Viswanather Casipillai
Encyclopedia
Viswanather Casipillai was a Crown
Proctor
and co-founder of the Jaffna Hindu College
.
and Telecommunications in the independent Sri Lanka
.
Viswanather Casipillai was born to a distinguished Tamil Family whose ancestry can be traced to the ancient Royal Kuriyans, highly respected noblemen of the king’s Court of the Tamil Kingdom of Nallur.
Two descendants of these noblemen. Vanniyasingam Kuriyan and Canagasekara Kothanda Kuriyan, lived in Jaffna later during the Dutch regime.
In the 19th century, Visvanathar son of Vinayakar, who descended from Canagasekara Kothanda Kuriyan, abandoned the prestigious Kuriyan title as no longer relevant under the British and became famous as an entrepreneur for leasing large extends of crown land at Ariyalai
for salt production on large scale. Subsequently, many of his descendants were to distinguished themselves in public life of North Province.
Visvanathar, had two sons Arumugam
and Casipillai. The former died in young and his children were brought up by the later, his younger brother. Arumugam's eldest son Cathiravelu was C. Sittmapalam’s father. He functioned as a magistrate and district judge and was the first editor of Tamil Journal "Inthu sathanam" and founder of the Saraswathy library.
Visvanthar's second son Casipillai while being C.Sittampalam’s grand-uncle was , also his wife's grandfather. He was one of the most illustrious citizens of the North. Leonard Woolf
, the famous British Civil Servant, author of the classic 'Village in the jungle' and husband of Virginia, a member of the Bloomsbury set ( which included Keynes, the famous economist) published in his autobiography a letter from Casipillai as a testimonial of his own (Woolfs) standing among Tamils Casipillai worked closely with Sri Arumuga Navalar in promoting Hinduism, and functioned as secretary of the Saiva Paripalanai Sabey and was a co-founder and subsequent manager of Jaffna Hindu College
. One of the houses there is Casipillai House in his honour. He was a great philanthropist, and was often referred to as Mudisoodamannan. He was widely sought after for his brains and original contribution to problems and called the Brains trust. Other terms were Jaffna and Mannar's Thanai Perusa Thalaivan and illangai Perumahan.
The establishment of Sitthivinayagar Kovil and Parvathy Vithyasalai were among two of his achievements. Another single contribution was his participation in the agitation for a railway to Jaffna crowned with success in 1906. His son Casipillai Arulampalam and grandson Arulampalam Visvananthan continued to followed their fathers to become one of the prestigious lawyers in Jaffna.
The Crown
The Crown is a corporation sole that in the Commonwealth realms and any provincial or state sub-divisions thereof represents the legal embodiment of governance, whether executive, legislative, or judicial...
Proctor
Proctor
Proctor, a variant of the word procurator, is a person who takes charge of, or acts for, another. The word proctor is frequently used to describe someone who oversees an exam or dormitory.The title is used in England in three principal senses:...
and co-founder of the Jaffna Hindu College
Jaffna Hindu College
Jaffna Hindu College is a boys public national school in Jaffna, Sri Lanka. It was founded in 1886 by a group of Hindu people who wanted an English language alternative to the Christian missionary schools. JHC is known throughout Sri Lanka as Hindu College.-History:In the late 19th century all the...
.
Biography
His grand nephew Cathiravelu Sittampalam was the first Cabinet Minister of PostsMail
Mail, or post, is a system for transporting letters and other tangible objects: written documents, typically enclosed in envelopes, and also small packages are delivered to destinations around the world. Anything sent through the postal system is called mail or post.In principle, a postal service...
and Telecommunications in the independent Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka, officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka is a country off the southern coast of the Indian subcontinent. Known until 1972 as Ceylon , Sri Lanka is an island surrounded by the Indian Ocean, the Gulf of Mannar and the Palk Strait, and lies in the vicinity of India and the...
.
Viswanather Casipillai was born to a distinguished Tamil Family whose ancestry can be traced to the ancient Royal Kuriyans, highly respected noblemen of the king’s Court of the Tamil Kingdom of Nallur.
Two descendants of these noblemen. Vanniyasingam Kuriyan and Canagasekara Kothanda Kuriyan, lived in Jaffna later during the Dutch regime.
In the 19th century, Visvanathar son of Vinayakar, who descended from Canagasekara Kothanda Kuriyan, abandoned the prestigious Kuriyan title as no longer relevant under the British and became famous as an entrepreneur for leasing large extends of crown land at Ariyalai
Ariyalai
Ariyalai is a town in Jaffna District, Sri Lanka. It is located about 5 km east of Jaffna....
for salt production on large scale. Subsequently, many of his descendants were to distinguished themselves in public life of North Province.
Visvanathar, had two sons Arumugam
Arumugam
Arumugam is a Tamil language film written and directed by Suresh Krishna, starring Bharath in the lead role with Priyamani, Ramya Krishnan and Saranya Mohan essaying supporting roles. The film released on 25 September 2009 to poor reviews...
and Casipillai. The former died in young and his children were brought up by the later, his younger brother. Arumugam's eldest son Cathiravelu was C. Sittmapalam’s father. He functioned as a magistrate and district judge and was the first editor of Tamil Journal "Inthu sathanam" and founder of the Saraswathy library.
Visvanthar's second son Casipillai while being C.Sittampalam’s grand-uncle was , also his wife's grandfather. He was one of the most illustrious citizens of the North. Leonard Woolf
Leonard Woolf
Leonard Sidney Woolf was an English political theorist, author, publisher and civil servant, and husband of author Virginia Woolf.-Early life:...
, the famous British Civil Servant, author of the classic 'Village in the jungle' and husband of Virginia, a member of the Bloomsbury set ( which included Keynes, the famous economist) published in his autobiography a letter from Casipillai as a testimonial of his own (Woolfs) standing among Tamils Casipillai worked closely with Sri Arumuga Navalar in promoting Hinduism, and functioned as secretary of the Saiva Paripalanai Sabey and was a co-founder and subsequent manager of Jaffna Hindu College
Jaffna Hindu College
Jaffna Hindu College is a boys public national school in Jaffna, Sri Lanka. It was founded in 1886 by a group of Hindu people who wanted an English language alternative to the Christian missionary schools. JHC is known throughout Sri Lanka as Hindu College.-History:In the late 19th century all the...
. One of the houses there is Casipillai House in his honour. He was a great philanthropist, and was often referred to as Mudisoodamannan. He was widely sought after for his brains and original contribution to problems and called the Brains trust. Other terms were Jaffna and Mannar's Thanai Perusa Thalaivan and illangai Perumahan.
The establishment of Sitthivinayagar Kovil and Parvathy Vithyasalai were among two of his achievements. Another single contribution was his participation in the agitation for a railway to Jaffna crowned with success in 1906. His son Casipillai Arulampalam and grandson Arulampalam Visvananthan continued to followed their fathers to become one of the prestigious lawyers in Jaffna.