Kuriakose Elias Chavara Chair

The Kuriakose Elias Chavara Chair was established at the University in 2015 on the special occasion of the canonisation of the blessed Kuriakose Elias Chavara. The chair has been established to commemorate the great services and contributions of St. Kuriakose Elias Chavara to the field of education in Kerala during the 19th century. St. Kuriakose Elias Chavara founded the first Sanskrit School in 1846 at Mannanam, at a time when English Education was not accessible to the Catholic community in the region. The chair aims to facilitate in-depth research and analysis of Kerala’s history and society, offering scholars and students an academic platform to explore these areas.

A chair in the name of St. Chavara serves as a tribute to the great man, who, despite limited opportunities, mastered six languages, established a press for printing and publishing, and introduced the first Malayalam daily, Deepika, and various books in 1846, thereby promoting education.