Henry Alfred Krishnapillai | |
|---|---|
| Native name | என்றி ஆல்பிரட் கிருஷ்ணபிள்ளை |
| Born | 23 April 1827 Karaiyiruppu (or) Reddiarpatti, Tinnevely District, Madras Presidency, British India (now Tirunelveli district, Tamil Nadu, India) |
| Died | 3 February 1900 (aged 72) Tinnevely District, Madras Presidency, British India (now Tirunelveli district, Tamil Nadu, India) |
| Occupation | Tamil teacher, writer |
| Subject | Christianity |
| Notable works | Rakshanya Yatrikam (published - 1894) |
Henry Alfred Krishnapillai (1827–1900) was a well-known poet in Tamil language. He was born in a Hindu family, but later converted to Christianity. He was an accomplished Tamil teacher and hence after his conversion sought to work on Tamil literary works. After his retirement he worked on his magnum opus, Ratchanya Yaatrigam. This work was based on John Bunyan's Pilgrim's Progress, although not a translation. The work itself took 16 years to complete and is one of finest works of Tamil literature of the nineteenth century.
Krishnapillai is well known to use analogies from Hindu text in his Christian writings. His Christian hymns are still popular among Tamil Protestants. These hymns are similar in style to Hindu text Tevaram.