A. Seshayya Sastri

Sir Amaravati Seshayya Sastri (22 March 1828 – 29 October 1903), or Sashiah Sastri, was an Indian administrator who served as the Diwan of Travancore from May 1872 to 4 May 1877 and as the Diwan of Pudukkottai from 1878 to 1894. He is credited with having modernized the city of Pudukkottai.

Seshayya Sastri was born in the village of Amaravati in Tanjore district, Madras Presidency in 1828 in a poor Hindu family. At the age of nine, Seshayya Sastri moved to Madras city with his uncle Gopala Aiyer. Seshayya Sastri had his schooling and higher education in Madras and graduated in 1848 in first class.

In 1848, Seshayya Sastri was employed as a clerk in the Revenue Office and rose to become Tahsildar, Naib Sheristadar and later, Head Sheristadar. In 1872, Seshayya Sastri was appointed Diwan of Travancore and served from 1872 to 1877, when palace intrigues forced him to quit. Seshayya Sastri served as Diwan of Pudukkottai from 1878 to 1886 and Diwan-Regent from 1886 to 1894. He rebuilt the town of Pudukkottai and created the Pudukulam Lake. Seshayya Sastri retired from service in 1894. He died on 29 October 1903 at the age of 75.

Seshayya Sastri was made a Knight Commander of the Order of the Star of India in 1902.

Early life

Seshayya Sastri was born on 22 March 1828 in the village of Amaravati in Tanjore district He was the youngest of six children and his father was a Vaidika priest. Sastri's parents were poor and he had a troubled upbringing.

As Dewan of Travancore During the tenure of Seshayya Sastri as Dewan, the Varkala Tunnel connecting two lakes in Varkala, forty kilometres from Tiruvananthapuram city was opened for traffic. Sastri, too, was dominant and uncompromising as Madhava Rao and had frequent clashes with the king. Notwithstanding this strained relationship, Kerala Varma, the ruler of Cochin, wrote a letter to Seshayya Sastri warning him about the designs of Maharaja Ayilyam Thirunal but the letter fell into the hands of the Raja of Travancore.

In August 1877, Seshayya Sastri resigned as Diwan of Travancore and retired to Trichinopoly where he was appointed Vice-President and Secretary of the Mansion House Famine Relief Committee. In January 1878, Seshayya was nominated to the Madras Legislative Council and served till August 1878 when he took charge as the Diwan of Pudukkottai.

As Dewan of Pudukkottai In 1878, when Ramachandra Tondaiman was the ruler of Pudukkottai, Seshayya Sastri was appointed Dewan. He brought forth a number of reforms. He remodelled the town and rebuilt it incorporating modern principles of town planning. The Pudukkottai administrative office building was constructed during the tenure of Seshayya Sastri. The famous Pudukkulam Lake in Pudukkottai was a creation of Seshayya Sastri. Ramachandra Tondaiman adopted the name "Brihadambaldas" with consent of Dewan Seshayya Sastri.

Seshayya Sastri died on 29 October 1903.

Honours

Seshayya Sastri was made a fellow of the University of Madras in 1868 and on 1 January 1878, made a Companion of the Order of the Star of India in the New Year Honour's List. In 1901, Seshayya Sastri was made a Knight Commander of the Order of the Star of India in the King's Birthday Honour's List.