Bharata Mata College is a nationally accredited first grade arts and science co-educational institution of higher learning in the aided sector, under Bharata Mata Educational Trust owned and managed by the Archdiocese of Ernakulam-Angamaly. Established in 1965 by His Eminence the late Joseph Cardinal Parecattil, the college is affiliated to the Mahatma Gandhi University, Kottayam. The college was included under section 2 (f) and 12 (b) of UGC Act 1956 in 1976 and accredited at the A+ level by NAAC in 2019.
The college is located in Thrikkakara, Kerala’s mythological capital, facing the Seaport – Airport Road. Situated at a distance of just 12 Kms from the city of Kochi, it is easily accessible from Judgemukku on Edappally-Muvattupuzha Road in the North, and from NGO Quarters and Palli stop on the Kakkanad -Ernakulam Road in the South, in addition to the BMC bus stop on the Seaport-Airport Road. The CUSAT, NPOL, Model Engineering College, Ernakulam District Collectorate, lnfopark and CSEZ are the important neighbouring landmarks of the college.
Bharata Mata College is a vision conceptualized by its Founder Patron Cardinal Parecattil for a centre for advanced learning for the economically deprived, socially downtrodden and educationally disadvantaged sections of the then underdeveloped Thrikkakara and its rural community which comprised of the minority communities, namely a majority of Muslims, some Christians and Dalits. The establishment of the college was the realization of a long and elusive dream of the people of the locality for a higher education institution in the lap of Thrikkakara Panchayat.
Thrikkakara, which is referred to as the mythological capital of Kerala, is believed to be the place where Lord Vishnu put down his foot as Vamana ( ‘Thiru-kal-kara’= The Land of the Holy Foot), according to Kerala’s own legend of Onam. The College is situated close to Kakkanad ( ‘Kalkal-nadu’= Land at the Feet ), erstwhile capital of ‘the land surrounded by the seas on three sides’ ( Kerala), as mentioned in ancient historical accounts of Ptolemy, Megasthenes etc.These stories,which are intertwined with fact and fiction, and imbued with the myth and mystery of the place, is in tune with the rich heritage of Bharata Mata College .
The College was inaugurated on 5 July, 1965 by the District Collector of Ernakulam Sri. Ramunni Menon and blessed by His Grace Cardinal Parecattil, the Archbishop of Ernaakulam. Bharata Mata had its humble beginnings as a junior college, with five Pre-degree batches quartered in a four storeyed building (with separate verandhas for boys and girls), a Retreat house, a small canteen, a hall and a garage. There were two college buses, with a mesh separating boys from girls, since no buses were plying to this underdeveloped area with its mud roads and potholes.Other than the legendary Thrikkakara temple, and the upcoming structure for the Cochin University, Bharata Mata College was the only institution in the sparsely populated rural landscape of Thrikkakara, with its sprawling cashew trees and brush woods and brambles spread over the barren hills, and the dry lands stretched into the valleys, with coconut and arecanut trees scattered few and far between.
Degree courses in Economics, English, Botany and Zoology were started on 28 July,1970, raising the College to the status of a first grade college. Further on, degree courses in Mathematics, Physics and Commerce commenced on 18 July 1978, 7 August 1980 and 13 December 1982 respectively.The College became a postgraduate college with the commencement of the Postgraduate Course in Commerce in 1981. Postgraduate Courses in Mathematics ( 1995), Applied Chemistry ( 1999) and English Language and Literature ( 2013), Professional Courses in Social Work (2004) and Management (2005) and Research Centres in Commerce(1997), Mathematics ( 2006) and Chemistry ( 2012) furthered the vertical mobility of the institution.Standing on the crest of its achievements, the College celebrated its Golden Jubilee in 2014.
From its humble beginnings in the remote and undeveloped Thrikkakara Panchayat, Bharata Mata College became the epicentre of development and progress of its locality in the past fifty years. And today, Thrikkakara has become a Muncipality, and the fastest growing one in India, in terms of the innovative startups, the upcoming Smart city, the IT parks and all major MNCs housed in it, and the prominent research and technological institutions, engineering colleges, medical colleges and hospitals which function here. Currently, the area is the most advanced and dynamic locality of the State, with the establishment of leading institutions such as the Cochin University of Science and Technology, one of the best technical hubs of active research in the country, Model Engineering College and other technological centres such as Cochin Special Economic Zone( CSEZ), Infopark, Fertilizers and Chemicals Ltd (FACT), HMT, Kochi Refineries Ltd (KRL), Naval Physical and Oceanographic Laboratories (NPOL), the Start-up Village, the industrial belts of Eloor, Edayar, etc. Several governmental and cultural organisations like the District Collectorate, All India Radio, VSNL, Press Academy, EMS Cooperative Library, and medical institutions like the Cooperative Medical College, Kottackal Arya Vaidya Sala, Rajagiri Medical College etc. are also stationed in the area. In turn, all of these have provided impetus to the growth of Bharata Mata College to higher standards of quality education
The community comprises around 2600 students, 116 teachers and 59 members of the non-teaching staff. The dedication of the management and the community, combined with excellent infrastructural and teaching facilities help maintain high Standards in curricular and co-curricular spheres of the institution.
The road to excellence is an uphill task that calls for a consolidated effort by all the stake holders of the institution, comprising of the management, staff, parents, alumni and the local community. Together they create a conducive atmosphere that ensures all round development of the students in particular and the community and society in general, elevating Bharata Mata College into greater and nobler heights, setting new benchmarks for excellence. In keeping with the lofty vision of its founder, Bharata Mata College is a melting-pot of students from all communities and creeds, thus preserving a secular character while promoting the Christian ideal of love and service.