இலண்டன் சைவ மாநாடு (சிறப்புமலர்)
7வது சைவ மாநாடு இலண்டன் 2004
AN APOSTLE OF CULTURE
Ananda Coomaraswamy
V. Sundaram
Ananda Coomaraswamy was born on August
22, 1877 at Kolluptitiya in Ceylon. His mother was
English and his distinguished father Sir Muttu
Coomaraswamy, was a devout Hindu and the first
Hindu from Ceylon to be called to the English Bar.
He was a Vellala Tamil from Jaffna and he married
an English lady called Elizabeth Beeby.
mould.
In the middle of 19th century, when an
egotistic Whig Aristocracy devoid of sentiment and
a merciless middle class absorbed in the pursuit of
new wealth were crushing beneath an unyielding
mechanism the defenceless British people, a
dashing young man from Ceylon crashed into
London Society. He was soon hobnobbing with the
greatest in the land, particularly Lord Palmerston,
Lord Tennyson and Benjamin Disraeli, later Lord
Beaconsfield who were fascinated with this
mysterious young Hindu talking perennial philosophy
but learning law. When Disraeli wrote his novel
"Tancred" it was found that the young Hindu from
Ceylon was one of the important characters in the
book, in which the author openly held out to troubled,
diseased Britians the vision of the Holy East, India
of the Rishis, where the source of inspiration never
runs dry. The young Hindu who made such a deep
impression on the mind of Benjamin Disraeli (who
was later to be the Prime Minister of England) as
to be the model for a character in his novel was the
father of Dr. Ananda Coomaraswamy, Muttu
Coomaraswamy, who on his return to Ceylon
served as the Tamil member in the Ceylon Legislative
Council in the 1860s and ended up with a Kinghthood.
His nephews, Sir Ponnambalam Arunachalam and
Sir Ponnambalam Ramanathan, both followed in
the footsteps of their great uncle Sir Muttu
Coomaraswamy. His only son Ananda
Coomaraswamy was cast in a different but grander
Ananda Coomaraswamy's father died while
Ananda was just 2 years old and as a result young
Coomaraswamy was brought up by his English
mother in England from where he ultimately
graduated in Geology from the University of London.
He lived and worked in Sri Lanka from 1902 to 1906
as the first Director of the Mineralogical Survey of
Ceylon. It was a period of transformation for him. He
addressed An Open Letter to the Kandyan Chiefs
in which in highly emotional words he pointed out
the utter neglect of their artistic heritage due to the
mimic imitation of the West, and followed it up by
an article in the Ceylon National Review on
"Anglicization of the East". Consequently there
were frozen frowns on the brows of the Colonial Tin
Gods in Ceylon who sat guarding Imperial interests
in the seats of the mighty in the Little Crown Colony.
It was during this period that he wrote his great work
"MEDIAEVAL SINHALESE ART". By writing this
book, he had done the greatest service any cultural
crusader could have done for the land of his origin.
It is a monumental work in which he has most
faithfully recorded the Folk-Art forms of the Sinhalese
before they
ed. This bulky volume, a by-
product of his wanderings as a geologist in search
of mineralogical resources, is in the nature of a
dying deposition of a fast sinking culture before it
was done to death by the onslaughts of a foreign
civilization.
Greatest Historian
He returned to England in 1907 and moved
between India and England till 1917. He finally
settled down in United States of America in 1917
when he became the Curator of the Boston
Museum and remained there till his death on 9th
September 1947.
Mediaeval Sinhalese Art was the first of a
series of over 30 memorable books and more than
913 papers and articles on Oriental Art which he
published from 1908 to 1947 which had made him
the greatest historian of Oriental Art. We cannot find
another like him anywhere in the whole world,
whose studies and publications cover as wide a
range and are at the same time as numerous in
quantity as excellent in quality. The place he
occupies in the History of Oriental Art is something
like the position acceded to Mahatma Gandhi in the
realm of Indian Politics or Dr. Radhakrishnan in the
155
7
வது
சைவ
மாநாடு
இலண்டன்
2004
AN
APOSTLE
OF
CULTURE
Ananda
Coomaraswamy
V.
Sundaram
Ananda
Coomaraswamy
was
born
on
August
22
1877
at
Kolluptitiya
in
Ceylon
.
His
mother
was
English
and
his
distinguished
father
Sir
Muttu
Coomaraswamy
was
a
devout
Hindu
and
the
first
Hindu
from
Ceylon
to
be
called
to
the
English
Bar
.
He
was
a
Vellala
Tamil
from
Jaffna
and
he
married
an
English
lady
called
Elizabeth
Beeby
.
mould
.
In
the
middle
of
19th
century
when
an
egotistic
Whig
Aristocracy
devoid
of
sentiment
and
a
merciless
middle
class
absorbed
in
the
pursuit
of
new
wealth
were
crushing
beneath
an
unyielding
mechanism
the
defenceless
British
people
a
dashing
young
man
from
Ceylon
crashed
into
London
Society
.
He
was
soon
hobnobbing
with
the
greatest
in
the
land
particularly
Lord
Palmerston
Lord
Tennyson
and
Benjamin
Disraeli
later
Lord
Beaconsfield
who
were
fascinated
with
this
mysterious
young
Hindu
talking
perennial
philosophy
but
learning
law
.
When
Disraeli
wrote
his
novel
Tancred
it
was
found
that
the
young
Hindu
from
Ceylon
was
one
of
the
important
characters
in
the
book
in
which
the
author
openly
held
out
to
troubled
diseased
Britians
the
vision
of
the
Holy
East
India
of
the
Rishis
where
the
source
of
inspiration
never
runs
dry
.
The
young
Hindu
who
made
such
a
deep
impression
on
the
mind
of
Benjamin
Disraeli
(
who
was
later
to
be
the
Prime
Minister
of
England
)
as
to
be
the
model
for
a
character
in
his
novel
was
the
father
of
Dr.
Ananda
Coomaraswamy
Muttu
Coomaraswamy
who
on
his
return
to
Ceylon
served
as
the
Tamil
member
in
the
Ceylon
Legislative
Council
in
the
1860s
and
ended
up
with
a
Kinghthood
.
His
nephews
Sir
Ponnambalam
Arunachalam
and
Sir
Ponnambalam
Ramanathan
both
followed
in
the
footsteps
of
their
great
uncle
Sir
Muttu
Coomaraswamy
.
His
only
son
Ananda
Coomaraswamy
was
cast
in
a
different
but
grander
Ananda
Coomaraswamy's
father
died
while
Ananda
was
just
2
years
old
and
as
a
result
young
Coomaraswamy
was
brought
up
by
his
English
mother
in
England
from
where
he
ultimately
graduated
in
Geology
from
the
University
of
London
.
He
lived
and
worked
in
Sri
Lanka
from
1902
to
1906
as
the
first
Director
of
the
Mineralogical
Survey
of
Ceylon
.
It
was
a
period
of
transformation
for
him
.
He
addressed
An
Open
Letter
to
the
Kandyan
Chiefs
in
which
in
highly
emotional
words
he
pointed
out
the
utter
neglect
of
their
artistic
heritage
due
to
the
mimic
imitation
of
the
West
and
followed
it
up
by
an
article
in
the
Ceylon
National
Review
on
Anglicization
of
the
East
.
Consequently
there
were
frozen
frowns
on
the
brows
of
the
Colonial
Tin
Gods
in
Ceylon
who
sat
guarding
Imperial
interests
in
the
seats
of
the
mighty
in
the
Little
Crown
Colony
.
It
was
during
this
period
that
he
wrote
his
great
work
MEDIAEVAL
SINHALESE
ART
.
By
writing
this
book
he
had
done
the
greatest
service
any
cultural
crusader
could
have
done
for
the
land
of
his
origin
.
It
is
a
monumental
work
in
which
he
has
most
faithfully
recorded
the
Folk
-
Art
forms
of
the
Sinhalese
before
they
ed
.
This
bulky
volume
a
by
product
of
his
wanderings
as
a
geologist
in
search
of
mineralogical
resources
is
in
the
nature
of
a
dying
deposition
of
a
fast
sinking
culture
before
it
was
done
to
death
by
the
onslaughts
of
a
foreign
civilization
.
Greatest
Historian
He
returned
to
England
in
1907
and
moved
between
India
and
England
till
1917.
He
finally
settled
down
in
United
States
of
America
in
1917
when
he
became
the
Curator
of
the
Boston
Museum
and
remained
there
till
his
death
on
9th
September
1947
.
Mediaeval
Sinhalese
Art
was
the
first
of
a
series
of
over
30
memorable
books
and
more
than
913
papers
and
articles
on
Oriental
Art
which
he
published
from
1908
to
1947
which
had
made
him
the
greatest
historian
of
Oriental
Art
.
We
cannot
find
another
like
him
anywhere
in
the
whole
world
whose
studies
and
publications
cover
as
wide
a
range
and
are
at
the
same
time
as
numerous
in
quantity
as
excellent
in
quality
.
The
place
he
occupies
in
the
History
of
Oriental
Art
is
something
like
the
position
acceded
to
Mahatma
Gandhi
in
the
realm
of
Indian
Politics
or
Dr.
Radhakrishnan
in
the
155