Dr C. S. Mohanavelu

About

Dr. C. S. Mohanavelu is an Indian historian and pioneering researcher in German Tamilology, a field devoted to documenting and understanding German contributions to Tamil language, literature, medicine, science, and culture. His scholarly work explores the remarkable encounters between German missionaries and Tamil society from the early eighteenth century onwards, revealing a rich and often overlooked chapter in the history of intercultural exchange.

He earned his Ph.D. in History from the University of Madras in 1990 for his research on Early German Contributions to Tamil Studies: 1706–1945. Published in 1993 by Saiva Siddhanta Publishing House, Chennai, with financial assistance from the Indian Council of Historical Research, New Delhi, the dissertation examines German engagement with Tamil grammar, lexicography, indigenous medicine, natural sciences, social customs, religious traditions, and everyday life.

A major milestone in his research was the completion of a three-year University Grants Commission–funded Major Research Project (2007–2010), resulting in Annotated Bibliography for Tamil Studies Conducted by Germans in Tamil Nadu during the 18th and 19th Centuries: A Virtual Digital Archives Project. Published by Stanford University in 2012, this substantial 538-page scholarly work provides an important research resource for the study of German contributions to Tamil scholarship.