Ulloor S. Parmeswara Iyer was born on 6 June 1877 at Changanacherry in Kerala. His father, Subramonia Iyer was then a Malayalam teacher in the local school. His ancestral home was at Ulloor, a northern suburb of the city of Trivendrum. The poet is known in Kerala by the familiar diminutive 'Ulloor'. His father's premature death dimmed his prospects for higher education. However, his mother's preservance led him to join the Maharaja's College at Trivendrum, wherefrom he graduated in 1897 with honours in Philosophy. Thereafter he entered the Srvices of the Travancore State. While in service, he studied and tok a degree inLaw as well as Master's degree in Malayalam and Tamil. He rose the high office of Land revenue and Income Tax Commissioner and also officiated as Chief Secretary of the State. Ulloor's abiding fame and imposing contributions are as a versatile and gifted man of letters. His literary output was tremendous. His poetic talents surfaced early and was fostered by his afther and encouraged by his literary patrons.

Ulloor is a perfect classicist and his poetry bears the stamp of erudiction and scholarship. His epic 'Umakeralam' is chaste and blemishless. When the short narrative poems (Khanda Kavya) were in vogue, he wrote 'Karnabhooshanam' and 'Pingala' which to this day remain inimitable. His poems are poignant personal utterances through the fire and the feeling are camouflaged under myth and allegory. The magnum opus of Ulloor is the monumental history of Malayalam literature, which was posthumously published by the Kerala University. It is as significant a work as the Cambridge History of English Literature.

He was an exceptionally discrening circle with a sense of history, a profound grasp of the classical spirit and meticulous attention to details. He made a deep study of ancient literature and palm leaf manuscripts. He brought to light the earliest Malayalam poem 'Rama Charitham' and the earliest Malayalam prose 'Dutavakyam'. Many cantos of 'Kannassa Ramayanam' were annotated and edited by him. A colossus, he dominated the literary life of Kerala for nearly half a century.

He passed away on 15 June 1949 at the age of 72. The Indian Posts and Telegraphs Department feels privileged to issue a special postage stamp in his honour.

Source : Information Folder issued by Indian Posts & Telegraph Department, Government of India