17 Facts About Hermann Gundert

Hermann Gundert was a German missionary, scholar, and linguist, as well as the maternal grandfather of German novelist and Nobel laureate Hermann Hesse.

Hermann Gundert worked primarily at Tellicherry on the Malabar coast, in present day Kerala, India.

Hermann Gundert contributed to the fields of history, geography and astronomy.

Hermann Gundert gave the famous epithet "God's own country" to Kerala seeing the beauty of the land while he traveled from Kunnamkulam to Mangalore on a boat.

Hermann Gundert was born to Ludwig Gundert and Christiana Enslin, and was the couple's third child.

Hermann Gundert's father was the secretary of the Bible Society and started a missionary magazine in 1823, which gave the young Gundert his first experiences in printing and publishing.

Hermann Gundert originated from French-speaking Switzerland and had come to India in the same party.

In Trivandrum Hermann Gundert had an audience with His Highness Sree Swathi Thirunal Maharaja, the ruler of Travancore.

At times Hermann Gundert had five Pandits in his house, discussing old Indian history, philosophy and religion and studying classical Indian literature.

At his numerous visits to the villages around Tellicherry, Hermann Gundert got in close contact with the people, collected as many words, phrases and proverbs as possible and spread the Gospel.

Hermann Gundert appointed teachers, wrote textbooks for schools, colleges and the newly established Madras University and compiled examination papers.

In Kerala, Hermann Gundert is venerated for his deep interest in the local culture as well as the development of the Malayalam language, for compiling grammatical books for school starters as well as for the University level.

Hermann Gundert is held in high regard to this day among linguistic experts in Kerala for the high scholastic aptitude exhibited in his work.

Apart from the early inscriptions found on copper and stone, Hermann Gundert traced Malayalam to the Rama Charitam, a poem predating the Sanskrit alphabet.

Hermann Gundert is highly regarded among linguistic experts and his dictionary has been described as "monumental" in a review of the work on Dravidian languages.

Hermann Gundert published many books and articles as well as several magazines, including a children's magazine.

The Nobel laureate, Hermann Hesse was his grandson through his daughter, Marie Gundert.