Education in Ancient India c7.s7.t5: Malkapuram Temple College
Education in Ancient India c7.s7.t5
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Malkapuram Temple College
c7.s7.t5.1
A Temple, College, Hostel and Hospital combined: An inscription from Malkapuram, dated 1268 A. D.,² reveals the existence of an institution which was a temple, a college, a hostel and a hospital combined. There were eight teachers in the college, three for the Vedas and five for the secular subcets consisting of grammar, literature, logic and Āgamas. There was one doctor in charge of the hospital. In the south Indian colleges we have seen so far, there used to be about 20 students on the average under the charge of each teacher. The Malkapuram college therefore had probably about 150 students. They were as usual offered free tuition, boarding, lodging and medicine.
c7.s7.t5.2
² S. I. E. R., for 1917. pp. 122-24
c7.s7.t5.3
Teachers' pay: Each teacher was given an endowment of two puṭṭis of land. We do not know anything about the net income of this land endowment. The inscription, however, states that the carpenters and drummers of the temple establishment were assigned one puṭṭi of land for their wages. The teacher's income was thus twice the wages of the skilled labourer. The society was offering him just what was necessary for a decent family life. The salary of the principal was 100 niṣkas; it is difficult to assess its real value as the denotation of the term niṣka at this period is not definitely known.