Vishvanath Narayan Mandlik, C.S.I. (8 March 1833 – 9 May 1899) was an eminent Bombay citizen, lawyer, author and a legal expert on Hindu law. Although a conservative when dealing in several cases involving Hindu traditions (where he opposed state intervention), he supported some reforms such as education for women. He also translated several English classics and law books into Marathi. He also wrote several works on Hindu Law in English, including translations of Yajnyawalkya's ''Smriti'', the ''Manu Smriti'' and Nilakantha's ''Vywahara-mayukha''. He founded a bi-weekly in English called the ''Native Opinion'' in 1864 to which he was the sole contributor in the early years.
Mandlik
was born in Muruda village in Ratnagiri District where his mother's side came from a

Peshwa The Peshwa (Pronunciation: e(ː)ʃʋaː was the appointed (later becoming hereditary) prime minister of the Maratha Empire of the Indian subcontinent. Originally, the Peshwas served as subordinates to the Chhatrapati (the Maratha king); later ...

ruler. His great grand father was a Subedar, a provincial governor. He learnt at home from his grandfather Dhondopant and from the village school. He studied under Rao Bahadur Ramachandra Balkrishna at Ratnagiri and at the age of fourteen he joined the Elphinstone Institution where he received the Clare scholarship. He was advised by professor Patton to study in England and compete for the Indian Civil Service but his family preferred that he stayed in India. He became a personal assistant to Sir George Le Grand Jacob, Political Agent in Sindh. He resigned in 1862 and took the High Court Pleader's examination and began practice in Bombay. He became one of the few Indians who knew English and the civil law and his only rivals were Shantaram Narayan and Justice Nanabhai Haridas. In 1884 Mandlik was appointed as government pleader. Mandlik was also a writer and an active member of Bombay University (where he was often an examiner in Marathi and in Law) and the Municipal Corporation. He was appointed a Justice of the Peace in 1865. He took part in many public debates and was a well known citizen of Bombay. He served on the Supreme Legislative Council of India where his expertise on Hindu Law was held in high esteem. In 1888 he was diagnosed with

Bright's disease Bright's disease is a historical classification of kidney diseases that are described in modern medicine as acute or chronic nephritis. It was characterized by swelling and the presence of albumin in the urine, and was frequently accompanied ...

and he moved to his home ''Hermitage'' located in the better climate of

Cumbala Hill Cumbala Hill (also spelled Cumballa) is a hill and upmarket neighbourhood in South Mumbai flanked by the sea on the West, Altamount Road on the East, Malabar Hill on the South and Mahalaxmi on the North. The hill is at an elevation of . Along ...

where was treated. He died on 9 May 1889. He had adopted his sister's son after the death of his sister and his own wife died in 1879.

References

{{Authority control 19th-century Indian lawyers Scholars from Mumbai