9°43′45″N79°56′52″E / 9.7293°N 79.9479°E /9.7293; 79.9479TheBatticotta Seminary was an educational institute founded by theAmerican Board of Commissioners for Foreign Missions (ABCFM)'sAmerican Ceylon Mission atVaddukodai, in theJaffna Peninsula northSri Lanka in 1823. It was founded as part of the medical mission ofJohn Scudder, Sr. and was subsequently led byNathan Ward. In 1846 the mission experienced a significant cholera outbreak.Emerson Tennent judged the Batticotta Seminary equal in rank with many European universities. The lateSabapathy Kulendran, the first bishop of theJaffnaDiocese of theChurch of South India (JDCSI) observed that the seminary brought about a tremendous upsurge the like of which has never been seen in the country before or after.
It was closed in 1855 under the leadership of E. P. Hastings. The reason for such a decision being that it was not successful in the mission of its founding namely, conversion ofHindus toChristianity.
The seminary was reopened in 1871 by alumni asJaffna College with EP Hastings as the first principal.[1][2]
