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Founder

Sree Neelakanta Government Sanskrit College ,Pattambi is a monument to the pioneering Sanskrit scholar Panditharajan Punnasseri Nampi Neelakanta Sharma, who founded the Institution in 1889 as a Sanskrit school called `Saraswathodyothini' at Perumudiyoor, near Pattambi.The Sanskrit school was once famous as the `Nalanda on the banks of the Nila' (Bharathapuzha), attracting students of all castes from far and near at a time when learning Sanskrit was a monopoly of the upper castes.Born in the year 1858 and brought up in an Orthodox Brahmin atmposphere Nampi later become a towering figure in the cultural renaissance of Kerala through his activities to promote Sanskrit Education.

PUNNASSERI NAMPI NEELAKANTHA SARMA(1858-1935)

A PROFILE

Prepared by Dr.P.V.Ramankutty

Birth

17.06.1858

Father

Narayana Sarma

Mother

Pappimanayamma

Grand father

Sreedharan Nampi, Litterateur.

Nampi’s teachers

Arangottur Variyar, Govinda Marar, Kulukkallur Unnikkantha Variyar, Chelur Keralavarma Unithiri, Appusastri, Kunjunni Moosad etc.

1871

Nampi;s initiation into learming (Upanayana)

1873

Samavartana

1873

Undertook the task to publish the Pattambi Panchanga the Ganitha or calculation of which was done by  Nampi himself.

1883

Started publishing Vijnanacintamani with the help of Vellanasseri Vasunni Moosad

1876-1888

     Gurukulavasa at the residence of his preceptor, Kunjunni Moosad

1888

Death of Kunjunni Moosad

Sept,1889

Established the Sarasvatodyotini Samskrita Pathasala

1889

Pilgrimage to various temples.

1890

Nampi composed his first poem on Engayur Bhagavati

1892

Nampi;s great two-hour-long oratioin in Sanskrit at Kottayam in the first meeting of the Bhashaposhini Sabha

1893

Death of mother

1895

JHourney to places like bhavani, Sriranga etc.

1895-98

Participation in the First, second, third and fourth Sahridayasamagama at Kozhikode

1898;              

Collection of the Sanskrit letters of Ettan Tampuran of Kozhikide and their  publication in Vijnanacintamani with an introduction.

1906-07

Govt. of Madras accorded sanction    for an annual maintenance grant of  Rs.130/- to the Sarasvatodyotini Samskrita Pathasala

1910

University of Madras recognised Sarasvatodyotini Pathasala as a model Samkrita Pathasala.

11.06.1911

The model Samdkrita Pathasa was transformed into Mahapathasala by name Central Sanskrit College, Pattambi.. The functioin was inaugurated by Vidyanidhi Krishnamacharyar

1911

The College had 12 teachers on the staff.

June,1912

First Annual Day Celebration s of the College.

1913

Publication of the 2nd edition of the Sanskrit letters of Ettan Tampuran with more letters.

1915

The first batch of 5 students appeared for the Sanskrit Vidwan examinatioin under the University of Madras all of which passed.

1915

A.R.Rajarajavarma inaugurated the Annual Day Celebrations

1917

42 non-caste Hindu students from the south joined the College.

1918

Kuttikrishna Marar passed out as the first Sahityasiromani of the  institution.

1922

Introduction of Malayalam vidwan course in the college

1926-27

The College Library had 770 books

1927

Mahakavi Ullur presided over the Annual Day Celebrations

Dec, 6th to13th, 1929

 First six-day-long Raghuvamsa Prabhashana at

 

 

Jan 16th to 23rd 1930

  2nd six-day-long Raghuvamsaprabhashana at Ernakulam  Thiruvananthapuram

1932

Briant, the then Malabar Collector inaugurated the Annual Day Celebrations

1933

Nampi appointed as a member of the commission to submit a report on  Temple entry to the Non-caste-Hindus. The other two members of the commissioin were Mahakavi Ullur and Subramaniam Potti.

1935

The College Library had 1500 books

14.09.1935

Nampi’s demise.

 

The works authored by Nampi are the folowing :

  1. Ihapuraryastava
  2. Ghoshapuramaharajnicaritra
  3. Sailabdhiswarasataka
  4. Dipastambasataka
  5. Pattabhishekaprabandha
  6. Sringaramanjarimandana
  7. Visakhavijayollasanumodana
  8. Buddhashtaka
  9. Jyotissastrasubodhini(two parts)
  10. Prasnamargavyakhyana(for Uttarardha & Purvardha)
  11. Panchabodha(commentary)
  12. Chamalkarachintamani(commentary)
  13. Aasauchadeepika (commentary)
  14. Commentary for Mahishamangalabhana
  15.  Commentary for Sreekrishnavilasa (for the first four cantos)
  16. Raghuvamsaprabhashana
  17. Articles in Sanskrit (numerous)
  18. Single slokas (numerous)
  19. Publication of Vijnanachintamani for 28 years & 2 months
  20. Articles in Malayalam (several)
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