Mattur (or Mathoor) is a

village A village is a clustered human settlement or community, larger than a hamlet but smaller than a town (although the word is often used to describe both hamlets and smaller towns), with a population typically ranging from a few hundred ...

Shivamogga district Shimoga district, officially known as Shivamogga district, is a district in the Karnataka state of India. A major part of Shimoga district lies in the Malnad region or the Sahyadri. Shimoga city is its administrative centre. Jog Falls view ...

near the city of

Shivamogga Shimoga, officially known as Shivamogga, is a city and the district headquarters of Shimoga district in the central part of the state of Karnataka, India. The city lies on the banks of the Tunga River. Being the gateway for the hilly region o ...

Karnataka Karnataka (; ISO: , , also known as Karunāḍu) is a state in the southwestern region of India. It was formed on 1 November 1956, with the passage of the States Reorganisation Act. Originally known as Mysore State , it was renamed ''Karnat ...

state,

India India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...

, known for the usage of

Sanskrit Sanskrit (; attributively , ; nominally , , ) is a classical language belonging to the Indo-Aryan branch of the Indo-European languages. It arose in South Asia after its predecessor languages had diffused there from the northwest in the late ...

for day-to-day communication, although the general language of the state is

Kannada Kannada (; ಕನ್ನಡ, ), originally romanised Canarese, is a Dravidian language spoken predominantly by the people of Karnataka in southwestern India, with minorities in all neighbouring states. It has around 47 million native s ...

. Mattur is located by the

Tunga River The Tunga River (alternatively spelled Thunga) is a river in Karnataka state, southern India. The river is born in the Western Ghats on a hill known as ''Varaha Parvata'' at a place called '' Gangamoola''. From here, the river flows through two ...

around 4 kilometres from Shivamogga and has long been known as a centre of learning for Sanskrit and Vedic studies. According to copper plate inscriptions preserved by the archaeology department, Mattur along with neighbouring Hosahalli, were gifted to the people by the emperor of

Vijayanagara Vijayanagara () was the capital city of the historic Vijayanagara Empire. Located on the banks of the Tungabhadra River, it spread over a large area and included the modern era Group of Monuments at Hampi site in Vijayanagara district, Bell ...

in 1512. Sanskrit is the main language of a majority of the 5,000 residents of this village and is a required subject in schools. This rare trait received a significant boost in 1982 when Vishvesha Theertha, pontiff of

Udupi Udupi (alternate spelling Udipi; also known as Odipu) is a city in the Indian state of Karnataka. Udupi is situated about north of the educational, commercial and industrial hub of Mangalore and about west of state capital Bangalore by road. ...

Pejawara Matha Pejavara Matha is one of the Ashta Mathas of Udupi, which was started by Sri Adhokshaja Tirtha, who was a direct disciple of Sri Madhvacharya, the founder of the Dvaita school of Hindu philosophy. Till date, 32 Swamijis have headed this matha. ...

, visited the Mattur and dubbed it, "the Sanskrit village". The village has produced over 30 professors of Sanskrit who teach in universities across Karnataka. Mattur's twin village,

Hosahalli Hosahali is one of twin-villages Mattur-Hosahali, on the banks of the Tunga River in Karnataka state, southern India. It lies in an agricultural region where the main crop is the Areca nut. It is known for Sanskrit, Veda, Gamaka (story-telli ...

, shares almost all the qualities of Mattur. Hosahalli is situated across the bank of the

. These two villages are almost always referred to together. Mattur and

are known for their efforts to support Gamaka art, which is a unique form of singing and storytelling in Karnataka. Mattur has traditionally been home to a community of Sanketi

Brahmin Brahmin (; sa, ब्राह्मण, brāhmaṇa) is a varna as well as a caste within Hindu society. The Brahmins are designated as the priestly class as they serve as priests (purohit, pandit, or pujari) and religious teachers (gur ...

s but now includes Muslims,

Lambani The Banjara (also known as ,Vanzara,Lambadi,Gour Rajput,Labana) are a historically nomadic trading caste who may have origins in the Mewar region of what is now Rajasthan. Etymology The Banjaras usually refer to themselves as ''Gor'' and out ...

s, and backward classes among its residents. It has a

temple A temple (from the Latin ) is a building reserved for spiritual rituals and activities such as prayer and sacrifice. Religions which erect temples include Christianity (whose temples are typically called churches), Hinduism (whose temples ...

Rama Rama (; ), Ram, Raman or Ramar, also known as Ramachandra (; , ), is a major deity in Hinduism. He is the seventh and one of the most popular '' avatars'' of Vishnu. In Rama-centric traditions of Hinduism, he is considered the Supreme Bein ...

, a Shivalaya, Someshwara temple and Lakshmikeshava temple.

References

Sanskrit areas of India Sanskrit revival Cities and towns in Shimoga district {{Shimoga-geo-stub