The Naṭuvil Maṭham Svāmiyār Collection, comprising 11 manuscripts written on palm leaves, has been digitized and fully cataloged under the DiPiKA Project (Digital Preservation of Kerala Archives) and is now accessible through HMML Reading Room.

Naṭuvil Maṭham is one of four Hindu monasteries (or mathas) originally located in the city of Thrissur, Kerala (India), where it is believed they were established by the renowned Indian philosopher Śaṅkara, proponent of the non-dualistic doctrine of Advaita Vedānta and allegedly founder of the pan-Indian monastic order of the Daśanāmī-Saṃnyāsins. These four maṭhas (Vaṭakke Maṭham, Naṭuvil Maṭham, Iṭayil Maṭham, and Tekkē Maṭham) were built adjacent to one another, forming a unique monastic complex, which fostered a thriving vernacular monastic tradition that dates back to approximately the 12th century, according to inscriptional evidence.

Today, three of the mathas remain in Thrissur: Naṭuvil Maṭham and Tekkē Maṭham, which continue as active Advaita Vedānta monastic institutions; and Vaṭakke Maṭham, which has functioned as a traditional Vedic school (vedapāṭhaśālā) for at least two centuries, run by members of the Nampūtiri community. In this capacity, it is known as Vaṭakke Maṭham Brahmasvam.

The Naṭuvil Maṭham Svāmiyār Collection was donated to Vaṭakke Maṭham Brahmasvam in 2019 by the head of the monastery, Maṟavañcēri Tekkēṭattŭ Nīlakaṇṭhan Bhāratīkaḷ. The manuscript collection includes, among other things, important texts of the monastic order such as Saṃnyāsakalpavyākhyā (DKA 001 00001), Yatyācārasaṃgraha (DKA 001 00006), and Samādhividhivyākhyā (DKA 001 00005). These and other works offer a rich entry point into this Hindu monastic tradition and the communities that lived together and followed it. View now