ula . ▁It ▁was ▁intended ▁to ▁provide ▁a ▁t ert i ary ▁level ▁education ▁equivalent ▁a ▁College ▁in ▁New ▁England . ▁The ▁pione ering ▁mission ary ▁at ▁the ▁Batt ic otta ▁Sem inary ▁was ▁Rev . ▁Dr . ▁Daniel ▁Po or . ▁Under ▁him ▁the ▁American ▁con greg ational ▁mission aries ▁became ▁the ▁pione ers ▁of ▁formal ▁English ▁and ▁T amil ▁education ▁in ▁northern ▁Sri ▁L anka . ▁Although ▁the ▁initial ▁aim ▁was ▁to ▁convert ▁H ind us ▁to ▁Christian ity , ▁it ▁came ▁to ▁im part ▁Bib lic al , ▁English ▁and ▁European ▁sciences ▁on ▁par ▁with ▁New ▁England ▁community ▁colleg es . ▁ ▁The ▁sem inary ▁under to ok ▁to ▁research ▁and ▁published ▁pione ering ▁books ▁in ▁the ▁T amil ▁language ▁in ▁local ▁literature , ▁logic , ▁algebra , ▁astronom y ▁and ▁general ▁science . ▁One ▁of ▁the ▁prominent ▁al umn i ▁was ▁C . ▁W . ▁Th am oth ar amp illa i , ▁who ▁was ▁also ▁the ▁first ▁gradu ate ▁( 1 8 5 7 ) ▁of ▁the ▁University ▁of ▁Mad ras ▁in ▁India . ▁ ▁Sir ▁Em erson ▁T enn ent ▁jud ged ▁the ▁Batt ic otta ▁Sem inary ▁equal ▁in ▁rank ▁with ▁many ▁a ▁European ▁university . ▁The ▁late ▁Rev . ▁Dr . ▁Sab ap ath y ▁K ul end ran , ▁the ▁first ▁bishop ▁of ▁the ▁J aff na ▁Dioc ese ▁of ▁the ▁Church ▁of ▁South ▁India ▁( J DC SI ) ▁observed ▁that ▁the ▁" sem inary ▁brought ▁about ▁a ▁trem end ous ▁ups ur