Sanatana Dharma College (S.D. College) is located in Alappuzha, a small town that is famed as “The Venice of the East”. The origins of S.D. College can be traced back to the activities of the Theosophical Society of India, under the aegis of Dr. Annie Besant. At a time when the erstwhile state of Travancore, especially Alappuzha, lacked basic facilities for education, two prominent members of the Society, Dr. S. Venkitarama Naidu and Sri. K. A. Krishna Iyengar founded Sanatana Dharma Vidyasala on 18th January 1905, imbibing the spirit and vision of the Theosophical Society. Historical records vouch for the fact that formal education was still alien to the native population of the district at that time. Sanatana Dharma Vidyasala worked to provide quality school education to the common people. However, as late as 1945, this coastal district lacked facilities for higher education. Sri. V. Sundararaja Naidu and Sri. K. Parthsarathy Iyengar, the worthy sons of Dr. S. Venkitarama Naidu and Sri. K. A. Krishna Iyengar, garnered public support and raised the resources to establish Sanatana Dharma College. The college was inaugurated on 20th June 1946 by Sir. C.P. Ramaswamy Iyer, the Diwan of Travancore.
S.D. College started as a full-fledged Degree College offering B.Sc. Zoology, B.Sc. Botany, B.Sc. Mathematics, B.A. Economics and National Diploma in Commerce. It initially functioned in the SDV campus near the District Court, Alappuzha (that currently houses the SDV Boys Higher Secondary School) and was shifted to its current location at Sanatanapuram in 1950. The institution which started with around 125 students has now progressed into an excellent higher education institution with U. G Courses in 13 subjects, P. G. Courses in 9 subjects and with a student strength of around 2500. It holds the rare distinction of all its nine PG Departments being approved research centres under the University for Ph. D. programmes. There are over 90 teaching staff and 20 non-teaching staff in the college. The Golden Jubilee of the College was celebrated in 1995-96 and the Diamond Jubilee in 2006-07, with much fanfare. In the year 2021-22, Sanatana Dharma College is celebrating its Platinum Jubilee. The alumni of the college have excelled in diverse fields including literature, arts, cinema, scientific research, information technology, education and social service. The college is the centre of many important socio-cultural events and is committed to fostering national unity and integrity. It seeks to achieve this aim by imparting value-oriented education of international standards.