About CSDA

Chattampi Swami was a unique revivalist and religious reformer. His thoughts and work influenced the launching of many; social, religious, literary and political organizations and movements in Kerala and for the first time gave voice to those who were marginalized. His impact on renaissance and reformation in Kerala is unparalleled. Swami led a wandering life and left what he wrote with those who were with him at the time of writing. There was no later attempts to collect and conserve them which led to their gradual loss. A few works that got unearthed and published eight decades after his death and inspiring serious discussion show the value and the extent of the loss that occurred to Kerala society which was at one time unmindful of preserving his works.

The Centre for South Indian Studies is developing Chattampi Swami Digital Archive (CSDA) as an attempt to collect and collate documents related to Swami that still exist. The Centre has already collected about10000 printed pages related to Swami, which will form the base of the archive. CSDA will conserve digitally the available manuscripts of Swamis’ published and unpublished works, different editions of his printed books, books on him, articles by him and on him in various journals and newspapers, poems, essays, critical works, commentaries, letters, diaries, notes, memories, photographs, paintings, drawings, and audio/video files related to him as well as autobiographies and memoirs of his major disciples, close associates, contemporaries, and other works that have touched on him. CSDA will also include information on Swami’s life, contacts, visits, friendships, meetings, discussions, etc. recollected by the present members from the families of his friends and disciples. The project will also undertake the publication of compared and edited authentic versions of Swami’s works as well as biographies of Swami and his disciples in English and other Indian languages. CSDA will be an online open archive accessible worldwide.

The Centre requests all those who possess documents related to Swami to provide them for digitization and inclusion in the Archive. Immediately after digitization the originals will be returned to the owners with an electronic copy also for their use. Their contributions will be properly acknowledged in the archive. Further details can be had from the website souparnika.org or directly from the following address.

Centre for South Indian Studies. A4, Kudappnakunnu, Trivandrum -695043, Kerala, India. E-mail: indiastudies@gmail.com. Website: souparnika.org. Project Coordinator: Telephone: 9387826738.