Vedanayagam Samuel Azariah (1874-1945) was the Anglican Churchs first Indian bishop. Zealous to promote church growth, he was also a strong advocate of ecumenism and church unity among Indias numerous Protestant denominations.

His father was a village vicar and his mother spent long hours on her sons religious instruction. After more than a decade working with the Young Mens Christian Association (YMCA), he was ordained a priest in 1909, and in 1912 was ordained bishop of the new Diocese of Dornakal, a populous diocese located in two parts of Madras.