page_title: Union Christian College, Aluva
section_title: Notable Landmarks
hierarchical_section_title: Union Christian College, Aluva / Notable Landmarks
caption_attribution_description: Kacheri Malika at UC College, Aluva, Kerala, India
context_page_description: Union Christian College, Aluva is a college affiliated to Mahatma Gandhi University, Kottayam.
  It is one of the earliest colleges in India to be established and managed by Indian Christians. It was founded in 1921 by four young graduates and teachers of Madras Christian College - Prof. K. C. Chacko, Prof. C. P. Mathew, Prof. V. M. Ittiyerah and Prof. A. M. Varki. It is situated by the banks of Periyar in Aluva, Kerala, India.
context_section_description: Kacheri Malika is a three-storey building situated in the heart of the campus. In the beginning of 19th Century, this was a European Bungalow. From 1811-1896, it was used as a Zilla court of the Travancore state. It was one of the five kacheries (courts) built in AD 1811 during the reign of Maharani Gowri Lakshmi Bhai. Thereafter, till it was gifted to the college, it remained abandoned. It is built on a hill top known as Kacheri Kunnu and when it was a kacheri, the access to this hill was only by ferry. The ferry would be stationed at what was called Kacheri Kadavu. The architecture of the Kacheri Malika is a blend of Dutch, British and Indian styles. The structure, flooring, wood work of this building have been kept intact. In 1993, the Government of Kerala declared Kacheri Malika as a protected monument.
  The Chapel is situated behind the Kacheri Malika. It is a place of worship that incorporates important aspects of both Eastern and Western traditions of Christianity. It is symbolic of the ecumenical tradition that the college embraces. 
  
  The mango tree situated in front of the administrative block was planted by Mahatma Gandhi during his visit to the college in 1925. 
  Mahaganitham  is a sculpture commemorating the large mahogany tree that stood in front of the Kacheri Malika. The tree was struck by a lightning in 2002 and the remnants of it was designed as Mahaganitham. 'Maha' signifies the Mahogany tree and 'ganitham' Mathematics. Concepts like the Golden ratio and Fibonacci series are used in the design. More than thousand mathematical entities and geometrical shapes are engraved in the sculpture. The five Platonic bodies - tetrahedron, hexahedron, octahedron, dodecahedron and icosahedron -  are present in it. An iron bell, which was used during the early period of the college, is also a part of the sculpture.
caption: Kacheri Malika at UC College, Aluva, Kerala, India
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