Pachaiyappa Mudaliar

Pachaiyappa Mudaliar (1754–1794) was a Madras merchant, philanthropist and dubash of the 18th century.

Commemorative stamp on Vallal Pachaiyappa was released 31 March 2010.

Pachaiyappa Mudaliar was born in a poor family in Periyapalaiyam in Thiruvallur district. Invited to Madras by dubash Narayana Pillai, he became a dubash at the age of 16 and amassed a fortune by the time he was 21. Ramanuja Kavirayar had written Pancharatnamala on Pachaiyappa Mudaliar.

A protégé of Narayana Pillai, Pachaiyappa Mudaliar rose to dubash-ship soon after the demise of his mentor. During the same time, his employers the Powney family comprising the brothers Henry Powney and Thomas Powney rose to Mayorship of Madras. This increased the stature of Pachaiyappa Mudaliar and he emerged as one of the richest and most powerful men in Madras city.

Despite being one of the richest men in the city, Pachaiyappa Mudaliar led a simple and austere lifestyle. He built a house at No. 26, Pagoda Street in the year 1790. There, he lived until his death. His life has been the subject of a detailed biography by one of his contemporaries. Witnesses recall that Pachaiyappa Mudaliar would bathe in the Coovum every day along with his affluent neighbours before worshipping at the temple at Komaleeswaranpet. He was a frequent workshipper in Kanchipuram Ekambaranatha Temple, and contributed for Temple renovation at his own expense. His statue could be seen in Kanchi Ekambareswarar temple's pillar. A similar Ekambareswarar temple was built in Parry's corner (Old: George Town), Chennai in order to reduce the travel time to Kanchi. He divided his time between Chennai and Thanjavur and used to travel to his village regularly. During the journey, he used to stop for days at Chidambaram to pray at the famous Hindu temple.

Pachaiyappa Mudaliar's health deteriorated rapidly and one such visit to Thanjavur in 1794 he fell ill at Kumbakonam and died at Tiruvaiyaru on March 31, 1794.

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