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{{Use dmy dates|date=May 2017}}
{{Use Indian English|date=May 2017}}
{{Infobox officeholder
| honorific-prefix = Sir
| name = Perungavur Rajagopalachari
| honorific-suffix =
| image = P. Rajagopalachari.jpg
| imagesize = 200px
| smallimage =
| caption =
| order = [[Dewan]] of [[Cochin]]
| office =
| term_start =1897
| term_end =1901
| monarch =[[Rama Varma XV]]
| predecessor = [[V. Subramanya Pillai]]
| successor = [[L. Locke]]
| order2 =
| office2 = [[Dewan]] of [[Travancore]]
| term_start2 = 26 October 1907
| term_end2 = 11 May 1914
| monarch2 = [[Moolam Thirunal]]
| predecessor2 =[[S. Gopalachari]]
| successor2 =[[M. Krishnan Nair (politician)|M. Krishnan Nair]]
| office3 = Member of [[Madras Legislative Council]]
| term_start3 = 1917
| term_end3 = 1927
| governor3 = [[John Sinclair, 1st Baron Pentland]], [[Freeman Freeman-Thomas, 1st Marquess of Willingdon|Lord Willingdon]], [[George Goschen, 2nd Viscount Goschen]]
| succeeding3 =
| predecessor3 =
| successor3 =
| constituency3 =
| majority3 =
| order4 =
| office4 = President of the [[Madras Legislative Council]]
| term_start4 = 1921
| term_end4 = 1923
| vicepresident4 =
| viceprimeminister4 =
| deputy4 =
| lieutenant4 =
| monarch4 =
| president4 =
| primeminister4 =[[A. Subbarayalu Reddiar]], [[Raja of Panagal]], [[P. Subbarayan]]
| governor4 =[[Freeman Freeman-Thomas, 1st Marquess of Willingdon|Lord Willingdon]], [[George Goschen, 2nd Viscount Goschen]]
| succeeding4 =
| predecessor4 =None
| successor4 = [[L. D. Swamikannu Pillai]]
| constituency4 =
| majority4 =
| birth_date = 18 March 1862
| birth_place =
| death_date = 1 December 1927
| death_place =
| nationality =
| party =[[Indian National Congress]]
| spouse =
| relations =
| children =
| residence =
| alma_mater =[[Presidency College, Madras]]
| occupation =[[lawyer]], [[civil servant]]
| profession =[[District collector|Sub-Collector]], [[politician|Statesman]]
| signature =
| website =
| footnotes =
}}

Diwan Bahadur '''Sir Perungavur Rajagopalachari''', [[Order of the Star of India|KCSI]], [[Order of the Indian Empire|CIE]] (18 March 1862 – 1 December 1927), also spelt in contemporary records as '''Sir P. Rajagopala Achariyar''', was an Indian administrator. He was the [[Diwan (title)|Diwan]] (chief minister) of [[Cochin State]] from December 1896 to August 1901 and of [[Travancore]] from 1906 to 1914.<ref>{{Cite web|title = Mohan|url = http://www.perungavur.tk|website = www.perungavur.tk|access-date = 2015-09-02}}</ref>

==Early life and career==
Rajagopalachari was born in [[Madras]] and educated at [[Presidency College, Madras|Presidency College]] and [[Madras Law College]]. He joined the Judicial Department [[Indian Civil Service]] on 3 May 1886 and was appointed deputy [[district collector|collector]] in December 1887. From 2 May 1890 to December 1896, he served as assistant collector and [[magistrate]] in [[Madras Province]].

==Diwan of Cochin==
In December 1896, Rajagopalachari was appointed Diwan by Maharaja [[Sir Sri Rama Varma|Rama Varma]] of Cochin. He served in his capacity from 1896 to 1901. During his tenure as diwan, the Cochin Native Merchants Association was founded.<ref name="icci_cochin">{{Cite web|url=http://www.iccicochin.com/history.html|title=History of the Indian Chamber of Commerce and Industry - Cochin|access-date=2008-07-12|publisher=iccicochin.com|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080916100937/http://www.iccicochin.com/history.html|archive-date=16 September 2008|url-status=dead}}</ref> This later became the Indian Chamber of Commerce and Industry - Cochin.<ref name="icci_cochin" /> In 1901, the Central Records of the Cochin State were established at [[Tripunithura]].<ref name="cochin_archives">{{cite news | title =Missing chapter in history of universal schooling | date =23 July 2003 | url =http://www.my-kerala.com/n/a/2003/7/ | work =Archive Files to enter hard disk | access-date =2008-07-12 | archive-url =https://web.archive.org/web/20080828121225/http://www.my-kerala.com/n/a/2003/7/ | archive-date =28 August 2008 | url-status =dead }}</ref> This later evolved into the Kerala State Archives Department.<ref name="cochin_archives" />

==Diwan of Travancore==
In 1901, he was appointed Registrar of Co-operative Credit Societies in the [[Madras Presidency]] and then served as Assistant Collector from March 1902 until 1906, when he was appointed Diwan of Travancore state.

The [[Sadhu Jana Paripalana Sangham]] was established in 1907 by social reformer [[Ayyankali]] to campaign for education for [[Scheduled Caste]]s. Rajagopalachari was supportive of the movement, and in 1907 the government of Travancore passed an order for the admission of scheduled castes children in schools. However, the Namboothiri-Nair caste landlords who owned most of the schools were obstinate in allowing scheduled castes children into their schools and openly defied the government order. A major strike erupted. Scheduled caste agrarian workers refused to farm their fields. In 1910, Rajagopalachari and Mitchell, who headed the education department, made the order for admission of Scheduled Caste children public, thereby putting an end to the controversy.{{citation needed|date=December 2014}}

Rajagopalachari also brought forth reforms in the administration. Scheduled Castes, who were previously excluded from the administration, were made eligible for nomination to the State Assembly. Ayyankali became the first Scheduled Caste member to be nominated to the Travancore State Assembly.{{citation needed|date=December 2014}} Rajagopalachari also donated 8acres of land for the construction of an Islamic college by Sheikh Mohammad Hamadani Thangal.<ref name="keralamuslimsp56">{{cite book|title=Educational empowerment of Kerala Muslims: a socio-historical perspective|author=U. Mohammed|pages=56|ISBN=978-81-903887-3-3|publisher=Other Books|year=2007}}</ref>

Rajagopalachari's administration had its own share of controversies. [[Muhammad Abdul Shakoor|M. A. Shakoor]], in his biography of [[Vakkom Moulavi]], calls Rajagopalachari's administration "authoritarian".<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.vmft.org/wp-content/uploads/2010/03/Vakkom-Maulavi_MAShakoor.pdf|title=Vakkom Maulavi- The man who led Islamic Renaissance in Kerala by M. A. Shakoor|access-date=2015-09-03|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140312225316/http://www.vmft.org/wp-content/uploads/2010/03/Vakkom-Maulavi_MAShakoor.pdf|archive-date=12 March 2014|url-status=dead}}</ref>

==Later life and career==
In 1914, Rajagopalachari returned to Madras as Secretary of the Judicial Department, the first Indian to hold the post.
In 1917, he was appointed to the Council of the [[Governor of Madras]]. When the [[Madras Legislative Council]] came into being, as per the provisions of the [[Government of India Act 1919]], on 17 December 1920, Rajagopalachari was elected as the first President.<ref name="saminkannu_pillai_bio">{{cite book | title=L.D. Swamikannu Pillai: A Biographical Study | last=Proserpio| first=Leo| year=1931| pages=96| publisher=Codialbail Press}}</ref> It is believed that he was instrumental in formulating the no-confidence motion against the [[Justice Party (India)|Justice Party]] Government of the [[Raja of Panagal]].<ref name="panagal_noconfidencemotion">{{cite book | title=Encyclopaedia of Political Parties | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=P4lCjG1DUV4C&pg=PA185&lr=&sig=ACfU3U3KOtL7bIwxXsTCd4Bvnw34kmL0Ww| last=Ralhan| first=O. P.| year=2002| pages=185| publisher=Anmol Publications PVT LTD| isbn=8174888659}}</ref> His tenure came to an end in 1923 and he was succeeded by L. D. Samikannu Pillai.<ref name="president_succession">{{cite book | title=The Indian Review| last=Natesan| first=G. A.| year=1925| pages=649| publisher=G. A. Natesan & Co.}}</ref> In 1923, he was appointed to the [[Council of India]] in [[London]], resigning in 1925 due to ill-health and returning to India.

== Honours ==

Rajagopalachari was appointed [[Companion of the Order of the Indian Empire]] (CIE) in 1909 and [[Knight Commander of the Order of the Star of India]] (KCSI) in the 1920 New Year Honours.<ref>{{London Gazette |issue=31712 |date=30 December 1919 |page=4 |supp=y}}</ref>

== Legacy ==
A bust of Rajagopalachari is present in the hall of the [[Madras Legislative Council]].

==Family==
Rajagopalachari had a brother P.Narasimhachari who was a Justice in High Court - Rangoon, Burma (Myanmar).<ref name="Notice of appointment">{{cite web|title=London Gazette notice|url=http://www.london-gazette.co.uk/issues/32999/pages/8885/page.pdf}}</ref> He also had notable grand nephews (his sister's grandchildren) - [[Cadambathur Tiruvenkatacharlu Rajagopal|C.T.Rajagopal]], [[C.T.Venugopal]] and [[C. T. K. Chari|C.T.Krishnama Chari]]

==Notes==
{{reflist|2}}

==References==
* {{cite book| title=History of Cochin| url=http://www.corporationofcochin.net/Cochin.pdf| pages=122| publisher=corporationofcochin| ref=cochin_history| url-status=dead| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091229045823/http://www.corporationofcochin.net/Cochin.pdf| archive-date=29 December 2009| df=dmy-all}}
*Obituary, ''[[The Times]]'', 2 December 1927

==Further reading==
*Rajagopal, P.V. : The Life and Times of Sir P. Rajagopalachari.
* {{cite book | title=Some Madras Leaders| year=1922}}, Pg 62 - 67

{{s-start}}
{{succession box|before= [[Subramanya Pillai]]|after=[[L. Loka]]|title=Diwan of Cochin|years=1896–1901}}
{{succession box|title=Diwan of Travancore|before=[[S. Gopalachari]]|years=1906–1914|after=[[M. Krishnan Nair (politician)|M. Krishnan Nair]]}}
{{s-end}}

{{Kingdom of Travancore}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Rajagopalachari, Perungavur}}
[[Category:1862 births]]
[[Category:1927 deaths]]
[[Category:Politicians from Chennai]]
[[Category:Presidency College, Chennai alumni]]
[[Category:Indian Civil Service (British India) officers]]
[[Category:Members of the Council of India]]
[[Category:Knights Commander of the Order of the Star of India]]
[[Category:Companions of the Order of the Indian Empire]]
[[Category:Diwans of Travancore]]
[[Category:Diwans of Cochin]]
[[Category:Indian knights]]
[[Category:19th-century Indian politicians]]
[[Category:20th-century Indian politicians]]

P. Rajagopalachari - Revision history

->SdkbBot: /* top */Removed overlinked country wikilink and general fixes (task 2)