Annamalai University is a public university at Annamalainagar near Chidambaram in Tamil Nadu, rooted in the educational work of Rajah Sir S. R. M. Annamalai Chettiar. In the early 1920s, he founded Sri Minakshi College together with institutions devoted to Tamil and Sanskrit studies, creating the academic nucleus from which the university developed. In 1928, he reached an agreement with the local government to transfer these institutions for establishment of a university. Annamalai University formally came into existence on 1 January 1929 under the Annamalai University Act. It developed as a residential, multi-faculty institution on a large campus and became known for bringing diverse disciplines into one integrated university environment. Its academic structure spans arts, sciences, Indian languages, engineering and technology, agriculture, education, fine arts and health-related subjects through multiple faculties and departments. The university has also played a significant role in widening access through distance education, complementing its residential and campus-based programmes. A major governance change occurred in 2013 when the Annamalai University Act, 2013 came into force, placing the institution under a new statutory framework. For much of its history the university operated as a unitary institution, but its role changed again in 2021 when it became an affiliating university for colleges in designated Tamil Nadu districts. This added a regional affiliation function to its established teaching and research responsibilities. The university’s large Annamalainagar campus contains academic departments, laboratories, libraries, hostels, sports facilities and other student infrastructure. Its location near Chidambaram and its long engagement with Tamil studies give the institution a strong cultural and linguistic dimension alongside science and professional education. Annamalai University’s identity is therefore shaped by three elements: its philanthropic origins, its development as a large residential multi-faculty university, and its later transformation into a public affiliating institution serving a wider network of colleges in northern coastal Tamil Nadu.