Thunchath Ezhuthachan Malayalam University is a state public university located in Tirur, Malappuram district, in the Indian state of Kerala. The university is dedicated to the study, development and propagation of the Malayalam language, literature and the cultural heritage of Kerala. It is named after Thunchaththu Ramanujan Ezhuthachan, the 16th-century poet and scholar widely regarded as the father of the modern Malayalam language.
| Name | Thunchath Ezhuthachan Malayalam University |
|---|---|
| Type | State public university |
| Focus | Malayalam language, literature and Kerala studies |
| Location | Tirur, Malappuram district, Kerala, India |
| Named after | Thunchaththu Ramanujan Ezhuthachan |
| Language of instruction | Primarily Malayalam |
The establishment of a dedicated university for Malayalam was a long-standing demand among writers, academics and cultural organisations in Kerala. Tirur, the birthplace of Ezhuthachan, was chosen as the seat of the institution due to its strong cultural associations with the poet, including the nearby Thunchan Parambu, a literary memorial site associated with him.
The university offers postgraduate, M.Phil. and doctoral programmes in disciplines connected to Malayalam language, literature, theatre, folklore, manuscriptology, history, philosophy and translation studies. It is structured into schools and centres focused on areas such as:
As one of the few universities in India built around a single regional language, the institution functions both as an academic body and as a cultural centre. It supports research on classical and modern Malayalam writing, the documentation of folk traditions, manuscript preservation, and the development of Malayalam as a language of higher education. The university also contributes to the recognition of Malayalam as a classical language by undertaking scholarly work on its history and literary corpus.
The main campus is located at Tirur in Malappuram district, in proximity to the Thunchan Parambu memorial. Malappuram lies in the northern part of Kerala and has historically been an important centre of Malayalam literary activity.