V. Gopalsamy Rajaliar (வா. கோபாலசாமி ரகுநாத இராசாளியார்), was a Tamil scholar and researcher, and founder of Saraswathi Mahal Library, located in Thanjavur district, Tamil Nadu, India. He was President of Indra Kuladibar sangam, and a key person in the establishment of Madurai Tamil sangam.
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Rajaliar was born in 1870 at Haridwaramangalam in Thanjavur District to Vasudeva Ragunatha Rajaliar. His family was wealthy. He attended school in Thanjavur and Kumbakonam, but he had to abandon his studies after his father's death.
Rajaliar started a library and hospital for the poor. He created an archive of books in Tamil, English, and Sanskrit. Thiruvaduturai Adeenam, after seeing the wealth of books available in Rjaliar's library, called it the Saraswathy Mahal. When U. V. Swaminatha Iyer was searching for Puṟanāṉūṟu poems, he was able to find some needed items from Rajaliar’s library that were available nowhere else. He mentions this in the introduction to his book.
Rajaliar was in close relation with many Tamil scholars, including Maraimalai Adigal; he was the first person who donated to Maraimalai Adigal. Scholar Arasan Sanmuhanar, in his book Tholkapiya Panviruthi, praised Rajaliar; he said that he helped him when he was sick by providing free consultations and medicine in his hospital and made a donation towards the completion of his book.
Following the traditional role of the Kallar and Maravar kings and chieftains of Tamil Nadu as the patrons of Tamil poets and pundits, Rajaliar donated a lot of his wealth towards Tamil literature and other charities. He provided the main financial assistance towards the establishment of the Madurai Thamil sangam, established by Pandithurai Thevar in 1901.
Rajaliar joined the Indra Kuladibar sangam and acted as its President. In 1911, he was invited to attend the crowning ceremony of King George V as Emperor of India. Rajaliar requested King George to suspend the Criminal Tribes Act. King George suspended the Act and the Piranmalai Kallars were set free.
Rajaliar served as a Tamil scholar and researcher until his death in 1920 in Haridwaramangalam, Thanjavur, at the age of 50.