A modest inception, surprising turns,
daunting crises and phenomenal
growth—perhaps this is the shortest, if
not the best, way to describe the story
of the college. In 1889, Sri Punnasseri
Nampi Neelakanta Sarma founded a
Sanskrit school in Perumudiyoor, a
sleepy hamlet near Pattambi, to
popularize the classical language.
Arguably, it was the natural extension
of Vijnanacintamani, a monthly he
had started two years ago with the same
intention. In fact, he went out of the
way to get a printing press installed in
his residential premises, a feat
unthinkable for most of his
contemporaries and quite unheard of in
the vicinity. The journal, however, was
to have a checkered existence, for
understandable reasons. Often Sarma had
to pay from his own pocket to bail out
his pet project and would find himself
impoverished in the fag end of his
eventful life.
The school, though stationed in British
Malabar, was more a guru kula
than the familiar structure of formal
education and drew disciples from all
over the princely states of Malabar,
Cochin and Travancore, largely
transcending the restrictive agency of
community. The splurge in number of
disciples called for a school of more
regular and formal nature. As in the
case of the aforementioned journal, the
school too made many holes in his
wallet. Much later, due to the incessant
and concerted appeals, the government
allowed a grant for the run and upkeep
of the school. Though the amount
sanctioned was meager, Nampi remained
unfazed and plodded along in his mission
to take Sanskrit to every nook and
cranny of the society. Combining his
innate energy with the aspirations of a
people, he pressurized the Madras
Government to elevate the school to the
status of a college. Eventually the
University of Madras, gave affiliation
in 1911, and the school came to be
rechristened ‘Central Sanskrit College’.
The college imparted training for 'Vidwan'
and 'Siromani' titles, roughly the
equivalent to present graduate diploma.
The institute attracted students from
far and wide. In due course of time, the
Central Sanskrit College became the hub
of scholastic debates and is reputed to
have spawned as many as thirty-five
institutions dedicated to the cause of
Sanskrit. Sri Punnasseri Nampi
Neelakanta Sarma steered the institution
to greater glory as the Principal for
twenty-five years, until his senile
demise in 1935.
After Sri Nampi's death, the college was
in a shackles and faced doldrums in the
absence of a pioneering and visionary
leasdership. After a spell of
management by alumni and general public,
the college was taken over by the
Malabar District Board in 1957 and was
passed into the hands of the first
Government of Kerala the following year.
Once a state-owned college, its history
was to change for ever, beyond
recognition. From a college with limited
aims, ambitions and resources, the
institute progressed into a
multi-faculty college by offering
programs in arts, science and commerce.
Degree courses in Sanskrit, Malayalam
and Economics were launched in 1966-67,
with affiliation of the University of
Kerala. In 1968-69, postgraduate
programs courses in Sanskrit and
Malayalam were also started. Pre-Degree
courses in Science and History (Groups
I,II,III) and new degree course in
economics (Pattern II) were started in
1969. Hindi and Malayalam were
introduced as second languages. A
college Co-operative society was
registered in November 1975 to cater to
the needs of students and teachers.
In 1979, the postgraduate departments of
Sanskrit and Malayalam got recognition
as Research Centers of the University.
It was a defining moment in the history
of the college in every sense of the
expression. In 1993 the institution was
upgraded as a "Centre of Excellence" by
the Government of Kerala. In 1997,
‘Centre for Oriental Research and
Computer studies’ was inaugurated by the
then Vice-President of India, Sri. K.R.
Narayanan. At present about thirty
scholars pursue research leading to
Ph.D. under five recognized supervisors.
The college has a well-stocked library, active units
of NCC and NSS, Career Guidance Cell,
Counseling Cell, Anti-Ragging Cell,
Anti-Harassment Cell, Entrepreneurship
Development Club, Film Club, Nature Club
and Tourism Club. To help teachers and
students fare better in their academic
odyssey, the college offers central
computers facilities, internet browsing,
printouts and photocopying unit.
