Socio-cultural Processes and Livelihood Patterns at Tirurangadi - CDS

khanas into Wakf properties, run by endowments.The Wakf Act of 1954, passed by the
Government of India legalized the Wakf properties. With the spread of modern
education, the ulema also became concerned about the future of religious education. This
persuaded the Ulema to reconstitute madrasa education under a formal structure,
conducted on a regular basis with a syllabus, and to appoint qualified teachers for the
purpose. Thus Madrasas began to be established along with every mosque in an
independent building with facilities similar to that of an ordinary school. For developing
trained teachers, Arabic schools had to be established, the oriental school in Tirurangadi
being an early example (Now this has been converted into an ordinary school, with
Arabic being taught at every level). Later, separate Arabic colleges came into existence,
which trained the students in afsal-al –Ulema. The Arabic college that exists along with
the Tirurangadi Yatheem khana is an excellent example. The spread of Madrasa
education and the Arabic colleges ensured the growth of a parallel educational network
along with the spread of modern 'secular’ education. The Madrasa education came to
acquire a compulsory character, imparted to all children irrespective of whether they
received formal school education or not. While school education was managed by
multiple agencies including the Government, the Madrasa education was run on a strict
neighborhood basis, and the common syllabus prepared by an education board specially
constituted for the purpose. Madrasa education later came to be accepted as formal
learning when Arabic Colleges were recognized by the Universities, thus making Afsal al
Ulema a standard course and Madrasa teaching a standard profession, thus legitimizing
the parallel religious instruction.
Thus the mosque became the central religious and social institution for the Muslims, and
the management of the mosques and the institutions attached to it the exclusive domain of
the neighborhood. It is not surprising that the neighbourhood came to be institutionalized,
as the neighbourhoods were organized into mahals and the activities of the Mahals