[2] Swaminatha Iyer was born in Tamil-speaking Brahmin family on 19th February 1855 in the village of Suriyamoolai and grew up in Uthamadhanapuram, near Kumbakonam in Tamil Nadu.

During his tenure at the College, Swaminatha Iyer met Salem Ramaswami Mudaliar, a civil munsif who had been recently transferred to Kumbakonam.

When Iyer read the opening verses of Chintamani, he found the stanzas praised a god, as was customary, but intriguingly did not mention any specific deity.

Determined to reconstruct the Pattupattu, Iyer traveled extensively across Tamil Nadu, collecting materials related to the work.

[6] In 1890, while searching for copies of Silapathikaaram, Iyer discovered additional Pattupattu manuscripts, which he used to produce a revised edition of the text.

To enhance his understanding of the musical references, he delved into texts such as Kachapuda Venba, Thaala Samudram, and Suddhantha Prasadham.

Some of these poets had also authored other works, prompting Iyer to study those poems to better understand their writing styles and themes.

While researching, Iyer observed that some Purananuru poems were referenced in Tholkappiyam's Porul Athikaaram, which provided additional insights.

He also gathered historical and geographical information related to figures like Athiyamaan and Karikal Valavan and locations such as Venni.

Along with the text, he included notes on various countries, regions, mountains, rivers, and historical figures mentioned in the poems, offering a broader context to readers.

Swaminatha Iyer's publications threw light on the presence of Tamil music in the earlier centuries and paved the way for serious research on the subject.

Swaminatha Iyer published his autobiography, En Saritham, serialised in the Tamil weekly Ananda Vikatan, from January 1940 to May 1942.

[12] Running into 762 pages, the book is an excellent account of the life and times of villages, especially in the Thanjavur district in the late 19th century.

Besides writing his autobiography, U. V. Swaminatha Iyer also authored a two-volume biography of his tutor, Meenakshi Sundaram Pillai.

[17] Tamil poet and nationalist Subramania Bharati, who inspired the freedom movement with his songs, admired Swaminatha Iyer.

Not only did Tagore call on Swaminatha Iyer, but also penned a poem in praise of his efforts to salvage ancient classical Tamil literary works from palm leaf manuscripts.