The Ponnambalam–Coomaraswamy family () is a

Sri Lankan Tamil Sri Lankan Tamils ( or ), also known as Ceylon Tamils or Eelam Tamils, are Tamils native to the South Asian island state of Sri Lanka. Today, they constitute a majority in the Northern Province, form the plurality in the Eastern Province a ...

Hindu Hindus (; ; also known as Sanātanīs) are people who religiously adhere to Hinduism, also known by its endonym Sanātana Dharma. Jeffery D. Long (2007), A Vision for Hinduism, IB Tauris, , pp. 35–37 Historically, the term has also be ...

family that was prominent in politics in former

British Ceylon British Ceylon (; ), officially British Settlements and Territories in the Island of Ceylon with its Dependencies from 1802 to 1833, then the Island of Ceylon and its Territories and Dependencies from 1833 to 1931 and finally the Island of Cey ...

and later

Sri Lanka Sri Lanka, officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka, also known historically as Ceylon, is an island country in South Asia. It lies in the Indian Ocean, southwest of the Bay of Bengal, separated from the Indian subcontinent, ...

from the colonial era to 1972. Many members received imperial honours such as knighthood by the

British Crown The Crown is a political concept used in Commonwealth realms. Depending on the context used, it generally refers to the entirety of the State (polity), state (or in federal realms, the relevant level of government in that state), the executive ...

History

The Ponnambalam–Coomaraswamy family are mainly from

Manipay Manipay or Maanippaai () is a town in the northern Jaffna District of Sri Lanka. The original name of Manipay is Periyapulam. It was a mission location when the American Ceylon Mission (ACM) came to Sri Lanka in the 19th century. Dr. Samuel Fisk ...

Jaffna Jaffna (, ; , ) is the capital city of the Northern Province, Sri Lanka, Northern Province of Sri Lanka. It is the administrative headquarters of the Jaffna District located on a Jaffna Peninsula, peninsula of the same name. With a population o ...

and were of the

Sri Lankan Vellalar Lankan Vellalar () is a caste in Sri Lanka, predominantly found in the Jaffna peninsula and adjacent Vanni region, who comprise about half of the Sri Lankan Tamil population. They were traditionally involved in agriculture, but also included m ...

caste. They have been politically active since 18th century, with many having posts such as

Mudaliyars Thuluva Vellalar, also known as Agamudi Mudaliar or Arcot Mudaliars, is a caste found in northern Tamil Nadu, southern Andhra Pradesh and southern Karnataka. They were an elite and dominant land-owning community. Etymology The earliest occu ...

, a title for Ceylonese officials used under the Colony governments of Ceylon. Arumuganathapillai Coomaraswamy, one of the earliest known member of the family was a Gate Mudaliyar, second highest Mudaliyar position. Arumuganathapillai rendered service to the British under the

Kandyan Wars The Kandyan Wars (or the Kandian Wars) refers generally to the period of warfare between the British colonial forces and the Kingdom of Kandy, on the island of what is now Sri Lanka, between 1796 and 1818. More specifically it is used to descri ...

, in their attempt to gain control over the

Kandy Kingdom The Kingdom of Kandy was a monarchy on the island of Sri Lanka, located in the central and eastern portion of the island. It was founded in the late 15th century and endured until the early 19th century. Initially a client kingdom of the Kin ...

. The family have also made noteworthy contributions.

Ponnambalam Ramanathan Sir Ponnambalam Ramanathan, (; 16 April 1851 – 26 November 1930) was a Ceylonese lawyer and politician who served as Solicitor-General of Ceylon. Early life and family Ramanathan was born on 16 April 1851 at the home of his maternal gra ...

founded the Parameshwara College, which was later used by Sri Lankan government to establish the

University of Jaffna The University of Jaffna (, ''Yāpanaya Wiśwawidyālaya''; ; abbreviated UoJ) is a public university in Jaffna, Sri Lanka. Established in 1974 as the sixth campus of the University of Sri Lanka, it became an independent, autonomous university in 1 ...

. Sri Ponnambalam Vaneswarar Temple located in Colombo is also credited to be founded by the family. Sri Kurinji Easware temple is a temple located in

Kodaikanal Kodaikanal () (English: ) is a municipality and hill station in Dindigul district in the state of Tamil Nadu, India. It is situated at an altitude of in the Palani hills of the Western Ghats. Kodaikanal was established in 1845 to serve as a r ...

Tamil Nadu Tamil Nadu (; , TN) is the southernmost States and union territories of India, state of India. The List of states and union territories of India by area, tenth largest Indian state by area and the List of states and union territories of Indi ...

is credited to have been built by a European woman,

Leelawathy Ramanathan Tirumati Leelawathy Ramanathan (née R. L. Harrison in 1870) was the Australia-born wife of Ponnambalam Ramanathan of the Ponnambalam-Coomaraswamy family. Lady Ramanathan was an Englishwoman who was born in Australia where her father was involved ...

, the wife of Ponnambalam Ramanathan. Furthermore, some of the family members have made contributions to literature.

Ananda Coomaraswamy Ananda Kentish Muthu Coomaraswamy (, ''Āṉanta Kentiś Muthū Kumāracuvāmi''; ''Ānanda Kumārasvāmī''; 22 August 1877 − 9 September 1947) was a Ceylonese metaphysician, historian and a philosopher of Indian art who was an early inte ...

was a

metaphysician Metaphysics is the branch of philosophy that examines the basic structure of reality. It is traditionally seen as the study of mind-independent features of the world, but some theorists view it as an inquiry into the conceptual framework of h ...

and aesthetician, who widely contributed to bringing Indian art to the Western world and has contributed with many books on traditional Indian and Sinhalese art.

Notable members of the family

* Arumugampillai Coomaraswamy (1783-1836), Gate Mudaliyar, Member of Legislative Council ** Sir

Muthu Coomaraswamy Sir Muthu Coomaraswamy (; 23 January 1834 – 4 May 1879) was a Ceylon Tamil lawyer, writer and member of the Legislative Council of Ceylon. Early life and family Coomaraswamy was born on 23 January 1834 in Amaittodam, Mutwal in south western ...

CCS FRGS (1833-1879), Member of Legislative Council + Elizabeth Clay Beebe ***

(1877-1947) **** Narada Coomaraswamy ** Sellachchi Coomaraswamy +

Arunachalam Ponnambalam Gate Mudaliyar Arunachalam Ponnambalam, JP, UM (1814 – 4 September 1887) was a Ceylonese colonial-era government functionary, businessman and philanthropist. He was the cashier at the Colombo Kachcheri and was appointed to the titular rank ...

(1814-1887), Mudaliyar of the Governor's Gate *** P. Coomaraswamy (1849-1906), Member of Legislative Council *** Sir

KCMG QC (1851-1930), Solicitor General of British Ceylon, Member of Legislative Council +

(1870-1953) **** Sivagamasundari +

S. Natesan Subaiya Natesan (; also known as Subbaiya Nadesapillai; 21 May 1895 – 15 January 1965) was a Ceylonese politician, Member of State Council, Member of Parliament and senator. Early life and family Natesan was born on 21 May 1895. He wa ...

, Member of Parliament, Member of State Council, Senator *** Sir

Ponnambalam Arunachalam Ponnambalam Arunachalam (; 14 September 1853 – 9 January 1924) was a Ceylonese civil servant and a member of the Executive Council of Ceylon and Legislative Council of Ceylon. Early life and family Arunachalam was born on 14 September 1853 ...

KCMG CCS (1853-1924), Member of Executive Council, Member of Legislative Council + Swarnambal Namasivayam **** Arunachalam Padmanabha **** Sir

Arunachalam Mahadeva Arunachalam Mahadeva, KCMG (; 5 October 1885 – 15 April 1966) was a Ceylon Tamil lawyer, politician and diplomat. He served as Minister of Home Affairs (1942-1946) and High Commissioner to India (1948-1949). Early life and family Mahad ...

KCMG (1888-1969), Government Minister, Member of Legislative Council, Member of State Council, High Commissioner to India ***** Balakumar

Baku Mahadeva Deshamanya Balakumara Mahadeva (; 29 October 1921 – 29 November 2013; commonly known as Baku Mahadeva) was a leading Sri Lankan Tamil civil servant. Early life and family Mahadeva was born on 29 October 1921. He was the son of Arunachalam Mah ...

******

Kumar Mahadeva Wijeyaraj Kumar Mahadeva () is a Sri Lankan American businessman. He is the founding chairman and chief executive officer of Cognizant Technology Solutions. He was the CEO of Cognizant from 1994 to 2003 and was succeeded by Lakshmi Narayanan. K ...

**** Arunachalam Ramanathan **** Pathmavathy Arunachalam + Sir S. Pararajasingam, Senator ***** Pararajasingham Nadesan ***** Lalithambikai (-2005) + M. Swaminathan ****** D. M. Swaminathan (1945-), Member of Parliament, Governor of Western Province

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Ponnambalam-Coomaraswamy family

History

Notable members of the family

See also

References