Century-old Bantwal school lies abandoned; locals push for heritage status

Mangaluru: Sri Chandranatha Swamy Aided Higher Primary School near Moolarpatna in Arala village of Bantwal taluk, established in 1909, now lies abandoned after over a century of educating rural children.Founded by local landlord Gummanna Shetty, the school once drew hundreds of students from nearby villages. With no students or classes in recent years, former students, residents, and the management have initiated efforts to preserve the building as a heritage site, proposing to convert it into a museum or a library.Dombaiya Arala, a former member of the panchayat, told TOI that the school ceased operations in 2019.

He said children from around 15 villages attended the school when there were no other institutions nearby. Over time, however, the emergence of private and govt schools led to a steady decline in enrolment, with only around 23 students remaining in its final days.In 2017–18, locals formed a committee to renovate the school, but the govt did not appoint teachers due to the low number of students.Dombaiya said Gummanna had arranged a mid-day meal system nearly 100 years ago, as students travelled several kilometres on foot to attend classes.

He added that the institution was later nurtured by Dharmapala Shetty and then by Rajendra Shetty, and reiterated that the building could be preserved as a museum or library.Rajendra Shetty, 81, grandson of the founder and former principal of SDM Law College, said preservation efforts have been ongoing for years. He said the school holds emotional value for locals who studied there, and that former students and residents continue to support its preservation.

After the govt stopped sending teachers, he arranged for teachers at his own expense, but the absence of students made it difficult to continue.

He noted that his grandfather was deeply concerned about educating local children and had been honoured by the then British govt.“We are trying to maintain it and will plan future steps,” he said.Mahabala Angadiguttu of Arala, an alumnus, said he holds special memories of the institution and that its history should be preserved for future generations.