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Pallikoodam or Ezhuthupally Pally is a word in
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 2 ...
and
Tamil Tamil may refer to: * Tamils, an ethnic group native to India and some other parts of Asia **Sri Lankan Tamils, Tamil people native to Sri Lanka also called ilankai tamils **Tamil Malaysians, Tamil people native to Malaysia * Tamil language, nativ ...
that denotes a
school A school is an educational institution designed to provide learning spaces and learning environments for the teaching of students under the direction of teachers. Most countries have systems of formal education, which is sometimes compuls ...
. These were mostly village schools run by individual teachers (Ezhuthu pally Aashaans or Asans or
Guru Guru ( sa, गुरु, IAST: ''guru;'' Pali'': garu'') is a Sanskrit term for a "mentor, guide, expert, or master" of certain knowledge or field. In pan- Indian traditions, a guru is more than a teacher: traditionally, the guru is a reverential ...
s) and were distinct from
Kalari A kalari is a gymnasium or training space primarily associated with the martial art of Kalaripayattu. The word ''kalari'' comes from Malayalam. In the past, village schools in Kerala, typically run by the traditional astrologer families, were kn ...
s that taught martial arts.


Etymology

The real meaning of ''Pallikkoodam'' is ''a sacred place for education''. In medieval Kerala, Jain Derasars and Buddhist viharas were known as 'Ezhuthupally Pally. When Budha bhiskhus started small schools, they were called Pallikkoodam. A generally accepted explanation of the
etymology Etymology ()The New Oxford Dictionary of English (1998) – p. 633 "Etymology /ˌɛtɪˈmɒlədʒi/ the study of the class in words and the way their meanings have changed throughout time". is the study of the history of the Phonological chan ...
of this Malayalam word is that it is a
blend word In linguistics, a blend (sometimes called blend word, lexical blend, portmanteau or portmanteau word) is a word formed from parts of two or more other words. At least one of these parts is not a morph (the realization of a morpheme) but instead ...
formed out of two Malayalam words ''Palli'' and ''Koodam'' and that this originated from the centuries-old Buddhist practice. The word Palli usually denotes respect. Palliunarthal referring to respectable word to describe the morning awakening of a king. Pallurakkam, is another word which commence with the same sound "palli" respectable word to express a King's sleep. It is not known from when the word "palli" started using in the language though but it denotes the respect attached to the word. Malayalam word for "Church / Mosque" is also later referred to as "Palli". Wherever existed, Buddhists missionaries were active in spreading literacy and education across . The Buddhist monasteries, known as the ''Viharas'' were turned into educational institutes as the demand went high for Buddhist teachings, These were called ‘''Palli''’ in Kerala. ''Ezhuthupalli'', that were run later near Hindu temples are considered to be school legacy of Viharas. The schools that were set up near to the temples were called as ''Ezhuthupalli''. Even now the schools in Kerala are called as ''Pallikoodam'' in Malayalam. In
Sri Lankan Tamil Sri Lankan Tamils ( or ), also known as Ceylon Tamils or Eelam Tamils, are Tamils native to the South Asian island state of Sri Lanka. Today, they constitute a majority in the Northern Province, live in significant numbers in the Eastern Pr ...
, too, the word ''Pallikkoodam'' is used. Also said that it is used by the
Malankara Syrian Church The Malankara Church, also known as ''Puthenkur'' and more popularly as Jacobite Syrians, is the historic unified body of West Syriac Saint Thomas Christian denominations which claim ultimate origins from the missions of Thomas the Apostle. ...
in
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 C ...
to run a school ''along with'' (Malayalam word
കൂടെ
Transliteration: ''Koode'') each and every major ''church'' (Malayalam word: പള്ളി, Transliteration: ''Palli'') of the locality.


Types

There were different forms of Pallikoodams that were established across
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 C ...
offering different levels of education, with some regional variations. Kudippallikoodam was by far the most important, popular and wide spread form, since most of the students except clerics, priests or scholarly professionals would usually stop after receiving elementary education and start working on their professions.


Kudippallikoodam

Kudippallikoodam ( കുടിപ്പള്ളിക്കൂടം) also known as 'Aashan Pallikoodam' (ആശാൻ പള്ളിക്കൂടം) was a popular form of schooling. This was an indigenous elementary schooling method where an instructor or ''aashan'' (ആശാൻ) would teach young children about alphabets, numbers, elementary arithmetic, writing as well as general aspects of life such as personal discipline, cleanliness, morality and general knowledge. Young students are initially trained in writing by making them write on the sand. Once they are comfortable with writing on sand, the students would upgrade themselves to reporting on the standard writing medium i.e. palm leaves ( Thaliyola or
Palm-leaf manuscript Palm-leaf manuscripts are manuscripts made out of dried palm leaves. Palm leaves were used as writing materials in the Indian subcontinent and in Southeast Asia reportedly dating back to the 5th century BCE. Their use began in South Asia and sp ...
s) as the writing material and iron pen ( Narayam) as the writing instrument (stylus) to scribe on them. In the 20th century CE, the writing medium mostly got upgraded into wooden slates and chalk. This continued to be the case until the system almost entirely died out by the dawn of the 21st century CE.


Revival Efforts

Recent efforts have been undertaken to revive traditional teaching methods and tools. A noteworthy example is an initiative titled ''Malayalam Pallikoodam'' proposed by the famous Malayalam Poet V Madhusoodanan Nair. This initiative tried to revive the use of wooden slates instead of paper notebooks and pencils for teaching Malayalam and has received significant attention from parents.


See also

* Education in Kerala *
Institute of Human Resources Development The Institute of Human Resources Development (IHRD) was established by the Government of Kerala (India) in 1987, with the institutional centre at Thiruvananthapuram. IHRD has grown within a short period into a network of more than 50 instituti ...
* List of educational institutions in Kerala * Narayam, the writing instrument used to write on palm leaf-based documents. *
Palm-leaf manuscript Palm-leaf manuscripts are manuscripts made out of dried palm leaves. Palm leaves were used as writing materials in the Indian subcontinent and in Southeast Asia reportedly dating back to the 5th century BCE. Their use began in South Asia and sp ...


References

"The Buddhist History of Kerala". kerala.cc. Retrieved 4 April 2016. Link:{{reflist Education in Kerala Malayalam terms Schools in Kerala Tamil