PILLAY, Kothanar Ramsamy

Architect

Came from Pudukoti near Tanjore in the Madras Presidency, India, to South Africa as a 'passenger' in 1885. He worked as a building contractor and designer of temples in the Durban area; a temple in Port Elizabeth was also designed by him. Pillay was creative, writing and producing Tamil dramas. In 1927 he repatriated himself to India where he died in 1938.

See also Temple Builders

All truncated references not fully cited in 'References' are those of Joanna Walker's original text and cited in full in the 'Bibliography' entry of the Lexicon.

List of projects

With photographs
With notes

Bala Subrahmanya temple: 1910. Dundee, KwaZulu-Natal - Architect

KR Pillay private temple: 1924. Redhill, Durban, KwaZulu-Natal - Architect

Railway Barracks Shree Emperumanl Temple: 1924. Durban, KwaZulu-Natal - Architect

Shiva Subrahmanya Alayam Temple: 1912. Mount Edgecombe, KwaZulu-Natal - Architect

Shree Shiva Subrahmanya Temple: 1915. Pietermaritzburg, KwaZulu-Natal - Architect

Shree Siva Subrahmanya Alayam: 1901. Baarkens Valley, Gqeberha (Port Elizabeth), Eastern Cape - Architect (ascribed)

Umbilo Shree Ambalavanar Alayam Subrahmanya - Second: 1905. Durban, KwaZulu-Natal - Architect

Umgeni Rd Shiva temple: 1910. Durban, KwaZulu-Natal - Architect

Books citing PILLAY

Fransen, Hans. 1982. Three centuries of South African art : fine art, architecture, applied arts. Johannesburg: AD Donker. pp

Mikula, P, Kearney, B. 1982. Traditional Hindu Temples in South Africa. Durban: Hindu Temple Publications. pp 13, 15, 35, 38, 60, 61, 77, 86-89, 108, 109