R. Nagaswamy | |
|---|---|
 Nagaswamy at a lecture in 2015 | |
| Director of the Tamil Nadu Archaeology Department | |
| In office 1966–1988 | |
| Preceded by | T. N. Ramachandran[a] |
| Succeeded by | Natana Kasinathan |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Ramachandran Nagaswamy (1930-08-10)10 August 1930 |
| Died | 23 January 2022(2022-01-23) (aged 91) Chennai, India |
| Occupation | Art historian,archaeologist |
| Awards |
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Ramachandran Nagaswamy (10 August 1930 – 23 January 2022) was an Indianhistorian,archaeologist andepigraphist who was known for his work on temple inscriptions andart history ofTamil Nadu. He was an authority onChola bronzes.
Nagaswamy became the inaugural director of theTamil Nadu Archaeology Department in 1966, serving in that capacity till 1988. He also founded the annualChidambaram Natyanjali festival in 1980. In 2018, he was awarded India's third-highest civilian award, thePadma Bhushan.[2]
Nagaswamy was born on 10 August 1930, the son ofSanskritpandit Ramachandran Sastrigal.[3][4] He graduated in Sanskrit from theUniversity of Madras and pursued a master's degree in Sanskrit.[3] Nagaswamy obtained his PhD in arts and archaeology from theUniversity of Poona.[3] Nagaswamy underwent archaeological training under theArchaeological Survey of India (ASI) and in 1959, joined theGovernment Museum, Chennai as curator for art and archaeology.[3]
Nagaswamy served as curator for art and archaeology in theGovernment Museum in Chennai from 1959 to 1963. In 1963, he was appointed assistant special officer for archaeology for Tamil Nadu state and from 1966 to 1988, he headed the newly formed Tamil Nadu Archaeology Department as its first director, serving until his retirement.[5]
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.[6] He was responsible for protecting several historic monuments like the first-centuryChera inscriptions atPugalur, the palace site of the Imperial Cholas atGangaikonda Cholapuram, the famous 17th-centuryThirumalai Nayak palace atMadurai, the 17th-century Danish Fort atTranquebar, and the birthplace of poetSubramania Bharati atEttayapuram besides excavating the palace site ofVirapandya Kattabomman atPanchalankurichi.[5] He also led the first under-sea survey in Tamil Nadu when he surveyed the region off thePoompuhar coast inMayiladuthurai.[5]
Nagaswamy composed dance dramas chronicling the lives of theChola rulersRaja Raja Chola andRajendra Chola I, and the poetsArunagirinathar,Manimekhala, andAppar.[5] He wrote on South Indian works and statues and was considered an authority onChola bronze statues. He founded the annualChidambaram Natyanjali festival in 1980.[5]
Nagaswamy was awarded theKalaimamani award by theGovernment of Tamil Nadu for his work onSekkilar'sPeriyapuranam.[7][5] He appeared as anexpert witness in theLondon High Court, in the "London Nataraja case" in the 1980s, which resulted in a Chola-eraNataraja statue that had been smuggled to London being returned to India.[8]
Nagaswamy was awarded India's third highest civilian honour, thePadma Bhushan, in 2018.[9]
Nagaswamy's candidature to a committee in CICTCentral Institute of Classical Tamil was objected by ,Dravida Munetra Kazhagam leaderM. K. Stalin. Though Nagaswamy had clarified that he had not received any communication from the central which is funding CICT entirely.[10][11]
Nagaswamy was married to Parvathi with whom he had two sons and two daughters.[12] He died at his home inBesant Nagar, Chennai, on 23 January 2022, at the age of 91.[13][14][15]
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