The conceptual origin point for the material in this collection is the main campus of The Dohnavur Fellowship (TDF) located in the foothills of the Western Ghats in southern Tamil Nadu. The material is largely paper-based, a mix of handwritten, typed and printed, ranging from the early 1900s to 1990s. It includes field diaries, field notes, sketches, log-books, books of songs, photos, slides, maps and graphs, all with information on the flora, fauna, biodiversity of this region and sustained weather observations. It is mostly in English with notes in Tamil. Many materials move back and forth between the main campus and the Naraikadu retreat.
The Collection has been arranged into the following series and sub-series:
Series 1: Pedagogic material - environment, with sub-series, Songs - Environment.
Series 2: Sketches - Environment, with no sub-series but folders organised by theme.
Series 3: Dohnavur Biodiversity - notes and diaries, recorded by individual TDF family members-naturalists, Godfrey Webb-Peploe (GWP).
Series 4: TDF family records - Dohnavur, with no sub-series but individual folders organised by item name.
Series 5: Weather observations with sub-series on Weather graphs.
Also see AR-027 Naraikadu Collections.
The Dohnavur Fellowship (TDF) is a non-denominational Christian charity not affiliated with any institutional Christian administrative and/or theological bodies. It was founded in 1901 by Amy Carmichael (1867-1951), an Irish woman missionary who lived and worked in India for most of her life. The charity runs a clinic, hospital, kindergarten, residential and day school, vocational training center, home for senior citizens, and a home for children and young women at their institutional campus in Dohnavur, Tirunelveli district, Tamil Nadu, near the foothills of the Western Ghats. The Fellowship and surrounding settlement were both named Dohnavur in honor of Count Dohna, a Prussian count who made a substantial donation to help establish Carmichael's charitable and educational endeavour.
Collection is open for access unless mentioned in specific folders of the finding aid.
The intellectual arrangement strives to preserve provenance and original order of the papers. Where an original order could not be found, the Processing Archivist has applied an order - see Content Description for details.
Processed as part of NCBS-PAST Saythu-Dohnavur: Collection of Collections 2025-26. For details, see
The material includes both paper-based and three-dimensional objects. As processing archivists we have imposed an order on the material bringing them under the series heading of 'pedagogic material - environment' as we recognise their use as teaching-learning aids in the schools and children' s home run by TDF. Additionally we have described the sub-series as 'Songs - Environment'. Although the songs are variously described as nature songs, forest songs, rounds and other songs, TDF had not explicitly classified them as such. Currently, the sub-series on objects is excluded from this collection as our focus is paper-based material and they require physical conservation before they can be handled safely. Also see AR-027-1.
It is possible that at least some songs on the environment and biodiversity were composed by various educators and caregivers ('amma' as Carmichael was known, 'sittie', 'acca' and 'annachie' as they were called) of TDF. However, orally all such songs and their conception as teaching-learning aids (though she did not label them as such; the label is our interpretation) are attributed to the founder Amy Carmichael. The specimens were processed on campus.
The sub-series 'Songs - Environment' is arranged in three folders, in an order created by us. This is because the material has moved around a lot and was salvaged from various locations of the campus: 1.Amma's songs with Pyarie sittie's drawings, 2.Wonder songs, Other songs and Rounds, 3."Forest Songs, Rounds and other songs". These songs were used as teaching-learning aids (though not labelled as pedagogic material by The Dohnavur Fellowship), both in the classrooms of the main campus and during their retreats to Naraikadu. Children were taught about the natural environment (sun, clouds, waterfalls, moonlight and so on) and flora and fauna of the region (antigonon, hibiscus, potter wasp, termite, red velvet puchie [insect] and so on) through these songs. Each song was set to a specific musical notation, usually taken from Christian 'choral' music. Also see AR-027-1-1 which are classroom copies while this sub-series appears to be personal copies.
Considering the individuals listed in this sub-series, the founder of The Dohnavur Fellowship (TDF) Amy Carmichael was referred to as 'Amma'. Pyarie sittie's given name and years can be inquired with the Donor. TDF maintains a handwritten list of its members. Non-Indian sisters were called 'sittie' and Indian sisters were called 'acca'. While the exact year for Pyarie sittie is currently unknown, by correlating with other material we can attribute her to Carmichael's time at TDF. The CEO notes that Naveena C was a gifted vocalist and music composer. David Rajamanian was a Secretary of TDF. For further details inquire with TDF.
Amma's songs with Pyarie sittie's drawings
Book of songs. Cloth and cardboard bound, typed and handwritten with original watercolor illustrations and musical notations for each song. Two titles noted on the brown paper cover in which the book is placed: "Game's book with Amma's Songs + Pyarie Sittie's Drawings" and "PAINTINGS OF PYARIE SITTIE: AMMA'S SONGS". The book appears to be the original copy from which all other copies and types of songs on the environment, such as rounds, forest songs and so on, were further developed and compiled. See AR-027-1-1-1. Item requires physical conservation before it can be sifted and scanned safely. Hence only a sample page that could be scanned without damaging the material further is available currently.
Access Level 1: Online. See
"Wonder songs, Other songs and Rounds"
Bound book, metal rivets, embossed paper as cover page with title in ink "Wonder songs, Other songs and Rounds". The inner leaf notes the name "A.R.David Rajamanian" and the date "18.03.1981". The book contains typed songs. It appears to be a personal copy of various songs on the environment. Also see AR-027-1-1-3.
Access Level 1: Online. See
"Forest Songs, Rounds and other songs"
Soft bound notebook with label titled "Naveena C: Forest Songs, Rounds and other songs". Handwritten, no date, appears to be a personal copy of Naveena C.
Access Level 1: Online. See
"Flower song music"
7 nos. loose leaf pages of musical notations. 4 pages could be lined, unknown author, in a brown envelope labelled "flower song music". Song titles written on top of each notation. The CEO of the Fellowship suggests that Naveena C (see AR028-1-1-3) could be the composer.
Access Level 1: Online. See
Dohnavur Fellowship Rounds and Forest Songs
1 nos item. Pamphlet titled "Dohnavur Fellowship Round and Forest Songs" printed at "R.P Offset Printers, Nellai-6. Ph : 335602".
Access Level 1: Online. See
The material is paper-based, loose-leaf and currently comprises 6 nos. sketches, sizes less than A4, one colour-pencil and rest watercolour. One of the sketches is dated 1919. The sketches offer glimpses into day-to-day life of the girls and sisters at TDF as they interacted with the biodiversity around them. The sketches were all salvaged at different points of time from various locations of TDF campus. Hence as processing archivists we have arranged them into two folders, without a sub-series, each named thematically as: 1. Landscape and built environment, 2. Daily life and ecosystem. It is extremely likely that more folders will be added as the donor institution continues to sort through their papers and identify further archival material.See Naraikadu collections AR-027-2 for similar material.
The sketches offer glimpses into day-to-day life of the girls and sisters in the plains and main campus of The Dohnavur Fellowship as they observed their natural and built environment. Read this series in conjunction with the similar series in Naraikadu collections, AR-027-2.
Landscape and built environment
1 sketch of the Moongate, stuck on cardboard colour pencil
Access Level 1: Online. See
Daily life and ecosystem
5 nos: 14.6 x 28.2 (girls, palm tree, weaver bird nests-watercolour stuck on cardboard); 12.4 x 10.5 (watercolour "climbing up the steps to school"); 13.6 x 11.4 (girls playing-watercolour); 10.3 x 17.5 (boys drinking water, watercolour+"p.129"@back); 17.6 x 25.5 (boys bathing/swinging-watercolour+"boys of a dramatic company seen...")
Access Level 1: Online. See
The conceptual origin point for the material in this collection is the main campus of The Dohnavur Fellowship (TDF) located in the foothills of the Western Ghats in southern Tamil Nadu. The material is largely paper-based, handwritten and printed with annotations, parts typed, dating to the early 1940s. It includes field diaries and notes with sketches on the flora, fauna and biodiversity of this region and expedition trails and observations along their trails. It is mostly in English with notes in Tamil.The series has been arranged into a sub-series on Godfrey Webb-Peploe (GWP) alias Devasamathanum Annachie.Also see AR-027-3 Naraikadu Biodiversity - notes and diaries
Carmichael was explicit that missionaries wanting to join the fellowship and become part of the TDF family should not exclusively be preachers or theologicians. Each of them had to be skilled in at least one branch of knowledge or trade, whether doctors, engineers, naturalists and additionally they should be skilled educators capable of transferring their knowledge to children of diverse age groups successfully. Various members of the TDF family continue to regularly observe and record nature (flora and fauna) and weather at this retreat in the logbooks, their personal journals, diaries, along with sketches and songs. The textual and visual material however were created not just by today's members but also by those in the colonial period including Amy Carmichael, Godfrey Webb-Peploe and others, who were among the first naturalists to record the region's flora and fauna.
The material includes (a) field notes, (b) diaries, and (c) annotated bulletins; handwritten in pen & ink by Godfrey Webb-Peploe (GWP) during his time and over many visits to the different eco systems in and around Dohnavur including grasslands and scrublands. They include sketches in colour. The diaries are written between 1940 and 1943. The first page has his initials 'GWP' along with the year. Few of them have dates and months too. The diaries are covered with cloth, hand-embroidered legend on the spine: 'D' as a notation for Dohnavur alongwith 'H' for Herbs or 'T' for Trees, 'G' for Grass, 'S' for Shrubs, 'C' for Crops, 'S-I-Botany' for the "Index to Gamble's flora of Madras" and 'B-I-H-S Index' for the "Bombay Natural History Society journals". Where there is more than one diary, the spine carries the volume number. The colours of the cloth-cover are also indicative of his classification system: 'green' for Plants and the Gamble's Index and 'navy blue' for the bibliographic index of the Bombay Natural History Society Journal volumes. Also see AR-027-3-1 sub-series under Dohnavur collections.
Similar to other members of the Fellowship, Godfrey Webb-Peploe was not exclusively a Christian missionary. He was an administrator, teacher, musician and a naturalist with TDF from 1926 till his death in 1949. His observations of biodiversity at the Naraikadu retreat were published in the Journal of the Bombay Natural History Society (Source: Richard and Hopeland, 2017, Naraikadu - an Eden in the Western Ghats: then and now. TDF publication) He was in charge of the boys' dormitories and taught them to observe and record weather in a sustained manner.
GWP Field notes
Soft cover notebook, untitled. The CEO of the Fellowship attributes the penmanship to GWP.
Access Level 1: Online. See
GWP Diary - Crops of Dohnavur
Cloth covered notebook, embroidered legend on spine "D-C" titled "Crops of Dohnavur". We are including this 'file' under GWP Diaries based on similarity of handwriting, labelling and filing on campus - along with other books positively identified as GWP.
Access Level 1: Online. See
GWP Diary - Herbs and shrubs on the plains book 1
Cloth covered notebook, embroidered legend on spine "H-S-C-1" titled "Herbs and shrubs on the plains book 1" and positively identified as GWP Nov 1940.
Access Level 1: Online. See
GWP Diary - Herbs and shrubs on the plains book 2
Cloth covered notebook, embroidered legend on spine "H-S-C-2" titled "Herbs and shrubs on the plains book 2"and positively identified as GWP Feb 1942.
Access Level 1: Online. See
GWP Diary - Trees on the plains
Cloth covered notebook, embroidered legend on spine "D-T" titled "Trees on the plains" and positively identified as GWP Nov 1940.
Access Level 1: Online. See
GWP Diary - Grasses of Dohnavur
Cloth covered notebook, embroidered legend on spine "N-D-G" titled "Grasses of Dohnavur, foothills and Naraikadu" and positively identified as GWP Sep 1943.
Access Level 1: Online. See
GWP Diary - S-I-Botany
Cloth covered notebook, embroidered legend on spine "S-I-Botany" titled "Index to Gamble's flora of Madras"and positively identified as GWP 1941.
Access Level 1: Online. See
GWP Diary - B-I-H-S Index
Embroidered legend on spine "B-I-H-S Index" titled "Bombay Natural History Society journals". We are including this 'file' under GWP Diaries based on similarity of handwriting, labelling and filing on campus - along with other books positively identified as GWP.
Access Level 1: Online. See
The conceptual origin point for the material in this collection is Naraikadu, a spiritual retreat of The Dohnavur Fellowship (TDF) located in the mid ranges of the Western Ghats biodiversity hotspot in southern Tamil Nadu. The various logbooks are paper-based, handwritten in long notebooks with entries ranging from 1918 to 2022. They contain a mix of notes on daily life, prayer, forest expeditions, nature and weather observations by various members of the TDF family. The earliest set of notes and observations are written by the founder, Amy Carmichael. Other contributors include Godfrey-Webb Peploe (also see AR-027-3-1 and AR028-3-1) and other members of the TDF family. The oldest logbooks with maximum number of entries related to biodiversity and weather observations have been selected for digitisation. The series has no sub-series but individual folders organised by item name.
Naraikadu was so named by the founder of TDF, Amy Carmichael (1867-1951). The retreat has a few cottages built using local materials with no modern infrastructure or amenities such as road access, electricity, indoor plumbing or furniture, and tropical rainforest at the doorstep. TDF refers to each cottage as a house, such as Forest House, Jungle House and so on. Since inception TDF's staff, volunteers, teachers, caregivers, administrators, students, children (henceforth TDF family as they are referred by the institution) has maintained log books in each of these houses.
Printed pamphlet on Vanacharbu (Woodland)
The material is a printed pamphlet on the boys section of The Dohnavur Fellowship main campus titled 'Vanacharbu (woodland)'. An in-house publication, it was written in 1989 by Devapiriam D A and edited by Dr. D.A. Thejus. It is included due to its archival value to the collection as it summarises the establishment and growth of the Fellowship including the founder's ideology. The writer was a life-long member of the The Dohnavur Fellowship family and is still remembered for organising annual marathons from the main campus to Naraikadu. He was the school headmaster and much like Godfrey Webb-Peploe earlier was in charge of the boys section for some years.
Access Level 1: Online. See
The conceptual origin point for the material in this collection is the main campus of The Dohnavur Fellowship (TDF). However the material also contains observations at Naraikadu, their spiritual retreat located in the mid ranges of the Western Ghats biodiversity hotspot in southern Tamil Nadu. The material is largely paper-based, handwritten, dating from the 1940s onwards. It includes field diaries and notes of their daily weather observations including cloud type, rainfall and temperature. It is a mix of English and Tamil.
Loose-leaf weather graphs plotting daily records of rainfall, lightning, thunder and temperature at both Naraikadu and main campus of TDF for that year.
Weather graphs - 1984
12 nos. loose-leaf material. A2 size graphs, one for each month of the year.
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Weather graphs - 1987
11 nos. loose-leaf material. A2 size graphs, one for each month of the year except Jan.
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Weather graphs - 1988
12 nos. loose-leaf material. A2 size graphs, one for each month of the year.
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Weather graphs - 1991
1 nos. loose-leaf material. A2 size graph for the month of Jan.
Access Level 1: Online. See