Mattur is a culturally rich village, located on the bank of Tuga River in Karnataka. Once this place went under the glorious rule of Vijaynagara Empire.
Mattur is known as the "Sanskrit village". Sanaskrit language is the colloquial language in Mattur. The villagers use Sanskrit here for their day to day conversation. It is a village in Karnataka with large lingual differences.
Sanskrit language is the language of Gods that need not apply to Mattur. Soft and sweet, a conversation with the people in Mattur sounds like a Vedic recital. Though it is a journey, which began about 500 years ago, Sanskrit has been modified as per the modern needs here by Samskrit Bharati.
Everybody-men, women, and children speak Sanskrit language there. Even the Muslim families speak Sanskrit language without hesitation and as comfortably as is spoken by the Hindus. Their children are found in the streets reciting Sanskrit shlokas.
History of Mattur
History of Mattur noted that Vijayanagar emperor ruled for many years. The Vijayanagara Empire gifted Mathoor "Mattur" and neighbouring Hosahalli, known as centres of learning for Sanskrit Language and Vedic studies from time immemorial, to the residents of South India in 1512. The gift deed inscriptions on copper plates have been preserved by the Archaeological Department of India (Archaeological Survey of India). The journey back to its Vedic roots started for the village in 1981 when Sanskrita Bharati, an organisation that promotes the classical language, conducted a Sanskrit workshop in Mattur.
Study of Sanskrit language in Mattur begins from the very early age level, where children are taught rhymes and stories in Sanskrit language. Sanskrit language is a compulsory subject in both primary and high schools of the village of Mattur. A Sanskrit school has been set up to teach the language to a large number of outsiders who flock to the village to learn.
Mathoor or Mattur has produced over 30 Sanskrit professors who are teaching in Kuvempu, Bengaluru, Mysore and Mangalore Universities, besides there are many software engineers born in Mattur. Among the renowned personalities from the village are Mathoor Krishnamurthy of Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan, Bengaluru, Violinist Venkataram, and Gamaka exponent H.R. Keshavamurthy.
