Dr. Alvappillai Veluppillai is well-known in the field of Tamil Studies for his extensive knowledge of medieval Tamil literature, religion, linguistics, and epigraphy in South India and Sri Lanka. His extensive publication record ranges from 'Study of the Dialects in Inscriptional Tamil' (Trivandrum, 1976) to articles on “Some Significant Aspects of the Viracoliyam and its Commentary” and “Jaina Polemics Against the Buddhists in the Nilakeci” (Uppsala, 2000).  From 1984 to 1992, he served as chair of the Department of Tamil at Jaffna University, Sri Lanka, and was a guest Professor at the University of Uppsala in Uppsala, Sweden, for 10 years from1990.He currently teaches Indian religions at the Arizona State University, United States. He holds two Ph.D degrees (from the University of Ceylon/Peradeniya, 1962 and from the University of Oxford/U.K., 1964) in epigraphy and linguistics. He was awarded an honorary doctorate by Uppsala University/Sweden in 1996.