''Rajyasamacharam'' or ''Rajya Samacharam'' was the first

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 ...

journal published in

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 ...

. Its first issue came out in June 1847.

Hermann Gundert Hermann Gundert (Stuttgart, 4 February 1814 – 25 April 1893) was a German missionary, scholar, and linguist, as well as the maternal grandfather of German novelist and Nobel laureate Hermann Hesse. Gundert is chiefly known for his contribu ...

, the editor of the journal, was a religious propagator from the Basel Evangelical Mission society. Rajyasamacharam started publication from Illikkunnu,

Thalassery Thalassery () (also called Tellicherry) is a city and municipality on the Malabar Coast in Kannur district in the state of Kerala, India, bordered by the districts of Mahe and Kozhikode. Thalassery municipality has a population of just under ...

, in the

Kannur Kannur (), formerly known in English as Cannanore, is a city and Municipal corporation (India), municipal corporation in the state of Kerala, India. It is the administrative headquarters of the Kannur district and situated north of the maj ...

district of Kerala. It was published as eight cyclostyled sheets in demy octavo size produced from a litho press. The pages were without columns or cross heads and was in simple language. It was distributed free of cost. It helped in formulating the Malayalee reader's viewpoints against caste distinction and related injustices. It ceased publication in December 1850 and a total of 42 issues were published. In October 1847, Gundert started another publication called '' Paschimodayam''. It was also cyclostyled. It carried articles on history, natural science, geography and astrology. The other works of Gundert were ''Malayalabhaasha Vyakaranam'', a Malayalam grammar book, and the first Malayalam English dictionary. He also translated the

Bible The Bible is a collection of religious texts that are central to Christianity and Judaism, and esteemed in other Abrahamic religions such as Islam. The Bible is an anthology (a compilation of texts of a variety of forms) originally writt ...

into Malayalam.

References

{{Authority control Defunct Christian magazines Defunct magazines published in India Free magazines Magazines established in 1847 Magazines disestablished in 1850 Malayalam-language magazines Christian media in Kerala 1847 establishments in India 1850 disestablishments in India Defunct Malayalam-language newspapers Christian magazines published in India