Banaras Hindu University

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Banaras Hindu University
Established 1916
Vice-Chancellor Panjab Singh
Location Varanasi, India
Website http://www.bhu.ac.in/

Banaras Hindu University (BHU) is a major university located in Varanasi, India. Its large, fully-residential campus has more than 128 independent teaching departments. The total enrollment in the University stands at just over 15000. Several of its colleges, including engineering (IT-BHU) and medicine (IMS-BHU), are ranked amongst the best in India.

The university teaches a vast range of subjects pertaining to all branches of the humanities, social science, technology, medicine ,science, fine arts and performing arts.

Contents

[edit] Organisation

The university comprises 3 Institutes, 14 Faculties, 124 Departments, 4 Inter-disciplinary Centers, a constituent college for women and 3 constituent schools. It has 6 centres of Advanced Studies, 10 Departments under the Special Assistance Programme and a large number of specialized Research Centers.

The Core Streams of studies are Languages and Literature, Humanities, Social Sciences, Natural Sciences, Mathematical Sciences, Biological Sciences, Medical Sciences, Agriculture, Visual Arts, Applied and Performing Arts, Management, Legal Studies, and Engineering. BHU is a premier university of research and learning in the Asia Pacific region and an internationally acclaimed centre of learning, having students even from Scandinavian countries and European nations like Czechoslovakia and Balkan nations. It is renowned not only in cutting edge technology and scientific studies like nano-technology where the contributions of the University have been recognised by U.S. agencies (e.g., the Meridian Institute working for the White House) as being highly advanced in that field, but also in the areas of Music, Applied Art and Philosophical studies.

[edit] Campus

The main BHU campus is 1,300 acres and includes faculty housing and 55 student hostels. A list of hostels is available at the BHU website.

Besides academic buildings and sports facilities, included within the campus are:

  • A Shiva temple (Birla Mandir), popularly known as VT (an abbreviation for Vishwanath Temple)
  • An air strip and flying club
  • A library system including the central Sayajirao Gaekwad Library with over 14 lakh (1.4 million) volumes
  • A famous museum of rare collections (Bharat Kala Bhavan)
  • A 927-bed hospital associated with the medical college, IMS-BHU
  • A printing press

Another campus of the university at Barkachha, in Mirzapur district, covering an area of 2700 acres is being built.

Four off-campus Degree Colleges of the city of Varanasi are affiliated with the University.

Apart from concrete buildings, the campus features open spaces, greenery and peacocks, the national bird of India, which are found roaming around almost every part of the university.

[edit] History

[edit] The Founding of BHU

BHU was founded by Pandit Madan Mohan Malaviya in 1916 with the cooperation of Dr Annie Besant. It was created under the Parliamentary legislation - B.H.U. Act 1915, when India was under British Raj. Its 1350 acre (5.5 km²) campus was built on land donated by the then Maharaja of Kashi.

The Foundation day was February 4, 1916, the day of Vasant Panchami or Saraswati Puja.

[edit] A "Hindu" University

Though the name of the university includes the word "Hindu," the university has always been accepting of the various religions of its members, including students and faculty. A message on its website says:

"India is not a country of the Hindus only. It is a country of the Muslims, the Christians and the Parsees too. The country can gain strength and develop itself only when the people of the different communities in India live in mutual goodwill and harmony. It is my earnest hope and prayer that this centre of life and light which is coming into existence, will produce students who will not only be intellectually equal to the best of their fellow students in other parts of the world, but will also live a noble life, love their country and be loyal to the Supreme ruler".[1]

[edit] Notable faculty and graduates

[edit] External links

[edit] Notes

  1. ^ Official home page of BHU. Retrieved on August 28, 2006.

[edit] Books

  1. ^  Leah Renold, A Hindu Education: Early Years Of The Banaras Hindu University (Oxford University Press).
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