  It has been about 115 years since the establishment of Kodaikanal Observatory
as an extension of the original Madras Observatory, which has evolved into the
present Indian Institute of Astrophysics at Bangalore. It is also the first
mountain observatory in India. Charles Michie Smith was the man who selected
the site, established the observatory and directed it for the first 12 years.
He was also the man who recruited John Evershed, discoverer of the famous
Evershed effect and established Kodaikanal Observatory as a major centre for
solar physics. Michie Smith, the person and the establishment of Kodaikanal
Observatory are discussed here in the context of the early studies in physical
astronomy (observational astrophysics) in India.
