Historic Alleys

 Bhrahmaswom Madhoms

Sometimes you despair at how the Englishman corrupted the transliteration of a Malayalam or Sanskrit word, in this case, Mutt which actually stands for Madhom or Matha, a monastic institution for spiritual studies, certainly has nothing to do with stupid persons or mongrels. I had come across mentions of these Vedic universities while reading accounts of missionaries such as the Arnos Pathiri as well as some others and more recently when Vinod who led the conservation and renovation efforts, was in conversation with Arun at Intach Palakkad. As the discussion related to the work at the Bhramaswom madhom at Trichur, it piqued my interest, what with the connections to the Nediyirippu and the Preumpadappu, and I decided to delve deeper into it. The result of that short study follows, but I must admit that while the history of these schools interested me, I have virtually no knowledge of the Vedas themselves or their teaching methodology!

So much of amalgamation occurred in what we know as todays Kerala, there was an initial admixture of Buddhism and Jainism with Hinduism overriding Vedic influences from an even earlier age in history, a lack of hard-core Saivism and Vaishnavism, then a mixture of Advaitam and Dvaitam, finally ending up with an osmosis with more modern religions such as Islam, Christianity and Judaism. You can see all of it in Kerala and in a Malayali (the osmosis occurred between all religions) and that makes a Malayali religious tradition quite different, unique and one which provides ample study scope for an avid researcher. But as you can imagine, it is a vast subject and the study which follows will be specific to the institutions in Trichur, touching upon the school at Tirunavaya and skimming over the Revati Pattathanam at Calicut.

Long long ago, Jainism and Buddhism had a considerable following among the peoples inhabiting the mid regions of Kerala. The area around today’s Kodungallur, i.e. ancient Cranganore, was home to a number of viharas and home to Buddhists and Jains. Around the 6th century or shortly after, Hinduism started to gain ground in the rest of the country, but in the geographical area we are interested in, changes were slow, perhaps impeded by the Sahyadri mountains or the Western Ghats. Two centuries later, a more concerted effort was made to hasten change, to stamp out the followers of Buddha and Mahavira, and bring about a revival of Hinduism.

As the legends tell us, six eminent scholars namely Bhattacharya, Bhattabana, Bhattavijaya, Bhattamayukha, Bhattagopala and Bhattanarayana arrived, defeated the Buddhist scholars in scholarly debates and convinced the people around to follow Hinduism. Take it with a pinch of salt, for I have not come across a more critical or cynical person than a Malayali and as you can imagine, it is simply not feasible to make such a huge change, just like that! But that is how our revered Keralolpatti describes it. The first two of the scholars remained in the area, while the others wandered off, and these two who stayed, established the first of the Sastric schools. An illustrious disciple Prabhakara led these scholarly studies and dissemination of knowledge, all through his singular efforts.

Prabhakara and his Gurumatha system of philosophy were taught in a well-endowed school, supported not only by the ruling class, but also by traders such as the Kulottunga Chetty! This incidentally is what is known as the Mimamsa school of philosophy. Others such as Nilakanta, Narayana and later Melpathur continued this tradition. According to some scholars, there was a Padhasala (perhaps the Mimamsa school) at Thrikkanamathilakam during the reign of Chera dynasty, which was the first of the Vedic Institutions. From the Sahitya Charitram, we can also glean that numerous temples across some 32 villages came under the large Trikannamathilakam temple.

Fast-forwarding two centuries, we get to the work of the well-known Jagat Guru - Adi Sankaracharya, hailing from nearby Kaladi. While he propounded his Advaita ideology and traveled extensively in the North of the country, he was also instrumental in founding the four institutions or sabha madhoms at Trichur, associated with the Sanketam of the popular Vadakkunathan temple, namely the Vadakke Madhom, Naduvil Madhom, Edayil Madhom and finally the Tekke Madhom. He appointed as heads of these colleges, his principal disciples Trotaka, Sureswara, Hastamalaka and Padmapada.

Others opine that the four scholars arrived during the mahasamadhi of the Sanakaracharya at Trichur and the ruling Perumal sponsored the building of the four Madhoms on the eastern side of the Padinchare Chira, later. On the northern side of the Madhoms, the "Kotta" of the Yogiyar of Vadakkumnatha Temple was situated. This Yogiyar was appointed by the eminent Aazhvaancheri Thampraakkal in the presence of Valluvakkonaathiri, the representative of the Perumbadappu.

As you would infer, after the increasing popularity of Sankara, these Madhoms which produced a number of great disciples, made valuable contributions to the revival of Hinduism and made Trichur a particularly famous center of Vedic and Vedantic studies. Though these schools aided scholars from the rich and influential class of Namboothiries in Kerala, the messages to the masses came from others through a widespread Bhakti movement. Thus, it seems, over time, the grip which Buddhism and Jainism had in the region declined. A large number of temples for Siva and Vishnu were constructed during this period, endowed by their rich patrons, the rulers and landlords of each region.

The Thekke Madham was instituted by Padmapadacharya, the Edayil Madham by Thodakacharya, the Naduvil Madham by Sureshwaracharya and finally the Vadakke Madham by Hasthamalakacharya. The four Madhoms flourished but eventually due to some issues (related to succession primarily) they reduced to two sanyasi madhoms namely the Tekke Madhom and the Naduvil Madhom. The Edayil merged with the Tekke Madhom while the Vadakke Madhom remained only madhom or institution for the continuation of higher Vedic studies.

From the student’s point of view, the reader should also note that in the Namboothiri way of life, usually the eldest son took care of the family properties and the Illam, while the other sons went on to study the Vedas and later earn a living as a Vaidikan, qualified for priestly duties, or ordained as a scholar (Bhattathiri or a learned one). A large number dropped out due to the rigors of the academic courses, as you can very well imagine, and snuck around their illams, whiling away time and making do with vedi parachil (aimlessly shooting the breeze i.e. gossiping, eating well and enjoying the arts).

Now let us get to the structure of a Madhom. In general, a Madhom is a monastery (this shows some connection to a Jainist past) that hosts and feeds students, sanyasis (monks, renouncers, ascetics), gurus etc. and are led by Acharyas. These monasteries are usually attached to large Hindu temples and have their own codes of conduct, initiation and election ceremonies. The madhoms are not limited to imparting only religious studies, and historical evidence suggest that many were centers for diverse studies including medieval medicine, grammar and music. A madhom, like a college, designates teaching, administrative and community interaction functions, with titles such as Guru, Acharya, Swami and others. A typical example has teachers who are Gurus, the administrative functions being the responsibilities of Acharyas, and the community relation in the Swami’s purview. While the madhoms which Sankara started elsewhere propounded the teachings of Sankara, the four madhoms built at Trichur were clearly for sanyasa, Vedic and Vedanta studies as well as their dissemination.

Though we talked about Sankara and his Advaita philosophy, there was also a third school called Dviata philosophy, which became very popular in Kerala, what with an elaborate code of tantric rituals, duly prescribed by the Udupi Madhom. The followers of this school are the priestly class namely the Embrantharies, established at Tripunithara and favored by a section of the Cochin Royals.

Thus, Mimamsa, Advaita and Dvaita schools continued to flourish in Kerala which was by now known as the karmabhumi (remember our discussion of Pardesi pattars or Tamil Brahmins coming to Kerala - their karmabhumi, but maintaining connections with Tamilakam, their janmabhumi?). These Trichur madhoms have all been in existence for well over 1,200 years by now, serving scholars in the field of Vedic and Vedantic studies, together with the original mimamsa as well as Advaita and Dvaita systems also existing healthily in these locales, side by side, all using Sanskrit as their medium of instruction.

Before we go further, let us see what an upper-class student, (only a Namboothiri in the olden days) did in order to become a literate member of his society. After he had his thread ceremony or Upanayana, he had to complete his samhita, i.e. the study of the whole Vedic text and simply memorize it, usually without any understanding. At first the Samhita chanting or Adhyaya is taught by the teacher in three swaras – Uddata(base), Anudatta (lower) and Swarita (upper). During this stage, the teacher holds the head of the student and moves it up and down, according to the rise and fall of the swara of each akshara in the Mantra. For example, while uttering in the udatta, the head is raised and when anudatta is intended it is lowered, and thirdly, tilted to the side during swarita. Hasta mudras ae also important and seen as a specific feature in Kerala chanting methods. So, while starting a particular section, the teacher does not utter any words, but he indicates the right Mudra and the keen student follows it without any mistakes.

While in most cases, the student completes his samhita at home and then joins the Bhramaswom, it was also possible for the younger student to join early, around the age of 7, right after their upanayanam. In this case, they study the samhita portion of Rig veda during the first five years. Those who want to continue education at a higher level, start to learn Pada, Krama, Jata and Ratha.

Note here that the Veda course is typically divided into four packages, the Samhitas (mantras and benedictions), the Brahmanas (text on rituals, ceremonies, sacrifices and symbolic-sacrifices), the Aranyakas (commentaries on rituals, ceremonies and sacrifices), and the Upanishads (text discussing meditation, philosophy and spiritual knowledge). Learning these can take anywhere from five to ten years, depending on the proficiency of the student. The system of teaching is completely oral and the student has to commit the entire Veda by heart.

The concept of learning using Padaptha, Karmapatha and Vikrtipatha, Jatha and Ratha is pretty complex and involves splitting the text, learning to utter it forwards and backwards, all done with the purpose of committing them to memory where it remains for ages so that it could be picked up without doubt as and when needed. The life in a Bhramaswom is very austere, full of rigors and on top of it, long vows and periods of abstinence have to be undergone, making it a tough regimen.

Once completed the Namboothiri spends a compulsory duration, usually one year at a large temple, then goes on to attend Veda recitals at various temple ceremonies and festivals and they also undergo or participate based on proficiency, for Varam kollal, Varam Irikkal, Murajapam etc. Trisandha and Anyonyam are two Vedic competitions, which are regarded as higher-level examinations, more on the latter will follow.

As you can imagine, the four Madhoms ran into some trouble of the other with their upkeep or management, succession or their support, as the Zamorin’s rule started to stretch south and arrived at Trichur. These institutions also got influenced by the age-old Panniyur – Sukapuram rivalry which festered for a long time, the one which split the region into two with one supporting the Cochin Raja while the other supported the Zamorin.  Over time, this resulted in the Namboothiri clan getting split into two. The Namboothiri cast his alliances between the two chiefs, namely the Zamorin (Nediyirippu) and the Cochin king (Perumbadappu) and belonged thus to either the Trichur Yogam or the Tirunavaya Yogam. The Trichur Yogam comprised the defunct Vadakke Madhom after succession issues, which had by this time became a mahavidyalaya, a Bhramaswom while the other two which remained - namely the Thekke Madhoim and Naduvil Madhom became sanyasi madhoms and merged with the Vadakke madhom. This is today’s Bhrahmaswom Madhom complex at Trichur. Whether the formation of Brahmaswom Madhom was before the division of Thirunavaya Yogam from the Thrichur Yogam or subsequent to the division, is still not clear.

Bhrahmaswom Madhom - Trichur

We do get firsthand information on how the Trichur school worked in the early 20^th century from Kannipayur’s autobiography. He spent some years at the Trichur Bhrahmaswon, a period (1908-1913) when there were some 200 students enrolled. Food and accommodation were free, though life was quite spartan. The bathing pond was not very clean and the food was cooked partly by students, served twice a day - not very good. Most students had come in after their Samhita training. Kannipayur mentions that in the past, all nearby temples had been under the Trikannamathilakam temple at Kodungallur and he adds that the Vadakke madom issues started with the fact that the Swamiyar was an Embranthiri and this was not acceptable to the local Namboothiris who insisted they were higher placed in caste hierarchy, so could not be under a lower caste level teacher. This led to the Swamiyar relinquishing his post and the swamiyar madhom thus got converted to an educational institution after his departure (a legend is also in vogue that this was a result of his dispute with the Cochin Raja). The regimen of learning was strict and elaborate, the students even had to do 100-200 surya namaskar’s every day, to keep fit. The final aim was to participate in what is known as the Kadavallur Prayogam, an event which only a few qualified for.

Kannipayur mentions that the reason for the Tirunavaya yogam to be formed was a result of the Puthillathu Namboothiri leaving the Trichur yogam and creating at first a parallel college near the Mulankkunath temple. Later they moved to Tirunavaya with the Zamorin’s patronage and this Namboothiri also helped him set up and organize the Pattathanam at Calicut. Based on Ulloor’s analysis of the Zamorin poem Vikramiyam, he determines that it must have been prior to the 15th century. This institution also developed into a Mahavidyalaya or Bhrahmaswom in the course of time and acquired vast property as well as fame, going on to produce several Vedic Pundits. The Bhrahmaswom was situated in Tirunavaya, across the Northern side of the river and was presumably destroyed during the Mysorean marches.

The Namboothiri site provides more detail on the Tirunavaya Bhrahmaswom madhom - The Edayil madhom leaders moved their allegiance to the Zamorin. When the Samoothiri of Kozhikode was powerful, he wanted to have a Swaamiyaar in his territory. He dedicated the Thikkaikkattuu Mutt to the then Mooppil Swaamiyaar of Edayil Mutt and persuaded him to shift the Madhom to Thrikkaikkattu in Thavanur and thereafter that Mutt was known as Thrikkaikkattu Madhom. Fearing that it may again shift to Thrissur, its Mutt at Thrissur was given to Thekke Madhom and Thekke Mutt's Madhom at Trichambaram was given to Thrikkaikkattu Madhom.

The Kozhikode Gazetteer mentions that the Thirunavaya Vadhyar was the Zamorin’s hereditary family teacher. It also provides an interesting aside - that during the contests between the students, a practice of badgering the contestants was common, to try and distract them. Only those who held on to their chanting with a high level of concentration could pass.

The present Othanmar Bhramaswom Madhom is situated on the southern banks of Nila river (Bharatapuzha) at Tavanur. As time went by and the Zamorins lost their power and the Tirunavaya schools declined due to a lack of staff, perhaps financing as well as students.

Now we come to the Kadavallur Varam or Anyonyam (means each other – with respect to debate), a debating contest on the Rig Veda between selected graduates from the Trichur and the Tirunavaya yogams. In the past, it was only conducted at the Kadavallur Siva temple, NW of Trichur. Students should have passed various lesser varams before participating at Kadavallur. Only those who cleared the various exams at Kadavallur were entitled to a position of Bhattathirpad and were thus qualified to participate in princely Pattathanam (Bhatta Danam) ceremonies, the most superior of them being the one at the Thali temple in Calicut. The competing students at Kadavallur met yearly during the mandalam (41 days) to compete in the four paths – Pada, Karma, Jatha and Ratha. 16 of the 41 days are devoted to the final proficiency tests, with the students lodged at the two Moothathu houses. The entire recitation in three varams has to be error-free, in order to pass. Then the Ratha and Jatha style has to be demonstrated. The competition gives great importance to the purity of the text, its correct pronunciation and intonation as well as the correct breaking up of the words. The competition itself is called varamirikkal while Kadannirikkal and Valia Kadannirikkal are the titles conferred on the winners. The anyonyam was held regularly till about 1947 after which it was discontinued. It was revived in 1989 and is being held regularly these days.

A few words about the famous Revati Pattattanam at Calicut which was the aim and the final honor for the Vedic scholars pursuing excellence in the Bhrahmaswoms and beyond – It is a get together of scholars of different sastras, one which takes place in the Tali temple at Calicut under the tutelage of the reigning Zamorin. The main objective of this event or assembly was to felicitate various scholars and give a purse to eminent Bhatta’s - scholars. All eminent Namboothiri scholars traveled to Calicut to attend this event in the Thulam month of the Malayalam calendar, starting with the Revati asterism and stayed on for the seven-day event. In the past, the Zamorin awarded 46 purses of 100 panams (The amount of money stated in the Granthavari for one function was 109 panams and the total amount for the 42 purses prevalent at that time is 4578 panams) and was considered the most prestigious. The competitions were on Prabhakara mimansa, Bhatta mimamsa, Grammar (vyakarana) and Vedanta as the topics, with 12 awards each for the first two, 9 awards for the third and 13 for the fourth. Tarkam (debates) as well as other topics were added later. The competition was conducted under the watchful eyes of eminent judges who were chosen from recipients of awards in previous years, i.e. the 'Old Sabha'. The Zamorin was seated at the southern end of the long hall while the contestants were seated on either side of the Vathilmandapam. Bhatta Mimamsa, Prabhakara Mimamsa, Vyakarana and Vedanta were represented by lighted lamps on different parts of the platform. The debates were serious and were conducted with a high degree of merit and erudition. The Mangat Achan gave away the prizes. The event continues though not at the proficiency levels on the past.

In 1915, things went wrong at the Bhrahmaswom in Trichur when quarrels between the Vadhyan (headmaster) and the Yogakkar (trustee) resulted in a change of rules which the Vadhyan did not accept and this resulted in a government take over. The syllabus changed, and Samhita training was also formally included in the school syllabus, so also a way to integrate the students to general studies and curriculum. The Trichur Bhrahmaswom continues to struggle, trying various new methods such as correspondence courses, seminars, and so on, but sees hope and a brighter future ahead.

References

Indian Historical Quarterly-Vol-4, 1928 - Religion & Philosophy in Kerala – KR Pisharoti

Ente Smaranakal – Vol 1 – Kannipayur Sankaran Namboothirippad

Kerala Sahitya Charitram Vols 1 & 2 – Ulloor S. Parameswara Iyer

PhD thesis 2004 - Sukhada commentary on kausitakibrahmana a critical study, Ravindran, K A

Cochin Tribes & Castes Vol 2 – LK Anathakrishna Iyer

Namboothiri site - Madhoms

Historic alleys - Arnos Pathiri

Bhramaswom Madhom conservation booklet – Intach Trissur

For pictures of students at the Trichur Bhramaswom visit this link and this

Video of training, Kadavalloor Anyonyam, Trichur Bhramaswom madhom