L K ANATHA KRISHNA IYER

Sahida Begum Manibalan Hirishil Kumar.P

By Rathna.C Angana Lakshmanan.D Dhinakaran.M

Introduction When Anathakrishna Iyer entered the field of

Anthropology, it was undeveloped in India.He must have been very brave to start a

career of Anthropology in those days.Anathakrishna became a legend to the

subsequent generation of anthropologist.Anthropology was jokingly referred to as

Ananthropology .

Early life…Graduated with BA from MCC in 1883.1st Worked As Clerk In Revenue Settlement

Office At Wyanad.Joined As A Science Teacher at Victoria

College, Palghat .Became Head Master Of A School At

Changanacherry After Graduated In L.T.

State Museum Trichur

Victoria College, Palaghat

Entry Into EthnographyHe Was Appointed As Science Asst In

Maharaja’s College.In 1902 given Honorary Job , in an

Ethnographic Survey Of The State Of Cochin.

Iyer was Chosen President Of The Ethnology Section at the 1st Meeting Of Indian Science Congress, Calcutta.

He Delivered Several Lectures on Ethnology In Madras Uni.

In 1914 he was appointed by Dewan as Curator of the state Museum and superintendent of Zoological gardens at Trichur.

Appointed as Lecture in Anthropology and Ancient Indian History and Culture in Calcutta Uni in 1920.

In 1924 Maharaja of Mysore Invited him to undertake an Ethnographic Survey Of Mysore.

In his last years he embarked on an Ethnological Study of Coorg.

Cochin survey of LK Iyer

kadars tribes of Cochin

Soon After 1901 Census, Sir H.H.Risely started Ethnographic Survey of India

Cochin Durbar Appointed Iyer as Superintendent of Ethnography of Cochin State.

He held in that position from 1902—1924.

Cochin Tribes and Caste Was Published in 12 volumes.

ETHNOGRAPHIC SURVEY OF MYSORE

Kumbars of Mysore

In 1903 the survey was started under Dewan Bahdur Nanjindeyya as superintendent of ethnography.

He died in the middle of the survey.The survey was handed to Iyer on 7th

august 1924.He had been given, printed monographs

of 34 tribes he revised them all.Some notes about other 50 tribes were

written in pencil,so he made a fresh investigation.

Four volumes of Mysore Tribes and Castes were published.

Photos by IYER

ANANTHOPOLOGYIYER preferred scientific rationality from

administrative rationality.When he entered in to this field he had many

constraints.IYER had to adapt to the conceptual grid

dictated by H.H.RISELY ,Commissioner of 1901 census.

27 point format was made by H.H.REISELY, but IYER simplified it into 14.

The simplified 14 points which covered--> origin and tradition of community, internal structure, marriage , customs, inheritance, religion, occupation, life cycle ceremonies, dress, ornaments ,ect .

IYER did’nt followed the usual method of data collection .

Those are questionaires to local gov officers and the Anthropometric measurement.

He refused to follow RISLEY’s method of enquiry and Anthropometric measurement.

Anthropometric measurement.

H.H.Risely

In both Cochin and Mysore survey he visited villages and interviewed people himself.

He took photos of them with is own stand plate camera.

American Anthropologist congratulated him, for his decision to ignore Anthropometric measurement.

Works of LK A IYER

His PrideHe received an honorary Doctorate degree

from University of Breslau.In India he was given Rao Bahadur in 1921

and Dewan Bahadur in 1935. He was also regarded as the founder of field

studies in Indian anthropology. After his retirement in 1933, he visited

Florence, Rome, Paris, Munich, Berlin, Cambridge, Vienna and other places in Europe, presenting a series of lectures on Indian Ethnology.

ReferenceAnthropology in the East edited by Patricia

uberoi,Nandini sundar, Sathish deshpande.HISTORY OF ANTHROPOLOGY IN INDIA

Dr. Abhik Ghosh Senior Lecturer, Department of Anthropology Punjab University, Chandigarh.Mysore tribes and caste , LK A IYER.