R. Nagaswamy

Ramachandran Nagaswamy (10 August 1930 – 23 January 2022) was an Indian historian, archaeologist and epigraphist who was known for his work on temple inscriptions and art history of Tamil Nadu. He was an authority on Chola bronzes.

Nagaswamy became the inaugural director of the Tamil Nadu Archaeology Department in 1966, serving in that capacity till 1988. He also founded the annual Chidambaram Natyanjali festival in 1980. In 2018, he was awarded India's third-highest civilian award, the Padma Bhushan.

Early life

Nagaswamy was born on 10 August 1930, the son of Sanskrit pandit Ramachandran Sastrigal. He graduated in Sanskrit from the University of Madras and pursued a master's degree in Sanskrit.

Nagaswamy made archaeology a popular subject in Tamil Nadu, especially among children through publication of pocket book guides. He was responsible for involving several thousand school and college students in cleaning and preserving nearby historical places and monuments. He also popularized monuments by bringing out popular guides in the form of newspaper, priced at ten paise per copy. He was responsible for protecting several historic monuments like the first-century Chera inscriptions at Pugalur, the palace site of the Imperial Cholas at Gangaikonda Cholapuram, the famous 17th-century Thirumalai Nayak palace at Madurai, the 17th-century Danish Fort at Tranquebar, and the birthplace of poet Subramania Bharati at Ettayapuram besides excavating the palace site of Virapandya Kattabomman at Panchalankurichi.

Nagaswamy was awarded India's third highest civilian honour, the Padma Bhushan, in 2018.

controversy Nagaswamy's candidature to a committee in CICT Central Institute of Classical Tamil was objected by , Dravida Munetra Kazhagam leader M. K. Stalin. Though Nagaswamy had clarified that he had not received any communication from the central which is funding CICT entirely.

Personal life Nagaswamy was married to Parvathi with whom he had two sons and two daughters. He died at his home in Besant Nagar, Chennai, on 23 January 2022, at the age of 91.

Publications

Explanatory notes