Visvanatha Sastriyar

Visvanatha Sastriyar (or Visvanathan) (1756–1845) was a Tamil poet and astronomer of Sri Lankan Tamil ancestry. Sir Emerson Tennent called him "the most celebrated astronomer in Ceylon".

Early life

Visvanatha Sastriyar was born in Araly in the Vaddukoddai region near Jaffna to Narayana Sastri in a Tamil Brahmin family in 1756.

As astronomer

Visvanathan published a yearly almanac or panchangam till his death. His prediction of a lunar eclipse on 21 March 1828 was wrong by fifteen minutes. His prediction of the character of the eclipse also proved to be wrong as the eclipse was only a three-eighths eclipse and not five-eighths as he had predicted.

As poet

Visvanathan also composed a number of poetical works. Notable among them were a Chola-era mythological Mavaikuruvanji and Kurunathar Killividudutu a panegyric on the Hindu god Skanda.

Death

Visvanatha Sastriyar died in 1845.