The system of education in Vijayanagar did not differ materially from that of ancient India. The primary schools or pathshalas were attached to the temples and imparted elementary education.
Village schools were maintained by the customary contribution of villages at harvest time. These schools served the purpose of teaching the three R’s to the students. For higher studies there were tools or schools or teaching classes were conducted by brahman scholars.
There is a reference to the establishment of such a school at Adayapalam and Velur by Appayya Diksita. There were arrangements for the teaching of 500 students. Some lands were assigned for the maintenance of the schools. Madura was a centre of learning in the 17th century.
There were 10,000 students, according to Father de Nobili, who visited this place. Heras in his ‘Aravidu Dynasty’ refers to several endowments for its maintenance. In the schools attached to the temples, emphasis was on religious education which comprised Vedas, Puranas, etc. while in state-owned institutions arrangements were made for the study of several subjects such as astrology, astronomy, medicine, etc.
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Vijayanagar rules were very liberal and allowed Jeuist missionaries to establish schools where vernaculars were taught by Christian missionaries. Father Pimenta established a school at St. Thome where Telugu and Tamil were taught.
Palm leaves were used for writing. Both the travellers Abdur Razzaq and Barbosa refer to it. The printing was first introduced in the Tamil country in 1577 when a book on Christain doctrines was printed.