Colin Mackenzie, Indologist

      Colin Mackenzie(1754-1821)  a Scottish army officer of East India Company and a great  Indologist.  Here in this painting of 1816 he is seen with  his assistants Dhurmia a Kannada Jain Scholar, Kavali Venkata Lakshmniah and Kistnaji his peon with  Telescope.  In his thirst towards collection of various  manuscripts, literature and epigraphical details he was helped by Kavali  brothers  Boraiah, Lakshmanaiah and Ramaswami. They hailed from Eluru and were sons of Kavali Vencata Subbaiah. Of the  three Boraiah was very scholarly person and said to be father of Indian Paleography and Epigraphy. He was also a scholar in English  and wrote books in English.  He had a very short life and died around 1803.

       There is a  Telugu Kavali Sastri  family in R A Puram who have built a Kamatchi Temple near  their house. Any connections.

Comments

O.K. JOHNNY said…
Thank you for remembering the Kavali ( cavelly) brothers. Im also searching the heirs of these grat early scholors. Hope somebody will help. Cavelly Venkata swami wrote in his book , titled "the deccan poets" on his brother Venkata Boriah : " His premature death in 1803.His master (colin Meckenzie) ordered a monument to be erected to his memory, on the seashore"
But, I don't know in which seashore. Muchilipatanam?
O.K. JOHNNY,
DOCUMENTARY FILM MAKER, KERALAM.
8:42 AM
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