Vijayavenugopal was educated in Annamalai University – M.A. (Tamil language & Literature (1961 ), M.Litt.,(1963) , Ph.D. (1975) , Diploma in Linguistics (1963), Diploma in Telugu (1965), Diploma in Epigraphy and Archaeology (1975) . After teaching at the Annamalai University (1965-68) he joined the Madurai University (1968) and held positions like Professor of Comparative Literature, Professor of Art History and Aesthetics, Special Officer for Planning and Development, Founder – Principal of Madurai Kamaraj University College, Director, Evening College. He taught at the College of Wooster, Ohio, USA (1971) and the University of Wisconsin, Madison, USA (1977-79). After retiring from Madurai Kamaraj University he joined the Centre of Pondicherry of the École française d’Extrême Orient in 1997. His present areas of specialisation are Epigraphy and Tamil linguistics.
He is presently working full-time in the DHARMA Project and preparing editions and translations of various selected pre-modern Tamil inscriptions in preparation for inclusion into the project database (the DHARMA-base) and helping visiting scholars with the interpretation of Tamil inscriptions and other relevant medieval literature.
Selected Publications
1968 A Modern Evaluation of Nannul, Annamalai University, Annamalainagar
1979 Nominal Composition in Tamil, Madurai Kamaraj University
1984 Intiya Ilakkiya-k-kotpatukal –Part I, Thamarai Publications, Madurai,
2006 Pondicherry Inscriptions – Part I, Introduction and Texts with Notes (Compiled by Bahour S.Kuppusamy), Edited by G.Vijayavenugopal, Institut Francais de Pondicherry, Ecole Francaise d’Extreme Orient, Collection Indologie -83.1, Pondicherry
2018 Civakacintamani,The Hero Civakan,the Gem that fulfills All wishes-Translation,Notes and Introduction in English with James D Ryan, Jain Publishing Company, Fremont, California, 2nd Volume, 2012, 3rd Volume
2018 Thirunallaru Inscriptions (with 6 more new inscriptions discovered) with photos and transcriptions, Published by Thirunallaru Temple Devasthanam, Thirunallaru
Vijayavenugopal has published more than 50 articles in journals and other publications. He has also published more than 500 Tamil Inscriptions which are newly discovered in AVANAM, Annual Journal of Tamilnadu Archaeological Society,Thanjavur from 2004 to 2018.
