P. Coomaraswamy Explained

Honorific-Prefix:Mudaliyar
P. Coomaraswamy
Honorific-Suffix:MLC MMC
Office1:Unofficial Member (Tamil),
Legislative Council of Ceylon
Term Start1:1892
Term End1:1898
Predecessor1:P. Ramanathan
Successor1:W. G. Rockwood
Office2:Member of Colombo Municipal Council
Term Start2:1873
Term End2:1879
Term Start3:1885
Term End3:1889
Birth Date:7 December 1849
Death Place:Colombo, Ceylon
Alma Mater:Presidency College, Madras
Profession:Lawyer
Blank1:Ethnicity
Data1:Ceylon Tamil

Ponnambalam Coomaraswamy (7 December 1849  - 7 June 1906) was a Ceylon Tamil lawyer and member of the Legislative Council of Ceylon.

Early life and family

See also: Ponnambalam-Coomaraswamy family. Coomaraswamy was born on 7 December 1849.[1] [2] He was the son of Gate Mudaliyar A. Ponnambalam.[1] He was the brother of P. Ramanathan and P. Arunchalam.[1]

Coomaraswamy was educated at Colombo Academy, Colombo and Presidency College, Madras.[1]

Career

Coomaraswamy joined the legal profession after finishing his education.[1]

Coomaraswamy was a member of Colombo Municipal Council from January 1873 to October 1879 and from November 1885 to December 1889.[3] He was appointed to the Legislative Council of Ceylon in 1893 as the unofficial member representing Tamils, replacing his brother Ramanathan.[1] [4]

Coomaraswamy was a Tamil scholar and a publisher of Tamil literature.[1] He was president of Jaffna Saiva Paripalana Sabai and helped establish Jaffna Hindu College.[1] He also established a Hindu temple on Slave Island.[1]

Coomaraswamy died on 7 June 1906 in Colombo.[5]

P. COOMARA SWAMY had the honor of welcoming Swami Vivekananda and delivering the welcome address on 15 January 1897, after the latter's return from the West. This lecture can be seen in Swami Vivekananda's Lectures from Colombo to Almora. [6]

Notes and References

  1. Book: Arumugam, S.. S. Arumugam

    . Dictionary of Biography of the Tamils of Ceylon. 1997. 43. S. Arumugam.

  2. Book: Martyn, John H.. Notes on Jaffna – Chronological, Historical, Biographical. 1923. American Ceylon Mission Press. Tellippalai. 81-206-1670-7. 283–284.
  3. Book: Hulugalle. H. A. J.. Centenary Volume of the Colombo Municipal Council (1865 - 1965). September 1965. Colombo Municipal Council . 55.
  4. News: Gooneratne. Brendon. Sir Ponnambalam Arunachalam: True nationalist and patriot of Ceylon. Daily News (Sri Lanka). 31 January 2009.
  5. Book: Martyn, John H.. Notes on Jaffna – Chronological, Historical, Biographical. 1923. American Ceylon Mission Press. Tellippalai. 81-206-1670-7. 82.
  6. Book: Vivekananda, Swami. Lectures from Colombo to Almora. 1897. Vedanta Press, Belur Math.