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Kallidaikurichi Aiyah Nilakanta Sastri (12 August 1892 – 15 June 1975) was an Indian historian who wrote on South Indian history. Many of his books form the standard reference works on the subject. Sastri was acclaimed for his scholarship and mastery of sources and was a recipient of the third highest Indian civilian honour of Padma Bhushan.
Nilakanta Sastri was born in a Telugu Niyogi Brahmin family,[1] in Kallidaikurichi near Tirunelveli, on 12 August 1892.[2] He completed his FA in M.D.T Hindu College, Tirunelveli and his college education in Madras Christian College.[3][4]
Sastri obtained his MA by coming first in the Madras Presidency. He joined the Hindu College as lecturer in 1913 where he taught till 1918.[5][6] He served as Professor of History, Banaras Hindu University from 1918 to 1920.[5] After that he became the Principal of the (then) newly started Arts College of Annamalai University.[7] In 1929, he was employed as Professor of History at National College, Trichy. The same year, he succeeded Sakkottai Krishnaswamy Aiyangar[8] as the Professor of History and Archaeology at the Madras University,[9] a post he held till 1946.[3] He was the Professor of Indology (Currently renamed as Department of History and Archaeology) at the University of Mysore from 1952 to 1955.[3][5][9] He was appointed as the ex-officio Director of Archaeology for the Mysore State in 1954. He was also the President of the All-India Oriental Conference in the early 1950s.[10] From 1957 to 1972, he served with the UNESCO's Institute of Traditional Cultures of South East Asia, as the Director of the institute.[3][9] In 1957, he was awarded the Padma Bhushan, India's third highest civilian honour.[1] In the summer of 1959, he was a visiting professor at the University of Chicago where he delivered a series of lectures on South Indian History.[5] Nilakanta Sastri died in 1975.[9]
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Sastri, K. A. Nilakanta (1929). The Pāṇḍyan Kingdom from the Earliest Times to the Sixteenth Century. Luzac.
Sastri, K. A. Nilakanta (1932). Studies in Chola history and administration. University of Madras.
Sastri, K. A. Nilakanta (1935). The Cholas. University of Madras.
Sastri, K. A. Nilakanta (1936). A comprehensive history of India. Orient Longman.
Sastri, K. A. Nilakanta (1941). Historical method in relation to problems of South Indian history. University of Madras.
Sastri, K. A. Nilakanta (1945). Gleanings on social life from the Avadanas. Indian Research Institute.
Sastri, K. A. Nilakanta (1946). Further sources of Vijayanagara history. University of Madras.
Sastri, K. A. Nilakanta (1948). The Tamil kingdoms of South India. The National Information & Publications.
Sastri, K. A. Nilakanta (1949). South Indian Influences in the Far East. Hind Kitabs.
Sastri, K. A. Nilakanta (1949). History of Sri Vijaya. University of Madras.
Sastri, K. A. Nilakanta (1955). A History of South India: From Prehistoric Times to the Fall of Vijayanagar. Oxford University Press.
Sastri, K. A. Nilakanta; H.S Ramanna (1956). Historical method in relation to Indian history.
Sastri, K. A. Nilakanta (1957). A Comprehensive History of India. Orient Longman.
Sastri, K. A. Nilakanta (1963). Development of religion in South India. Orient Longman.
Sastri, K. A. Nilakanta (1964). The Culture and History of the Tamils. K. L. Mukhopadhyay.
Sastri, K. A. Nilakanta (1964). Sources of Indian history with special reference to South India. Asian Publishing House.
Sastri, K. A. Nilakanta (1965). A great liberal: speeches and writings of Sir P. S. Sivaswami Aiyar. Allied Publishers.
Sastri, K. A. Nilakanta; G. Srinivasachari (1966). Life and culture of the Indian people: a historical survey. Allied Publishers.
Sastri, K. A. Nilakanta (1967). Cultural Contacts Between Aryans and Dravidians. Manaktalas.
Sastri, K. A. Nilakanta (1967). Age of the Nandas and Mauryas. Motilal Banarsidass.
Sastri, K. A. Nilakanta; G. Srinivasachari (1971). An Advanced history of India. Allied Publishers.
Sastri, K. A. Nilakanta (1972). Foreign Notices of South India: From Megasthenes to Ma Huan. University of Madras.
Sastri, K. A. Nilakanta (1972). Sangam literature: its cults and cultures. Swathi Publishers.
Sastri, K. A. Nilakanta (1974). Aspects of India's history and culture. Oriental Publishers.
Sastri, K. A. Nilakanta (1978). South India and South-East Asia: studies in their history and culture. Geetha Book House (Mysore).
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