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{{short description|Indian traditional medicine expert (1880–1953)}}
{{more citations needed|date=August 2024}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=April 2025}}
{{use Indian English|date=August 2024}}
{{Infobox person
| name = T. V. Sambasivam Pillai
| native_name = டி. வி. சாம்பசிவம் பிள்ளை
| native_name_lang = ta
| image = T. V. Sambasivam Pillai.jpg
| alt = Commemorative 2019 five-rupee stamp issued in memory of Pillai
| caption = Commemorative 2019 five-rupee stamp issued in memory of Pillai
| birth_date = {{Birth date|1880|09|19|df=yes}}
| birth_place = [[Bengaluru]], [[Karnataka]], India
| death_date = {{Death date and age|1953|11|12|1880|09|19|df=yes}}
| other_names =
| occupation = Scholar of [[Siddha medicine]]
| years_active =
| notable_works = ''Tamil-English Dictionary of Medicine, Chemistry, Botany and Allied Sciences''
| spouse = {{Plainlist|
*Duraikannu Ammal (m. 1903–1914)
*Ammani Ammal (m. 1916–1917)
}}
| children = 5
}}

'''Tanjore Vilviah Sambasivam Pillai''' ({{Langx|ta|டி. வி. சாம்பசிவம் பிள்ளை}}, 19 September 1880 – 12 November 1953) was a [[Tamils|Tamil]] scholar. He was best known for the ''Tamil-English Dictionary of Medicine, [[Chemistry]], Botany, and Allied Sciences'', a reference work in [[Siddha medicine]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=Tamil - English dictionary of medicine, chemistry, botany and allied sciences |url=https://www.tamildigitallibrary.in/book-detail.php?id=jZY9lup2kZl6TuXGlZQdjZQ9l0My#book1/ |access-date=2025-05-16 |website=www.tamildigitallibrary.in |language=en}}</ref>

== Biography ==
Pillai was born on 19 September 1880 in [[Bengaluru|Bangalore]]. He was the eldest son of Vilviah Manniar and Manonmani Ammal. His family was from the village of Kamuganchenthangudi, near [[Thanjavur|Tanjore]], and later migrated to [[Bangalore]].<ref name=":0">{{Cite web |title=SEARCHi - Siddha Medical Dictionary - TV Sambasivam pillai |url=https://searchiccrs.com/about-tvs |access-date=2024-12-29 |website=searchiccrs.com}}</ref><ref name=":1">{{Cite web |date=2019-08-29 |title=Stamp of best author of Siddha medicine to be released by PM |url=https://www.deccanchronicle.com/nation/current-affairs/290819/stamp-of-best-author-of-siddha-medicine-to-be-released-by-pm.html |access-date=2024-12-29 |website=www.deccanchronicle.com |language=en}}</ref> A plague outbreak in Bangalore eventually led his family to return to their village.

Pillai completed his education in Bangalore and was later appointed as a clerk in the [[Chennai]] City Police Commissioner's office.<ref name=":0" /><ref name=":1" />

In 1903, he married Duraikannu Ammal, with whom he had five sons; all of whom died in childhood due to unknown causes.{{citation needed|date=September 2025}} Duraikannu Ammal died in 1914 due to [[cholera]].<ref name=":0" /> In 1916, Pillai remarried, this time to Ammani Ammal, who died in 1917 during childbirth.<ref name=":0" /> After these personal losses, Pillai shifted his focus to studying Siddha medicine despite not having formal medical training.{{Citation needed|date=April 2025}}

During his studies, he recognized the absence of an authoritative English reference in Siddha medicine, which motivated him to compile the ''Tamil-English Dictionary of Medicine, Chemistry, Botany, and Allied Sciences''. The dictionary was published in volumes, some of which were released posthumously.<ref name=":0" /><ref>{{Cite web |title=Books authored by T.V. Sambasivam Pillai |url=https://www.exoticindiaart.com/author/t-v-sambasivam-pillai/?srsltid=AfmBOorJH99kQ3Mko4JzYhP87TFJu58whnYFUwQxIpOhEmMun9oj7gkC |access-date=2025-07-02 |website=www.exoticindiaart.com |language=en}}</ref>

In recognition of his work, in 1949, the [[Government of Tamil Nadu]], [[University of Madras]] and [[University of Mysore]] sanctioned 5000 rupees each as financial assistance for his research and accommodation at [[Triplicane]], [[Chennai]].<ref>{{Cite book|last=Assurances|first=Madras (India : State) Legislature Legislative Council Committee on|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Sqq2AAAAIAAJ&q=sambasivam+pillai|title=Report|date=1967|publisher=Government of Madras.|language=en}}</ref><ref name="MW">{{Cite web |date=2019-12-20 |title=T.V. Sambasivam Pillai |url=http://www.mintageworld.com/media/detail/11086-t-v-sambasivam-pillai |access-date=2020-10-13 |website=Mintage World |language=en}}</ref>

Pillai died on 12 November 1953.<ref name=":0" />

On 30 August 2019, the [[Government of India]] issued a commemorative five-rupee stamp in the "Masters of [[AYUSH]]" series, recognizing the services of twelve modern masters of Indian systems of medicine, which included him.<ref>{{Cite web|agency=PTI|date=29 Aug 2019|title=PM to release special stamps on 12 unsung 'Rockstars of AYUSH' {{!}} India News - Times of India|url=https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/pm-to-release-special-stamps-on-12-unsung-rockstars-of-ayush/articleshow/70893564.cms|access-date=2020-10-11|website=The Times of India|language=en}}</ref><ref name="Deccan Chronicle">{{Cite web|date=2019-08-29|title=Stamp of best author of Siddha medicine to be released by PM|url=https://www.deccanchronicle.com/nation/current-affairs/290819/stamp-of-best-author-of-siddha-medicine-to-be-released-by-pm.html|access-date=2020-10-11|website=Deccan Chronicle|language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book|last1=Wujastyk|first1=Dagmar|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=M3XBu-vpXgoC&q=sambasivam+pillai&pg=PA94|title=Modern and Global Ayurveda: Pluralism and Paradigms|last2=Smith|first2=Frederick M.|date=2013-09-09|publisher=SUNY Press|isbn=978-0-7914-7816-5|language=en}}</ref>

==Works==
Pillai spent nearly 16 years collecting material for the ''Tamil-English Dictionary of Medicine, Chemistry, [[Botany]], and Applied Sciences''. In 1938, he compiled and published two volumes of his work at his own expense, but could only partially publish the third volume. The remaining part was published with assistance from the [[Government of Tamil Nadu]].<ref>Rajabhoosanam Mannayar. Siddha Maruthuva Methai T.V.Sambasivam Pillai. Chennai; Guruvarul Press; 2002. p 5-30.</ref> The fourth and fifth volumes were published in 1977 and 1978, respectively by [[Gopalswamy Doraiswamy Naidu|G. D. Naidu]] and his son G. D. N. Gopal.{{citation needed|date=September 2025}}

Pillai's dictionary provides information about plants, minerals, metals, and animals used in [[Siddha medicine]]. Consisting of five volumes, it spans 6,537 pages and contains nearly 80,000 words. The work provides translations for Tamil words in English and describes and explains each word with appropriate annotations.{{citation needed|date=September 2025}}

The dictionary was renamed ''The Greatness of Siddha Medicine'' and was published at the second [[World Tamil Conference|World Tamil Research Conference]], held in Chennai in 1968.{{citation needed|date=September 2025}} The dictionary is cited in academic research related to Siddha medicine and Tamil literature.<ref name="Deccan Chronicle" />

{| class="wikitable"
|+''Tamil-English Dictionary of Medicine, Chemistry, Botany and Allied Sciences''<ref>{{Cite journal|last1=Lavanya|first1=A.|last2=Kumar|first2=S.|last3=Geetha|first3=A.|last4=Muralidass|first4=S. D.|last5=Kannan|first5=M.|last6=Sathiyarajeswaran|first6=P.|date=October 2019|title=Book Review|journal=Journal of Ayurveda and Integrative Medicine|language=en|volume=10|issue=4|pages=319–322|doi=10.1016/j.jaim.2019.09.006|pmc=6938865}}</ref>
! Volumes !! Part !! Publisher, year !! Pages !!Description
|-
| I ||I|| Research Institute of Siddhars Science, 1938 || 880 || It covers Tamil letters: A, Aa, and I (3 letters).
240 pages are occupied by a forward, containing research material under 27 headings. These include the topics "macrocosm vs. microcosm", "[[astrology]] in medicine", "eastern physiology", "the five elements", "humoral pathology", "science of breath", "''[[Prana]]''", "science of [[pulse]]", "diseases and their cure", "ancient chemistry", "[[alchemy]]", "rejuvenation", "immortality", "the ethics of a good physician", and others.
|-
| I ||II||Research Institute of Siddhars Science, 1938||862|| It covers Tamil letters: i, ee, u, oo, e, ae, i, o, oa, ou (10 letters).
|-
| II ||I|| Research Institute of Siddhars Science, 1938 ||800|| It covers Tamil letters: Ka, Kaa (2 letters).
This volume consists of dictionary content from ‘Ka' to ‘Kow' in the Tamil alphabet, with 774 pages.
|-
| II ||II|| Research Institute of Siddhars Science, 1938 ||536|| It covers Tamil letters: 'Ki' to 'Kou' (10 letters).
This volume consists of dictionary content from the letters ‘Ka' to ‘Kow' in the Tamil alphabet, with 774 pages.
|-
| III || -||The Directorate of Indian Medicine, 1977 ||472 || It covers Tamil letters: Sa, saa, si (3 letters).
This volume consists of dictionary content from the letters ‘Cha' to ‘Chi' in the Tamil alphabet, with 774 pages.
|-
| IV || I||The Directorate of Indian Medicine, 1977 || 1020 || It covers the 'Si-sow, nja' series, 'da' series to 'tha, thaa' (36 letters).
This volume consists of dictionary content from 'Si' to 'Now' in the Tamil alphabet. It was published posthumously.
|-
| IV || II||The Directorate of Indian Medicine, 1978 ||980|| It covers the 'Thi-thow' to 'Nha' series (22 letters).
This volume consists of dictionary content from 'Si' to 'Now' in the Tamil alphabet. It was published posthumously.
|-
| V || -||The Directorate of Indian Medicine, 1978 || 1292 || It covers the 'Pa' series to 'Nau' series (120 letters).
This volume consists of dictionary content from 'Pa' to 'Jo' in the Tamil alphabet.
|}

==References==
{{reflist}}

== External links ==

* [https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/1/16/Tamil_-_English_Dictionary_of_Medicine%2C_Chemistry%2C_Botany_and_Allied_Sciences_Vol.1.pdf ''Tamil-English Dictionary of Medicine, Chemistry, Botany and Allied Sciences'', Vol.1 | Wikimedia]
* [https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/63/Tamil_-_English_Dictionary_of_Medicine%2C_Chemistry%2C_Botany_and_Allied_Sciences_Vol.2.pdf ''Tamil-English Dictionary of Medicine, Chemistry, Botany and Allied Sciences'', Vol.2 | Wikimedia]
* [https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/b/b6/Tamil_-_English_Dictionary_of_Medicine%2C_Chemistry%2C_Botany_and_Allied_Sciences_Vol.3.pdf ''Tamil-English Dictionary of Medicine, Chemistry, Botany and Allied Sciences'', Vol.3 | Wikimedia]
* [https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/f/f2/Tamil_-_English_Dictionary_of_Medicine%2C_Chemistry%2C_Botany_and_Allied_Sciences_Vol.4.pdf ''Tamil-English Dictionary of Medicine, Chemistry, Botany and Allied Sciences'', Vol.4 | Wikimedia]
* [https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/1/15/Tamil_-_English_Dictionary_of_Medicine%2C_Chemistry%2C_Botany_and_Allied_Sciences_Vol.5.pdf ''Tamil-English Dictionary of Medicine, Chemistry, Botany and Allied Sciences'', Vol.5 | Wikimedia]
{{authority control}}

[[Category:Siddha medicine]]
[[Category:1880 births]]
[[Category:1953 deaths]]
[[Category:Tamil academics]]
[[Category:Bengaluru]]
[[Category:20th-century Indian male writers]]
[[Category:20th-century Indian writers]]

T. V. Sambasivam Pillai - Revision history

Abhishek Mandal: data!