Tamil

A. C. Clayton

A. C. Clayton was a British missionary and scholar who spent decades working in South India, developing deep expertise in Tamil culture, Dravidian religious practices, and Vedic studies. His work represents early 20th-century missionary scholarship that sought to understand Indian religious traditions.

Major Works

Clayton authored several significant works during his time in India:

• The Rig-Veda and Vedic Religion (1913) - A comprehensive introduction to Vedic literature and early Aryan religion
• The Paraiyan - Published in the Madras Government Museum Bulletin
• Gangai’s Pilgrimage - A literary work
• The Tamil Bible Dictionary - A reference work for Tamil-speaking Christians

The Rig-Veda and Vedic Religion

His most substantial scholarly contribution was The Rig-Veda and Vedic Religion (1913), published by the Christian Literature Society for India. This work was intended as a revised and expanded treatment of Dr. Murdoch’s earlier account of the Vedas, incorporating modern scholarship and interpretation methods available at the time.

K. A. Nilakanta Sastri

Kallidaikurichi Aiyah Nilakanta Sastri stands as one of the most distinguished historians of modern India and the preeminent authority on South Indian history. Born in 1892 in Tirunelveli district to a Telugu Niyogi family, Sastri dedicated his life to rigorous historical scholarship, producing works that continue to serve as standard references decades after their publication.

Academic Career

After completing his Master’s degree at Madras Christian College in 1913, Sastri began his teaching career at Hindu College, Tirunelveli. His brilliance soon earned him positions at India’s premier institutions: Banaras Hindu University (1920-1922), Madras University (1922-1946), and University of Mysore (1952-1955). From 1957 to 1972, he directed UNESCO’s Institute of Traditional Cultures of South East Asia, where he fostered international scholarship on Asian civilizations.