1.Sanskrit language has been popular and used extensively in south India since historic period. On this International Sanskrit Day let’s see the patronage extended by the imperial chOla to this classical language.

2.Several institutions with hostels flourished were specific vEdAs and vEdAngAs were taught.

3.The temple or vihAra centric schools and colleges had endowments that were created by the royal family members and affluent patrons to support propagate specific texts.

4. A vEdic school named chAndOgakidaipuram was endowed with several villages, revenue from which was non-taxable and diverted to support functioning of the school.

5.A vedic school that functioned at Anoor, near chengalpet, taught vEdas and ashtAdyAyi to its students. The teacher was required to be well versed in vEdas, alankArAs, pAninI’s vyAkarana and mimAmsa

6. At ennayiram, near viluppuram, rAjEndrA directly intervened to set the remuneration for the teacher at the vEdic college and endowments to feed the students there. This college seem to be fairly popular and well documented.

7.With 270 junior students and 70 senior students taught by 14 teachers, the school seem to offered quite a variety of specialisation.

8.Of the juniors, 40 of them learnt rUpAvatAra-grammar text, 75 each learnt rig & yajur vEdas, 10 learnt atharva vEda, 20 each learnt vAjasanAeya, chAndOkya, taLavAkAra samAs and the remaining learnt baudAyana gruhya sUtrAs.

9.Among the senior students 25 learnt vyAkarana, 35 learnt prabhAkara mimAmsa and 10 learnt vEdAnta.

10.The students were paid a stipend of certain measured quantity of paddy.

11.This school functions as a part of a shrine dedicated to Narasimha. Assuming it to be a school following Vaishnava Agama, it’s interesting to note vedAnta lessons being taught even before the Sri Bashya of rAmAnuja was authored.

12.The best paid were the teachers of vEdAnta, followed by the mimAmsA and vyAkarana teachers.

13.While other teachers were also remunerated through measured quantity of gold, teachers of vEdAnta were not, as it was against their dharma.

14.Yet another well documented vEdic college existed in tribhuvanai, a small settlement in the outskirts of Pondichery.

15.With a strength of 260 students and 12 teachers, manu’s sAstrAs, satyAsAda sUtrAs, vaikhAnasa Agama, mahAbhAratha and rAmAyana were taught.

16.With remuneration similar to the school at ennAyiram, the students and teachers from this college were exempted from participating in the activities of the local administrative council.

17. In vikrama chOla’s reign, medical students studying vAghabhattA’s ashtAngahrudya of carakasamhitha and rUpAvathAra were fed at a mutt associated with the temple at tiruvAvaDuthurai.

18. A 13th CCE inscription details the purAnic episode of Shiva delivering the 14 sUtrAs of grammar to pAnini and localised the tradition with a maNDapam at tiruvotRiyUr Shiva temple.

19. The pavilion is referred to as vyAkarana dhAna maNDapam and was endowed with land to maintain the school that was functioning there.

20.Quite interestingly there is a 13th CCE inscriptions that refers to a mutt functioning at tiruviDaikazhi were brAhmin students from Malabar learnt vEdAnta.

21.The vEdic school and hostel functioning along with a hospital at tirumukkUDal, near chengalpet in the reign of vIrarAjEndhra is probably the most well documented institution from the chOla era.

22. Apart from details about subjects taught and remuneration, the inscription speaks about hostel amenities like mats to sleep on, oil bath once a week and herbal medicines that were available in the attached hospital.

Compiled from the essays of Sri KAN Sastri.