Educational Institutions

Tirumala Devaswom High School popularly known as TD High School is one of the oldest and renowned school in Cochin, which has had a glorious record of qualitative and quantitative turn out  in a Hundred years of its existence. It has played a pivotal role in moulding, thousands of its students into disciplined and capable citizens of India, many of whom today adorn various highly responsible positions in society, both at national and international levels. With the blessing of Almighty Lord Venkatesvara, the presiding Deity of Gosripuram, the school was started on Vijayadashami Day, 1st Kanni 1063 Malayalam Era (Year 1887 AD) in the temple premises.

Mainly due to efforts of late Sri. Hari Shenoy, the school soon became a full-fledged Middle school in the year 1894 A.D. In 1899 A.D, Sri. B. Vamana Baliga an eminent educationalist was appointed as Head Master of the School. Under his able guidance, the school was recognized as a full fledged High School by the Madras University. A long cherished ambition of the founders of school became a reality, when the 1st Batch of Matriculates walked out the school in 1899 A.D. Every one connected with the noble yet humble venture in the field of education felt gratified, when His Highness Maharaja of Cochin presided over the Annual School Day Celebration in the year 1900 A.D. His Highness expressed great pleasure and admiration regarding progress of the school in such short span of time. The Golden Jubilee of the school was celebrated in 1940, in which year, the school was shifted to new building, where the school is presently housed. Sri. R.K.Shanmugham Chetty, the then Dewan of Cochin performed the opening ceremony of the new building. When the Cochin Thirumala Devaswom was restored to the Gauda Saraswat Brahmin Community in 1949, the school also, automatically came under the absolute ownership of G.S.B community.

The President of the Cochin Thirumala Devaswom Commitee is the manager of the school, as per provisions of the scheme of management and administration of the Cochin Thirumala Devaswom. The Diamond Jubilee of the school was celebrated in the year 1954 and an auditorium was built to commemorate the celebrations in the year 1957. In 1962, a Basic Training School was started and in the year 1967 the same was shifted to new building constructed in commemoration of Platinum Jubilee Celebrations. In 1967 Platinum Jubilee was celebrated on an elaborate scale. The school celebrated Centenary in the year 1987 in a most befitting manner.

This educational institution of the community is one of the popular schools in Cochin that enjoy the respect of one and all. In addition to this High School, the community manages a Mixed Lower Primary School, a Girls Lower Primary School, TD Saraswati Vidya Niketan, another primary School, and the teachers training Institute by name TD Basic Training School. An interesting feature of these schools is that, Konkani, the mother tongue of Gauda Saraswat Brahmin Community is taught here as one of the languages.

A Veda Pathasala (school) considered to be oldest in the state which  impart training in Sanskrit language and traditional chanting of Veda is also run by the community. This Pathasala functions during day time at the first floor of the North Gopuram of the temple. Any community member desirous of learning Veda can  take the benefit of the free classes held there. The temple priests get their training here and they need to pass a test to claim their hereditary right of offering priesthood in the temple.

Another institution that conducts classes in Sanskrit is the Sadguru Samskrita Vidyalayam. The latest addition to the list of educational institutions run by the community is the computer Institute started in the year 2000 by name Sree Venkatesh Prasad Institue of technology with an aim of imparting computer education to the members of the community at a reasonable cost. Read on for more information