]] (1959-1961).<ref>{{Cite journal|last=Park|first=Richard L.|date=1957|title=Review of The Indian Heritage.; Hindu Society at Cross Roads.|journal=The Journal of Asian Studies|volume=16|issue=3|pages=462–464|doi=10.2307/2941258|jstor=2941258|s2cid=162640384 |issn=0021-9118|doi-access=free}}</ref> On recovering, he took up his academic career again, becoming Vice-Chancellor of Jammu and [[Kashmir University]] (1961-1963), Srinagar and later of [[Mysore University]] (1963-1964). During his political career Panikkar continued to publish articles and poems, and also translated several Greek plays into [[Malayalam language|Malayalam]] verse.

==Academics and scholarship==
Early on Madhava Panikkar had cultivated an interest in [[Malayalam literature]], and was a lifelong friend of the poet [[Vallathol Narayana Menon]]. He published scholarly works extensively and worked on ancient Indian history and more recent historical developments. [[University of Cambridge|Cambridge]] historian Arthur Hassall wrote that in his "long career as tutor of history at Christ Church" he had "never had a more brilliant student." Madhava Panikkar's interests stretched into diverse fields such as, art, notably novels, poetry and [[Kathakali]] and he wrote equally well in both Malayalam and English and published over 50 books and numerous articles.

Madhava Panikkar's interest in European influence on Asia was reflected in his studies of the Portuguese and the Dutch in Malabar (in South India) and especially in his ''Asia and Western Dominance'' (1953). ''In Two Chinas'' (1955) revealed his sympathy with [[China|Communist China]].

==Bibliography==
Notable works in English:

*1920: ''Essays on Educational Reconstruction in India''
*1922: ''Sri Harsha of Kanauj: a monograph on the history of India in the first half of the 7th century A. D.''
*1923: ''Indian Nationalism: its origin, history, and ideals''
*1928: ''The Working of Dyarchy in India, 1919–1928''
*1929: ''The Evolution of British Policy towards Indian States, 1774–1858''
*1929: ''Malabar and the Portuguese: being a history of the relations of the Portuguese with Malabar from 1500 to 1663''
*1930: ''The Founding of the Kashmir State: a biography of Maharajah [[Gulab Singh]], 1792–1858''
*1930: ''Federal India''
*1932: ''Indian States and the Government of India''
*1934: ''The New Empire: letters to a Conservative Member of Parliament on the future of England and India''
*1936: ''The Indian Princes in Council: a record of the chancellorship of His Highness, the Maharaja of [[Patiala]], 1926–1931 and 1933–1936''
*1937: ''His Highness the Maharaja of [[Bikaner]]: a biography''
*1938: ''[https://archive.org/details/HinduismPanikkar Hinduism and the modern world]''
*1942: ''The States and the Constitutional Settlement''
*1943: ''Indian States''
*1944: ''The Strategic Problems of the Indian Ocean''
*1945: ''India and the Indian Ocean: an essay on the influence of sea power on Indian history''
*1947: ''India through the Ages''
*1953: ''Asia and Western Dominance: a survey of the [[Vasco Da Gama]] epoch of Asian history, 1498–1945''
*1954: ''A Survey of Indian History''
*1954: ''In Two Chinas: memoirs of a diplomat''
*1956: ''The Principles and Practice of Diplomacy''
*1957: ''Voice of Truth, a topical symposium: replies to attacks on Christians and missionaries in India''
*1957: ''India and China: a study of cultural relations''
*1958: ''The Determining Periods of Indian History''
*1960: ''A History of Kerala, 1498–1801''
*1960: ''The State and the Citizen''
*1961: ''Hindu Society at Cross Roads''
*1961: ''Essential Features of India Culture''
*1962: ''In Defence of Liberalism''
*1963: ''Studies in Indian History''
*1963: ''The Ideas of Sovereignty and State in Indian Political Thought''
*1963: ''The Foundations of New India''
*1963: ''The [[Himalayas]] in Indian Life''
*1964: ''A Survey of Indian History''
*1964: ''[[Hinduism]] & the West: a study in challenge and response''
*1964: ''The Serpent and the Crescent: a history of the Negro empires of western Africa''
*1965: ''Lectures on India's Contact with the World in the pre-British Period''
*1966: ''The Twentieth Century''
*1967: ''Caste and Democracy & Prospects of Democracy in India''
*1969: ''Geographical Factors in Indian History''
*1977: ''An Autobiography''

==See also==
*[[Navtej Sarna]]
*[[Taranjit Singh Sandhu]]
*[[Harsh Vardhan Shringla]]

==References==
{{reflist}}

==External links==
{{Wikiquote}}
*[http://www.tamilnation.org/sathyam/east/hinduism/hindureformation.htm The Hindu Reformation K. M. Panikkar]
*[http://www.tamilnation.org/books/Politics/pannikar.htm The Principle and Practices of Diplomacy K. M. Panikkar]
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20041130154240/http://www.hindu.com/mag/2004/05/09/stories/2004050900160300.htm A tribute to smaller states] at ''The Hindu''
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20160828120334/http://www.keralasahityaakademi.org/sp/Writers/Profiles/SardarPanikkar/Html/Sardarpanikkargraphy.htm Sardar K. M. Panikkar biography] at the [[Kerala Sahitya Akademi]] {{in lang|ml}}

{{s-start}}
{{s-off}}
{{s-bef|before=Sire Mal Bapna}}
{{s-ttl|title=[[Bikaner State#Dewans 2|Dewan of Bikaner State]]|years=1944 - 1948}}
{{s-aft|after=Kanwar Jaswant Singh}}
{{s-dip}}
{{s-bef|before=Mission established}}
{{s-ttl|title=[[Ambassador of India to China]]|years=1950 - 1952}}
{{s-aft|after= N. Raghavan}}
{{s-bef|before=[[Asaf Ali Asghar Fyzee]]}}
{{s-ttl|title=[[List of ambassadors of India to Egypt|Ambassador of India to Egypt]]|years=1952 - 1954}}
{{s-aft|after=[[Ali Yavar Jung]]}}
{{s-bef|before=[[Hardit Malik]]}}
{{s-ttl|title=[[Ambassador of India to France]]|years=1956 - 1959}}
{{s-aft|after= N. Raghavan}}
{{s-end}}

{{Indian civil servants}}
{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Panikkar, K. M.}}
[[Category:1895 births]]
[[Category:1963 deaths]]
[[Category:Administrators in the princely states of India]]
[[Category:Academic staff of the University of Calcutta]]
[[Category:Ambassadors of India to Egypt]]
[[Category:Ambassadors of India to China]]
[[Category:Ambassadors of India to France]]
[[Category:Historians of India]]
[[Category:Indian barristers]]
[[Category:20th-century Indian civil servants]]
[[Category:Indian dewans]]
[[Category:20th-century Indian historians]]
[[Category:Malayali people]]
[[Category:Alumni of Christ Church, Oxford]]
[[Category:Academic staff of the University of Mysore]]
[[Category:Nominated members of the Rajya Sabha]]
[[Category:Academic staff of Aligarh Muslim University]]
[[Category:Scientists from Kerala]]
[[Category:20th-century Indian lawyers]]
[[Category:People from the Kingdom of Travancore]]
[[Category:20th-century Indian writers]]
[[Category:Writers from Kerala]]
[[Category:People from Kottayam district]]
[[Category:CMS College Kottayam alumni]]
[[Category:Academic staff of the University of Kashmir]]

K. M. Panikkar - Revision history

DessiePelloe5 at 01:34, 24 March 2026