G. Vijayavenugopal

G. Vijayavenugopal joined the Pondicherry Center of the École française d’Extrême-Orient in 1997, following a long academic career at Madurai Kamaraj University. There, he continued his research on the epigraphy and cultural history of South India, while contributing to the study, editing, and translation of inscriptions from the Pondicherry region. In this capacity, he played a central role in the preparation and publication of the Pondicherry Inscriptions corpus, which brings together more than five hundred inscriptions from Pondicherry and Karaikal.

His research focuses primarily on Tamil epigraphy and the social and religious history of medieval Tamil Nadu, particularly through the study of temple inscriptions. His work has also contributed to the identification and publication of numerous previously unpublished inscriptions discovered during field surveys conducted in various regions of South India.

In addition to his epigraphic research, he is conducting studies on classical Tamil literature, particularly the Caṅkam corpus. In particular, he is preparing a critical edition of the Puṟanāṉūṟu, one of the major anthologies of ancient Tamil poetry. His research interests also extend to Tamil linguistics, the history of art and archaeology of South India, as well as the study of religious traditions, particularly Jainism.

Renowned for his scholarship and extensive fieldwork experience, he has also mentored and advised numerous students and researchers, both in India and abroad, particularly in the fields of epigraphy, philology, and the cultural history of Tamil Nadu.

• 1961, B.A. (Honors) in Tamil Language and Literature, Annamalai University
• 1963, M.A. in Tamil and a diploma in linguistics, Annamalai University
• 1965, Diploma in Telugu, Annamalai University
• 1975, Ph.D. in Tamil (with a diploma in epigraphy and archaeology), Annamalai University

• Research Fellow, École française d’Extrême-Orient, Pondicherry Center, from 1987 to 2002
• Research Director, École française d’Extrême-Orient, Pondicherry Center, from 2002 to 2018
• Senior Researcher (post-retirement contract), École française d’Extrême-Orient, Pondicherry Center, since 2019

• Lecturer in Tamil, College of Music and Dance, Tirumalai Tirupati Devasthanam, 1963–1965
• Lecturer in Linguistics, Annamalai University, 1965–1968
• Lecturer in Tamil, Madurai University (now Madurai Kamaraj University), 1968–1981
• Professor of Comparative Literature, Madurai Kamaraj University, 1981–1989
• Founder and Head of the Department of Art History and Aesthetics, Madurai Kamaraj University, 1989–1995
• Principal of Madurai Kamaraj University College, 1994–1995

• 1971 — Visiting Professor, College of Wooster, Ohio (United States), as part of an academic program focused on South Asian studies and the teaching of Tamil language and literature.
• 1976 — Lecturer in Residence, University of Wisconsin–Madison (United States), where he taught Tamil language and literature as well as Caṅkam literature.
• 1977 — Founded the scholarly journal Āvaṇam, the journal of the Tamil Nadu Archaeological Society dedicated to the archaeology, epigraphy, and history of South India.
• 1981 — President of the Tamil Nadu Archaeological Society, a position he held for six years and in which he contributed to the development of archaeological and epigraphic research in Tamil Nadu.

Translated with DeepL.com