Pachaiyappa Mudaliar
Encyclopedia
Pachaiyappa Mudaliar was a Madras merchant
, philanthropist
and dubash of the 18th century.
to pray at the famous Hindu temple.
and died at Tiruvaiyaru on March 21, 1794.
, it ran six colleges, a polytechnic and 16 schools in Tamil Nadu, helped several medical facilities and owned several properties in the State.
The Pachaiyappa's College
is one institution for which Pachaiyappa Mudaliar became well known. This college was established as Pachaiyappa's Central Institution at Popham's Broadway
on January 1, 1842 from the amount Pachaiyappa Mudaliar had allocated to charities as per the contents of his will. In 1856, the institution shifted to its own premises at China Bazaar. It became a school in 1850 and a college in 1889. The Pachaiyappa's Central Institution is the first non-missionary, non-British-financed Hindu education institution in South India.
Merchant
A merchant is a businessperson who trades in commodities that were produced by others, in order to earn a profit.Merchants can be one of two types:# A wholesale merchant operates in the chain between producer and retail merchant...
, philanthropist
Philanthropist
A philanthropist is someone who engages in philanthropy; that is, someone who donates his or her time, money, and/or reputation to charitable causes...
and dubash of the 18th century.
Early life
Pachaiyappa Mudaliar was born in a poor family in Periyapalaiyam in Thiruvallur district. Invited to Madras by dubash Narayana Pillai, he became a dubash in his teens and amassed a fortune by the time he was 21.As dubash
A protege of Narayana Pillai, Pachaiyappa Mudaliar rose to dubash-ship soon after the demise of his mentor. During the same time, his employers the Powney family comprising the brothers Henry Powney and Thomas Powney rose to Mayorship of Madras. This increased the stature of Pachaiyappa Mudaliar and he emerged as one of the richest and most powerful men in Madras city.Lifestyle
Despite being one of the richest men in the city, Pachaiyappa Mudaliar led a simple and austere lifestyle. He built a house at No. 26, Pagoda Street in the year 1790. There, he lived until his death. His life has been the subject of a detailed biography by one of his contemporaries. Witnesses recall that Pachaiyappa Mudaliar would bathe in the Coovum every day along with his affluent neighbours before worshipping at the temple at Komaleeswaranpet. He was a frequent workshipper in Kanchipuram Ekambaranatha Temple, contributed for Temple renovation at his own expense. His statue could be seen in Ekambareswarar temple pillar. A similar temple was build in Parrys corner Chennai in order to reduce the travel time to kanchi. He divided his time between Madras and Tanjore and used to travel to his village regularly. During the journey, he used to stop for days at ChidambaramChidambaram
Chidambaram is a fast growing industrial city in Eastern part of Tamil Nadu and the taluk headquarters of the Cuddalore district. It is located in 58 km from Pondicherry, 60 km from Karaikal, and 240 km south of Chennai by rail...
to pray at the famous Hindu temple.
Death
Pachaiyappa Mudaliar's health deteriorated rapidly and one such visit to Thanjavur in 1794 he fell ill at KumbakonamKumbakonam
Kumbakonam , also spelt as Coombaconum in the records of British India , is a town and a special grade municipality in the Thanjavur district in the southeast Indian state of Tamil Nadu. Located 40 kilometres from Thanjavur and 272 kilometres from Chennai, it is the headquarters of the Kumbakonam...
and died at Tiruvaiyaru on March 21, 1794.
Will
Pachaiyappa Mudaliar was one of the first Indians to leave a will. He had set aside Rs. 4.5 lakh of what he had left to be spent on Hindu religious institutions and the remaining Rs. 7 lakh on providing an English education to Hindu youth. The bequests, however, remained contested even after that and it was 1909 before the courts appointed a Board of Trustees and formulated a scheme for the smooth running of the trust. As the 1990s dawned, it was reported that the Trust was worth over Rs.150 million, one of the biggest in that part of the world. Apart from administering religious charities from Kanyakumari to VaranasiVaranasi
-Etymology:The name Varanasi has its origin possibly from the names of the two rivers Varuna and Assi, for the old city lies in the north shores of the Ganga bounded by its two tributaries, the Varuna and the Asi, with the Ganges being to its south...
, it ran six colleges, a polytechnic and 16 schools in Tamil Nadu, helped several medical facilities and owned several properties in the State.
The Pachaiyappa's College
Pachaiyappa's College
Pachaiyappa's College is one of the oldest educational institutions in Chennai, in the South Indian state of Tamil Nadu. The college was established as Pachaiyappa's Central Institution at Popham's Broadway on January 1, 1842, from money given in Pachaiyappa Mudaliar's will. It was the first Hindu...
is one institution for which Pachaiyappa Mudaliar became well known. This college was established as Pachaiyappa's Central Institution at Popham's Broadway
Parry's Corner
Parry's Corner is one of the central business districts in Chennai, India. Often referred to as Parry's, it is situated near the Chennai Port, at the intersection of North Beach Road and NSC Bose Road. It is named after Thomas Parry, a Welsh merchant who set up the EID Parry Company in 1787. The...
on January 1, 1842 from the amount Pachaiyappa Mudaliar had allocated to charities as per the contents of his will. In 1856, the institution shifted to its own premises at China Bazaar. It became a school in 1850 and a college in 1889. The Pachaiyappa's Central Institution is the first non-missionary, non-British-financed Hindu education institution in South India.
External links
- A great philanthropist -- A biography of Pachaiyappa Mudaliar in The Hindu, May 7, 2003
- Madras Rediscovered by S. Muthiah