Abraham Pandithar

Abraham Pandithar (2 August 1859 – 31 August 1919) was a Tamil musicologist, composer, medical doctor and a traditional medicine practitioner from Sambavar Vadakarai of Tirunelveli District (Then Kollam district), who is celebrated for his patronage of numerous Tamil musicians and his influential studies concerning the origins and evolution of traditional Tamil music.

Biography Pandithar was born in Sambavar Vadakarai near Surandai in Tirunelveli district to a Tamil Christian Maruthuvar/Pandithar, family (i.e his father Muthusamy belonged to Nadar family and mother Annammal belonged to Maruthuvar family), the son of Muthusamy Pandithar and Annammal Maruthuvar. He studied at the CVES Normal Teachers Training School at Dindugal and in 1876, became a teacher in the same college. He belonged to a family of doctors and became interested in Siddha medicine.

In 1879, he went to Suruli hills to research herbs growing there. There he met the Siddhar Karunandhar and became his student. After completing his studies he went to Tanjore and worked as a Tamil teacher in Lady Napier Girls School. His wife Gnanavadivu Ponnammal was the headmistress in the same school. In 1890, he left his teaching job to do research on medicine full-time. He started a farm outside Tanjore for growing medicinal plants. He named it Karanandhapuram after his teacher. It was called as Pandithar thottam (Pandithar's farm) by the locals. He also started a clinic - the Karunanidhi Medical Hall at his residence in Tanjore. In 1909, the colonial government awarded him the "Pandithar" and "Rao Sahib" titles. In 1911, Gnanavadivu died and Pandithar married Bhagyammal.

Death and legacy Pandithar died in on 31 August 1919.

In 2008, the Government of Tamil Nadu nationalised his works.