Mar Thoma College is an institution of higher education located in
Tiruvalla
Thiruvalla, alternately spelled Tiruvalla, is a town in Kerala and the Headquarters of the Taluk of the same name located in Pathanamthitta district in the State of Kerala, India. The town is spread over an area of . It lies on the banks of ...
in the south Indian state of
Kerala
Kerala ( ; ) is a 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 regions of Cochin, Malabar, South ...
.
The college is affiliated with
Mahatma Gandhi University and offers 12 undergraduate, 10 post-graduate, and 7 doctoral programmes.
The college is accredited by the
National Assessment and Accreditation Council
The National Assessment and Accreditation Council (NAAC) is a government organisation in India that assesses and accredits Higher Education Institutions (HEIs). It is an autonomous body funded by the University Grants Commission and headquarte ...
(NAAC).
Overview
Mar Thoma College was founded by the
Mar Thoma Syrian Church of Malabar
The Malankara Mar Thoma Syrian Church, often shortened to Mar Thoma Church, and known also as the Reformed Syrian ChurchS. N. Sadasivan. A Social History of India'. APH Publishing; 2000. . p. 442. and the Mar Thoma Syrian Church of Malabar ...
in 1952 as a junior college offering two intermediate courses.
Alexander Mar Thoma
Alexander Mar Thoma XIX Metropolitan (10 April 1912 – 11 January 2000) was the Metropolitan of the Malankara Mar Thoma Syrian Church with its center in Kerala state in south-western India.
Early life
Family
In the state of Kerala, India, ...
was the school's founding principal. It has been affiliated with the
University of Kerala
University of Kerala, formerly the University of Travancore, is a state-run public university located in Thiruvananthapuram, the state capital of Kerala, India. It was established in 1937 by a promulgation of the Maharajah of Travancore, Chit ...
since its inception. When
Mahatma Gandhi University was established in 1983,
the college was brought under its affiliation and two years later, two of the departments of the college, English and zoology, were recognized as research centres to commence doctoral programmes. In 1998, the
National Assessment and Accreditation Council
The National Assessment and Accreditation Council (NAAC) is a government organisation in India that assesses and accredits Higher Education Institutions (HEIs). It is an autonomous body funded by the University Grants Commission and headquarte ...
extended accreditation to the college, the first college in Kerala and one of the first colleges in India to receive the NAAC accreditation.
The college was re-accredited with A Grade in 2005 and the
central government
A central government is the government that is a controlling power over a unitary state. Another distinct but sovereign political entity is a federal government, which may have distinct powers at various levels of government, authorized or dele ...
accreditation agency retained the grading at A during its reassessment in 2012. The NAAC has extended the period of accreditation to seven years(till 2019) as the college has obtained the highest possible grades in two consecutive accreditations.
The college is a member of United Nations Academic Impact (UNAI) and All India Association of Christian Higher Education. It hosted the 29th Kerala Science Congress in 2017. Dr. Alexander Mar Thoma Metropolitan (Rev.MG Chandy), Padma Shri Samuel Paul( an Indian scholar, economist, former visiting professor at Harvard Business School, advisor to the World Bank and the UN Commission on Transnational Corporations), Dr. A.V Varghese, Dr. J.V. Vilanilam (both former Vice Chancellors) were among the distinguished faculty of the college.
The college campus is located in
Kuttappuzha,
a small hamlet in
Tiruvalla
Thiruvalla, alternately spelled Tiruvalla, is a town in Kerala and the Headquarters of the Taluk of the same name located in Pathanamthitta district in the State of Kerala, India. The town is spread over an area of . It lies on the banks of ...
,
known for the
Sreevallabha Temple, one of the oldest temples in Kerala.
Tiruvalla
Thiruvalla, alternately spelled Tiruvalla, is a town in Kerala and the Headquarters of the Taluk of the same name located in Pathanamthitta district in the State of Kerala, India. The town is spread over an area of . It lies on the banks of ...
town is 2 km away and the distance to the state capital,
Thiruvananthapuram
Thiruvananthapuram (; ), also known by its former name Trivandrum (), is the capital of the Indian state of Kerala. It is the most populous city in Kerala with a population of 957,730 as of 2011. The encompassing urban agglomeration populati ...
and the commercial city of
Kochi
Kochi (), also known as Cochin ( ) ( the official name until 1996) is a major port city on the Malabar Coast of India bordering the Laccadive Sea, which is a part of the Arabian Sea. It is part of the district of Ernakulam in the state of K ...
are 120 km
and 89 km respectively. The campus is near to many centres of pilgrimage such as
Niranam Church
Niranam Pally, popularly known as Niranam Valiya Pally or St. Mary's Orthodox Syrian Church, Kadapra, is a church under the Niranam Diocese of the Malankara Orthodox Syrian Church. It is believed that this church was one of the Church along wit ...
,
Kaviyoor Mahadevar Temple
Kaviyoor Mahadevar Temple is one of the important Siva temples in Kerala, located in Kaviyoor, Tiruvalla Pathanamthitta District, Kerala, India. It is commonly called Thrikkaviyoor Mahadeva Temple. The main deity is Lord Mahadeva (Shiva) wit ...
and
Parumala Church
St. Peter's and St. Paul's Malankara Orthodox Church also known as Parumala Pally is a famous church in Kerala, India. This church is located in Parumala in Thiruvalla Taluk In Pathanamthitta district and is a pilgrimage center and mausoleum o ...
, besides the
Sreevallabha Temple.
The college is coeducational
and has a student strength of about 1800.
The administration is under a manager deputed by the
Mar Thoma Syrian Church
The Malankara Mar Thoma Syrian Church, often shortened to Mar Thoma Church, and known also as the Reformed Syrian ChurchS. N. Sadasivan. A Social History of India'. APH Publishing; 2000. . p. 442. and the Mar Thoma Syrian Church of Malabar ...
and is headed by a principal who is assisted by 80 teaching and 45 non teaching staff. It offers 12 under graduate, 10 post graduate, seven doctoral and many other non formal programmes.
Departments
The academics is sectioned into independent departments based on subjects of instruction such as English, Malayalam, Hindi, Mathematics, Statistics, Physics, Chemistry, Botany, Zoology, Economics, History, Political Science, Commerce, Physical Education and Bio-Sciences (SF).
Non teaching programmes have a separate department handing them while non formal computer educational programmes are handled by ''Mar Thoma College Institute of Computer Sciences'', a subsidiary functioning under the same management.
Notable alumni
*
John Abraham
John Abraham (born 17 December 1972) is an Indian actor, film producer, writer and former model working in Hindi films. He has won a National Film Award and received five Filmfare nominations.
After modelling for advertisements and companies ...
, film director, short story writer, and screenwriter
*
Mathew T. Thomas, Minister for Water Resources, Government of Kerala
*
Nayanthara
Diana Mariam Kurian, known professionally as
Nayanthara, is an Indian actress and film producer who is known for her work in Tamil, Telugu and Malayalam films. She was in the ''Forbes India'' "Celebrity 100" 2018 list, with her total annual ...
, actress
*
Blessy
Blessy Ipe Thomas is an Indian film director and screenwriter who works in Malayalam cinema. He has won one National Film Awards, National Film Award and six Kerala State Film Awards for his feature films ''Kaazhcha'' (2004), ''Thanmathra'' (20 ...
, film director and writer
*
Kaviyoor Sivaprasad
Kaviyoor Sivaprasad is a Malayalam film director, screenwriter and visiting faculty of Malayalam University and SJCC. He is the father of actor-director Sidhartha Siva.
Awards
* 2016: ''Chalachithra Prathiba Award'' by the Kerala Film Critics ...
, National Film Award Winner, film director, writer, and actor
*
Sidhartha Siva
Sidhartha Siva (born 5 May 1985) is an Indian film director, producer, actor, screenwriter and lyricist, who works in Malayalam cinema.
Early life
His hometown is Kaviyoor in Kerala. He is the son of filmmaker Kaviyoor Sivaprasad.
Film career ...
, National Film Award Winner, film director, writer, and actor
*
K. C. Joseph, Opposition Deputy leader, Kerala Assembly
*
K. George Thomas, Shanti Swaroop Bhatnagar Awardee
*
Vishnu Vinod
Vishnu Vinod (born 2 December 1993) is an Indian cricketer who plays for Kerala in domestic cricket. He is a right-handed wicket-keeper-batter and occasional medium pacer.
Early life
Vishnu was born on 2 December 1993 on Kallissery of Cheng ...
, Kerala and Royal Challengers Bangalore wicketkeeping batsman
*
Prasanth Alexander
Alexander Prasanth is an Indian actor who primarily appears in Malayalam films. He made his debut through the 2002 movie '' Nammal''.
Career
Prasanth began his career as an anchor of Crazy Records on Asianet. He made his acting debut in 2002 ...
, Actor, Malayalam Film Industry
See also
*
List of colleges affiliated with Mahatma Gandhi University
Engineering
Engineering colleges are affiliated to Mahatma Gandhi University, Kerala till 2014-15. From 2015-16 engineering colleges in Kerala state are affiliated to KTU.
# Adi Shankara Institute of Engineering and Technology, Kalady
# Ad ...
References
External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Mar Thoma College
Christian universities and colleges in India
Arts and Science colleges in Kerala
Colleges affiliated to Mahatma Gandhi University, Kerala
Universities and colleges in Pathanamthitta district
Educational institutions established in 1952
Mar Thoma Syrian Church
1952 establishments in India