The CMS College (Church Missionary Society College), established in 1817, is one of the earliest Western-style colleges in India. The college is considered to be the oldest institution of higher education in India along with the Presidency College Calcutta. This college is located at Kottayam, in the Kottayam district of

Kerala Kerala ( , ) is a States and union territories of India, state on the Malabar Coast of India. It was formed on 1 November 1956, following the passage of the States Reorganisation Act, by combining Malayalam-speaking regions of the erstwhile ...

. It offers undergraduate and postgraduate courses in arts, commerce, and sciences. It also offers different vocational degree courses. It is affiliated to the

Mahatma Gandhi University, Kerala Mahatma Gandhi University (MGU), commonly referred to as MG University, is a state ownership, state owned public university headquartered in Kottayam in the state of Kerala, India. It was established on 2 October 1983 on Gandhi Jayanti day. Ma ...

. It has been given Autonomous status by the University Grants Commission, India. CMS College, Kottayam and Presidency College Calcutta, established in the same year, are the two earliest western-style colleges of India. The college is ranked 92nd among colleges in India by the

National Institutional Ranking Framework National Institutional Ranking Framework (NIRF) is a ranking methodology released annually by the Ministry of Education, Government of India, to rank institutions of higher education in India. The framework was approved by the former Ministr ...

(NIRF) in 2024.

History

CMS College Kottayam is known for producing a wide range of alumni and is a landmark in the history of both Kottayam and Kerala. Founded by the

Church Missionary Society The Church Mission Society (CMS), formerly known as the Church Missionary Society, is a British Anglican mission society working with Christians around the world. Founded in 1799, CMS has attracted over nine thousand men and women to serve as ...

of England, in 1817 when no institution existed in what was then the princely state of

Travancore The kingdom of Travancore (), also known as the kingdom of Thiruvithamkoor () or later as Travancore State, was a kingdom that lasted from until 1949. It was ruled by the Travancore Royal Family from Padmanabhapuram, and later Thiruvanan ...

to teach English. CMS College Kottayam was patronised by Col. John Munro, the

East India Company The East India Company (EIC) was an English, and later British, joint-stock company that was founded in 1600 and dissolved in 1874. It was formed to Indian Ocean trade, trade in the Indian Ocean region, initially with the East Indies (South A ...

Resident, and

Dewan ''Dewan'' (also known as ''diwan'', sometimes spelled ''devan'' or ''divan'') designated a powerful government official, minister, or ruler. A ''dewan'' was the head of a state institution of the same name (see Divan). Diwans belonged to the el ...

of Travancore. The Rev. Benjamin Bailey was the first principal. Apart from English, Greek and Latin were taught. The government of India welcomed the college as ''"a place of general education hence any demands of the state for officers to fill all the departments of public service would be met"''. In the early years of the Old Seminary ( Orthodox Pazhaya Seminary), the curriculum included the study of

Latin Latin ( or ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic languages, Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally spoken by the Latins (Italic tribe), Latins in Latium (now known as Lazio), the lower Tiber area aroun ...

Greek Greek may refer to: Anything of, from, or related to Greece, a country in Southern Europe: *Greeks, an ethnic group *Greek language, a branch of the Indo-European language family **Proto-Greek language, the assumed last common ancestor of all kno ...

Hebrew Hebrew (; ''ʿÎbrit'') is a Northwest Semitic languages, Northwest Semitic language within the Afroasiatic languages, Afroasiatic language family. A regional dialect of the Canaanite languages, it was natively spoken by the Israelites and ...

Mathematics Mathematics is a field of study that discovers and organizes methods, Mathematical theory, theories and theorems that are developed and Mathematical proof, proved for the needs of empirical sciences and mathematics itself. There are many ar ...

History History is the systematic study of the past, focusing primarily on the Human history, human past. As an academic discipline, it analyses and interprets evidence to construct narratives about what happened and explain why it happened. Some t ...

, and

Geography Geography (from Ancient Greek ; combining 'Earth' and 'write', literally 'Earth writing') is the study of the lands, features, inhabitants, and phenomena of Earth. Geography is an all-encompassing discipline that seeks an understanding o ...

besides English,

Malayalam Malayalam (; , ) is a Dravidian languages, Dravidian language spoken in the Indian state of Kerala and the union territories of Lakshadweep and Puducherry (union territory), Puducherry (Mahé district) by the Malayali people. It is one of ...

Sanskrit Sanskrit (; stem form ; nominal singular , ,) is a classical language belonging to the Indo-Aryan languages, Indo-Aryan branch of the Indo-European languages. It arose in northwest South Asia after its predecessor languages had Trans-cultural ...

, and Syriac. In 1838, the college moved to a wooded hillock — the present site — commanding views of the distant Western

Ghat Ghat (), a term used in the Indian subcontinent, to refer to the series of steps leading down to a body of water or wharf, such as a bathing or cremation place along the banks of a river or pond, the Ghats in Varanasi, Dhobi Ghat or the Aap ...

s. One of the oldest buildings in the campus is Room 52, or the "

Grammar School A grammar school is one of several different types of school in the history of education in the United Kingdom and other English-speaking countries, originally a Latin school, school teaching Latin, but more recently an academically oriented Se ...

", as it was originally called. A college magazine in

was started in 1864 by Principal Richard Collins, after whom the college library is named. In 1857 the college was affiliated to

Madras University The University of Madras is a public university, public State university (India), state university in Chennai (Madras), Tamil Nadu, India. Established in 1857, it is one of the oldest and most prominent universities in India, incorporated by an ...

soon after its incorporation, and the college began to present students for the

Matriculation Matriculation is the formal process of entering a university, or of becoming eligible to enter by fulfilling certain academic requirements such as a matriculation examination. Australia In Australia, the term ''matriculation'' is seldom used no ...

examination. It provided free education to all its students until 1855 when the fee of one Rupee per month per student was collected. The number of students in 1870 was 129. In 1880, Visakham Thirunal,

Maharaja of Travancore The Maharaja of Travancore was the principal title of the ruler of the Kingdom of Travancore in the southern part of Kerala, India. The Maharaja of Travancore was the topmost ruler of Travancore until 1949, when Travancore was acceded to India. ...

, observed on a visit to the college: ''"Long before the state undertook the humanizing task of educating the subjects, the Christian Missionaries had raised the beacon of knowledge in the land"''. In 1840, the number of students in the college was 220. In 1890, two-year classes were started, and the first batch of students, initially all men, was presented for the F.A. Examination in 1892. Female students were not admitted to the college until 1938. In 1950, Degree classes were started, and by 1960 the number of students in the college had risen to 1,250. Postgraduate classes were started in 1959. The college is now affiliated to Mahatma Gandhi University,

Kottayam Kottayam () is a city in the Kottayam district of Kerala, India. It is the district headquarters of the district and is located about north of the state capital Thiruvananthapuram. As per the 2011 Indian census, Kottayam has a population of ...

. In 1981, the

Synod A synod () is a council of a Christian denomination, usually convened to decide an issue of doctrine, administration or application. The word '' synod'' comes from the Ancient Greek () ; the term is analogous with the Latin word . Originally, ...

of the

Church of South India The Church of South India (CSI) is a united Protestant Church in India. It is the result of union of a number of Protestant denominations in South India that occurred after the independence of India. With a membership of over 4.5 million, it ...

transferred the management of the college to the C. S. I. Madhya Kerala Diocese. The 2006 Malayalam film

Classmates A classmate is a student who is a member of the same class, in any of its meanings (a course, a lesson, a graduating year). Classmate(s) may also refer to: * ''Classmates'' (1914 film), a 1914 silent film produced by the Biograph Company * ''Cl ...

was filmed here and was dedicated to the 1946-48 batch.

Managing Council

The CSI Madhya Kerala Diocese is in charge of CMS College Kottayam. The Managing Council is made up of thirteen individuals. All significant decisions relating to the college's governance are made by the Council, which convenes no fewer than four times annually.

Departments and courses

The college offers different undergraduate and postgraduate courses and aims at imparting education to the undergraduates of lower- and middle-class people of Kottayam and its adjoining areas. The college now has 17 Undergraduate and 18 postgraduate departments. There are six research centres in the college. Research work leading to the degree of

Doctor of Philosophy A Doctor of Philosophy (PhD, DPhil; or ) is a terminal degree that usually denotes the highest level of academic achievement in a given discipline and is awarded following a course of Postgraduate education, graduate study and original resear ...

is conducted in the departments of Botany, Zoology, Mathematics, Physics, Chemistry, English, and Commerce.

Science

Science faculty consists of the departments of Chemistry, Physics, Mathematics, Statistics, Computer Application, Botany, Zoology, Biotechnology, Home Science, and Economics.

Arts & Commerce

Arts and Commerce faculty consists of departments of Malayalam, English, Hindi, History, Political Science, Philosophy, Physical Education, Sociology, and Commerce (Finance & Accounting).

Accreditation

In 1999 the college was accredited by the

National Assessment and Accreditation Council The National Assessment and Accreditation Council (NAAC) is a public autonomous body of the government of India that assesses and accredits higher education institutions (HEIs) in India. It is funded by the University Grants Commission and hea ...

with five-star status. In 2004 the University Grants Commission accorded it the status of College with Potential for Excellence. In 2009, the CMS English department celebrated the Golden Jubilee of the introduction of a postgraduate programme.

Notable alumni

K. R. Narayanan Kocheril Raman "K. R." Narayanan (27 October 1920 – 9 November 2005) was an Indian statesman, diplomat, academic, and politician who served as the vice president of India from 1992 to 1997 and president of India from 1997 to 2002. Naray ...

, former

President of India The president of India (ISO 15919, ISO: ) is the head of state of the Republic of India. The president is the nominal head of the executive, the first citizen of the country, and the commander-in-chief, supreme commander of the Indian Armed ...

* K. T. Thomas, former Judge of the

Supreme Court of India The Supreme Court of India is the supreme judiciary of India, judicial authority and the supreme court, highest court of the Republic of India. It is the final Appellate court, court of appeal for all civil and criminal cases in India. It also ...

* K. P. S. Menon, first Indian Foreign Secretary after independence * Paulose II,

Malankara Metropolitan The Malankara Metropolitan, or the Metropolitan of Malabar, is an ecclesiastical title given to the head of the Malankara Syrian Church. It evolved from the sixteenth-century East Syriac metropolitans of India who were also styled as the Metro ...

and Catholicos of the Malankara Church *

K. M. Panikkar Kavalam Madhava Panikkar (3 June 1895 – 10 December 1963), popularly known as Sardar K. M. Panikkar, was an Indian statesman and diplomat. He was also a professor, newspaper editor, historian and novelist. He was born in Travancore, then a ...

, former ambassador to China * E. C. G Sudharshan,

physicist A physicist is a scientist who specializes in the field of physics, which encompasses the interactions of matter and energy at all length and time scales in the physical universe. Physicists generally are interested in the root or ultimate cau ...

* Roxy Mathew Koll, Climate Scientist * Jacob Chandy,

neurosurgeon Neurosurgery or neurological surgery, known in common parlance as brain surgery, is the medical specialty that focuses on the surgical treatment or rehabilitation of disorders which affect any portion of the nervous system including the brain, ...

N. N. Pillai N. N. Pillai (Narayana Pillai Narayana Pillai; 1918–1995) was an Indian playwright, actor, theatre director, orator, screenplay writer, lyricist and an I.N.A Freedom fighter. He served as Commanding Officer of Field Propaganda Unit under Su ...

, Actor, Script writer, orator, stage actor * Unni R., Short story writer, Novelist, Screenplay writer. * K. M. Mathew, former chief Editor of

Malayala Manorama '' Manorama'' is a morning newspaper in Malayalam published from Kottayam, Kerala, India by the Malayala Manorama Company Limited. Currently headed by Mammen Mathew, it was first published as a weekly on 14 March 1888, and currently has a rea ...

John Abraham John Abraham (born 17 December 1972) is an Indian actor and film producer who works in Hindi films. Known for his stoic action hero persona, he is a recipient of a National Film Award along with nominations for four Filmfare Awards. Abraham ha ...

, Film director and writer. * G. Aravindan, Film director and music director. *

Oommen Chandy Oommen Chandy (31 October 1942 – 18 July 2023) was an Indian lawyer and statesman who served as the 10th chief minister of Kerala, serving from 2004 to 2006 and 2011 to 2016. He served also as the Leader of the Opposition, leader of the opp ...

, Former Chief Minister of Kerala. * Kavalam Narayana Panikkar, poet, dramatist *

Kadammanitta Ramakrishnan M. R. Ramakrishna Panikkar (22 March 1935 – 31 March 2008), popularly known as Kadammanitta Ramakrishnan or Kadammanitta, was an Indian poet. He was born in Kadammanitta!! province of Pathanamthitta district, Kerala. His childhood experience ...

, Poet. *

Prem Prakash Cherian Joseph, popularly known as Prem Prakash is an Indian actor who predominantly works in Malayalam television serials and a producer in Malayalam movies. He is mainly known for supporting roles and character roles. He has produced 19 Mala ...

, Actor and Producer *

Jayaraj Jayarajan Rajasekharan Nair, professionally credited as Jayaraj (born 31 May 1960), is an Indian filmmaker, who predominantly works in the Malayalam cinema, Malayalam film industry. He has won many awards, including Crystal Bear at the Berli ...

, Film director *

B. Unnikrishnan Unnikrishnan Bhaskaran Pillai (born 14 August 1970), known mononymously as B Unnikrishnan, is an Indian film director, screenwriter, distributor and exhibitor who works in the Malayalam film industry. Early life Unnikrishnan. B. was born on 14 ...

, filmmaker and writer. *

Sooraj S. Kurup Sooraj S. Kurup is an Indian singer, composer and actor who has composed for Malayalam cinema, Malayalam films and Tamil cinema, Tamil films. He debuted as a feature film composer with the 2016 film ''Valleem Thetti Pulleem Thetti''. He made his ...

, Music director *

Anupama Parameswaran Anupama Parameswaran (born 18 February 1996) is an Indian actress who primarily works in Telugu, Malayalam and Tamil films. Anupama made her debut with the successful Malayalam film ''Premam'' (2015) and is known for her work in ''Kodi'' (2016 ...

, Actress *

Kummanam Rajasekharan Kummanam Rajasekharan (born 23 December 1952) is an Indian politician and former List of governors of Mizoram, governor of Mizoram (2018–2019). He began his political career as an activist of Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) and Sangh Pariva ...

, Former BJP State President * Suresh Kurup, MLA. * Anwar Abdullah, Film director, writer and Novelist *

Joshy Mathew Joshy Mathew (Malayalam: ജോഷി മാത്യു) an Indian film director in Malayalam cinema, started his career in 1984 as an assistant to renowned director P. Padmarajan. In 1992 he made feature debut with Nakshatra Koodaram (1992). ...

, Film Director *

Kanam Rajendran Kanam Rajendran (10 November 1950 – 8 December 2023) was an Indian politician who was a member of the Communist Party of India. He represented Vazhoor constituency in the Kerala Legislative Assembly from 1982 to 1991. In March 2015, he was el ...

, politician * Philip Augustine, Notable gastroenterologis

References

External links

*
CMS College, panoramic view

New book partly set in CMS College, Kottayam
*
CMS College Kottayam
wikimapia {{DEFAULTSORT:Cms College Kottayam Arts and Science colleges in Kerala Universities and colleges in Kottayam Universities and colleges affiliated with the Church of South India Colleges affiliated to Mahatma Gandhi University, Kerala Educational institutions established in 1817 1817 establishments in India Academic institutions formerly affiliated with the University of Madras CMS College Kottayam alumni