Pachaiyappa's College is one of the oldest educational institutions in Chennai, in the South Indian state of Tamil Nadu. In addition, it is the first sole Indian college in Madras Presidency.

History

Pachaiyappa's College, Chennai is the result of an act of philanthropy of its progenitor, Pachaiyappa Mudaliar, who was a financier and merchant by the age of 22. Inspired and motivated by the founder, this college had its genesis in the famous will of Pachaiyappa Mudaliar. The college was established as Pachaiyappa's Central Institution at Popham's Broadway on 1 January 1842, financially aided by Pachaiyappa Mudaliar's will. It was the first educational institution in South India which was not funded by the British. The architecture of the institution is notable, consisting of Indo-Saracenic and the architecture of South India. It gained college status in 1889, and until 1947 it only admitted Hindu students. Between 1920 and 1921, Charles Leslie Wrenn, a scholar who would later replace J.R.R. Tolkien as Rawlinson and Bosworth Professor of Anglo-Saxon, was the Principal and Professor of English. In addition, Pachaiyappa's College (1842) is the 4th oldest institution in the country, next to Madras Christian College (1837) and Presidency College (1840) as 3 from the top 5 oldest institutions in the country are from South India.

Administration

The Pachaiyappa's College Administration is governed by a board of trustees called Pachaiyappa's trust board. The Board oversees the long-term development and plans of the Institution and manages fundraising efforts. The board also control's various other Institutions in the state.

List of colleges under Pachaiyappa's Trust Board

Awards

As a remembrance and a devotion, the college awards a prize to the student who stands first among all mathematics students in the name of S.P. Singaravelu Mudaliar, who was a teacher of renowned mathematician Srinivasa Ramanujan.

Academic departments

Undergraduate (U.G.)

SHIFT I: Aided

Arts

Commerce

Science

SHIFT II: Self-financed

Commerce

Postgraduate (P.G.)

SHIFT I : Aided

Arts

Commerce

Science and philosophy

PhD

Notable alumni

A listing of notable alumni is published by the college. Some of those named are as follows.

Physicist

Mathematicians

Politicians

Bureaucrat

Chennai District All college students Tamil Forum President 1979-80 Orator and Debator of Pachaiyappa's college, 1979-1981

Literary figures

Filmmakers

Other

Postage stamp

On 31 March 2010, the Indian Postal Service released a commemorative postage stamp on Pachaiyappa Mudaliar. The multi color stamp was designed by India Security Press, Nasik.