Bhaskara Sethupathy ( Muthuvijaya Raghunatha Bhaskara; 3 November 1868 – 27 December 1903) was a
Zamindar
A zamindar in the Indian subcontinent was an autonomous or semi-autonomous feudal lord of a ''zamindari'' (feudal estate). The term itself came into use during the Mughal Empire, when Persian was the official language; ''zamindar'' is the ...
of
Ramnad
Ramanathapuram (), also known as Ramnad, is a city Municipal Corporation in Ramanathapuram district in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. It is the administrative headquarters of Ramanathapuram district and the second largest town (by population) ...
. He became the recognised proprietor of the
Ramnad estate
The Kingdom of Ramnad or Ramnad estate was a permanently settled kingdom and later ''zamindari'' estate that existed in the Ramnad subdivision of the Madurai district and later Ramnad district of the erstwhile Madras Presidency in British Ind ...
after his father's death in 1873 until 1895. From 1895, he assumed Managership of
Rameswaram
Rameswaram (; also transliterated as Ramesvaram, Rameshwaram) is a municipality in the Ramanathapuram district of the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. It is on Pamban Island separated from mainland India by the Pamban channel and is about from ...
until 1901.
He was regarded as a pious, brilliant and generous ruler by his supporters. His supporters believed that he would regain control of Ramnad estate some day. He died suddenly at the age of 35 in 1903.
Sponsorship of Swami Vivekananda for Parliament of the World's Religions
In 1892,
Swami Vivekananda
Swami Vivekananda () (12 January 1863 – 4 July 1902), born Narendranath Datta, was an Indian Hindus, Hindu monk, philosopher, author, religious teacher, and the chief disciple of the Indian mystic Ramakrishna. Vivekananda was a major figu ...
stayed with Bhaskara when he visited
Madurai
Madurai ( , , ), formerly known as Madura, is a major city in the States and union territories of India, Indian state of Tamil Nadu. It is the cultural capital of Tamil Nadu and the administrative headquarters of Madurai District, which is ...
and he sponsored Vivekananda's visit to
Parliament of the World's Religions
There have been several meetings referred to as a Parliament of the World's Religions, the first being the World's Parliament of Religions of 1893, which was an attempt to create a global dialogue of faiths. The event was celebrated by another c ...
held in Chicago. During his stay,
Swami Vivekananda
Swami Vivekananda () (12 January 1863 – 4 July 1902), born Narendranath Datta, was an Indian Hindus, Hindu monk, philosopher, author, religious teacher, and the chief disciple of the Indian mystic Ramakrishna. Vivekananda was a major figu ...
had extensive discussions on
Hindu philosophy
Hindu philosophy or Vedic philosophy is the set of philosophical systems that developed in tandem with the first Hinduism, Hindu religious traditions during the Iron Age in India, iron and Classical India, classical ages of India. In Indian ...
with eminent scholars like
Mahavidwan R. Raghava Iyengar.
Kamudi temple case against Nadars
Being the hereditary of Minakshi Sundareswara Temple in
Kamuthi
Kamuthi also spelled Kamudi actually stands for Kavinmigu Mullai Thirunagar. Kamuthi is a Panchayat town in Ramanathapuram district in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu.
Kamuthi is known for being the home of the Kamuthi Solar Power Project, a l ...
, he filed a lawsuit against fifteen Nadars on 14 May 1897 who had entered forcefully into the temple despite traditional customs which discouraged them. He sought compensation for the purification of the temple and establish that Nadars never have the right to enter temple. However, the Nadars were eventually allowed to enter temples built by higher communities due to new legislations and movements.
In popular culture
* Bhaskara Sethupathy was portrayed by
Malayalam
Malayalam (; , ) is a Dravidian languages, Dravidian language spoken in the Indian state of Kerala and the union territories of Lakshadweep and Puducherry (union territory), Puducherry (Mahé district) by the Malayali people. It is one of ...
actor
Mammootty
Muhammad Kutty Panaparambil Ismail (born 7 September 1951), known mononymously by the hypocorism Mammootty (), is an Indian actor and film producer who works predominantly in Malayalam-language films. He has also appeared in Tamil, Telugu, ...
in the 1998 film ''
Swami Vivekananda
Swami Vivekananda () (12 January 1863 – 4 July 1902), born Narendranath Datta, was an Indian Hindus, Hindu monk, philosopher, author, religious teacher, and the chief disciple of the Indian mystic Ramakrishna. Vivekananda was a major figu ...
''.
References
1868 births
1903 deaths
People from the Madras Presidency
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