Maharaja's College is a government college located in Ernakulam, in the city of Kochi in Kerala, India. It was established in 1875, the college campus is spread over 100,000 square metres (25 acres) on the banks of Vembanad Lake. The infrastructure of the campus is a mix of old and modern architecture.
The college is ranked 53rd among colleges in India by the National Institutional Ranking Framework (NIRF) in 2024.
Contents
Campus
Library
The college library is 135 years old and has a collection of nearly one lakh (hundred thousand) books, including a collection of rare literature books. The reference section itself has 2000 books.
Sport facilities
The university has 18 acres (7.3 ha) of land specifically dedicated to sports, including a 400-meter synthetic track, football and cricket grounds, courts for field hockey, volleyball, basketball, kho-kho, kabaddi and badminton, futsal, table tennis, carrom, chess, wrestling, weightlifting, judo, powerlifting etc.
Hostels
The Maharaja's College Rama Varma hostels include the new hostel for men and the ladies' hostel. The former has 90 rooms with a capacity of 240 students and two tutors; the latter has facilities for only 104 students and one tutor. Nowadays, the demand for accommodation in the ladies' hostel is greater than the availability due to the increase in the number of girl students. To remedy this situation, a concrete proposal for a women's hostel has been submitted to UGC during the IX plan.
Milestones
1875 - The Cochin Rajas Elementary school started by Cochin Sarkar is upgraded into a college. Mr. Alfred Forbes Sealy, M.A. took charge as the first principal. It was Mr. Sealy who had designed the building and hence the name Sealy block. F.A. (First examination in Arts) course started.
1908 - Intermediate course started
1909 - Two separate hostels started - one for Hindu students and another for Christian students
1910 - First college magazine published - on the occasion of the 60th birthday of the Cochin Maharaja, Sir Sri Rama Varma.
1925 - Golden Jubilee. Sir C.V. Raman and Dr. S. Radhakrishnan visited the college. The college got its present name - "Maharajas College". The college was raised to a first grade college providing instructions in Mathematics, Physics, Chemistry, Zoology, History and Economics affiliated to Madras University. Old Students Association formed.
1930 - Three new blocks added to the college. 15-acre (61,000 m2) plot donated to the college - Maharajas ground established.
1935 - Diamond Jubily. B.Sc. Courses in Mathematics, Physics, Chemistry and Zoology started.
1947 - B.Sc. Botany started. Year of India's independence. Students' political activities reached new peaks. Student activists hoisted Indian national flag in the Campus and got brutally beaten up by the royal police.
1948 - The department of Chemistry that already had research facility started the first P.G. course.
1949 - Following the integration of Travancore and Cochin states, the college is transferred from Madras University to Travancore University.
Notable faculty
Thuravoor Viswambharan
M. Thomas Mathew
K. G. Sankara Pillai
George Irumbayam
In Popular Culture
Oru Mexican Aparatha
Seniors (film)
Poomaram