Banaras Hindu University
Encyclopedia
Banaras Hindu University (Hindi
Hindi
Standard Hindi, or more precisely Modern Standard Hindi, also known as Manak Hindi , High Hindi, Nagari Hindi, and Literary Hindi, is a standardized and sanskritized register of the Hindustani language derived from the Khariboli dialect of Delhi...

: काशी हिन्दू विश्वविद्यालय) (commonly referred to as BHU) is a public university located in Varanasi
Varanasi
-Etymology:The name Varanasi has its origin possibly from the names of the two rivers Varuna and Assi, for the old city lies in the north shores of the Ganga bounded by its two tributaries, the Varuna and the Asi, with the Ganges being to its south...

, India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...

 and is one of the Central Universities of India. It is the largest residential university in Asia, with over 24,000 students in its campus. BHU was founded in 1916 by Pandit Madan Mohan Malviya under the Parliamentary legislation 'B.H.U. Act 1915'.

The campus spread over 1350 acres (5.5 km²) was built on land donated by the Kashi Naresh
Kingdom of Kashi
The Kingdom of Kashi was an independent Bhumihar Brahmin state until 1194, became a British territory in 1775, and became a state in 1911. It is the site of Ramnagar Fort and its museum, which are the repository of the history of the kings of Benares and since the 18th century has been the home of...

, the hereditary ruler of Banaras. Apart from the main campus, the Rajiv Gandhi South Campus covering 2760 acres (11.2 km²) is at Barkatcha near the city of Mirzapur, about 80 kilometers from Banaras.

It has 140 teaching departments and more than 55 hostel
Hostel
Hostels provide budget oriented, sociable accommodation where guests can rent a bed, usually a bunk bed, in a dormitory and share a bathroom, lounge and sometimes a kitchen. Rooms can be mixed or single-sex, although private rooms may also be available...

s for boys and girls. The total enrollment in the university stands at just over 15000, including students from all over India and abroad. Several of its colleges, including engineering (IT-BHU
Institute of Technology, Banaras Hindu University
The Institute of Technology, Banaras Hindu University is an engineering institute under the aegis of Banaras Hindu University , situated in Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh, India. IT-BHU has 13 departments and 3 inter-disciplinary schools, providing technical education with an emphasis on its industrial...

), science, linguistics, journalism & mass communication, law and medicine (IMS-BHU
IMS-BHU
The Institute Of Medical Sciences is one of the three institutes of Banaras Hindu University in Varanasi, India and comprises three faculties:...

), Faculty of Management Studies, are ranked amongst the best in India. Out of these IT-BHU is set to become India's 16th IIT
Indian Institutes of Technology
The Indian Institutes of Technology are a group of autonomous engineering and technology-oriented institutes of higher education. The IITs are governed by the Institutes of Technology Act, 1961 which has declared them as “institutions of national importance”, and lays down their powers, duties,...

, IIT-BHU from the academic session 2010. Also, the university is well known for its Department of French studies which offers degree and diploma courses. BHU is ranked as the second best university in the field of research in India after Delhi University. It is also ranked as the best overall university of India on all parameters as per the India Today magazine dated 2 June 2010.

History

In 1898 Annie Besant
Annie Besant
Annie Besant was a prominent British Theosophist, women's rights activist, writer and orator and supporter of Irish and Indian self rule.She was married at 19 to Frank Besant but separated from him over religious differences. She then became a prominent speaker for the National Secular Society ...

 founded the Central Hindu School in Varanasi and introduced the idea that there should be learning institutions based on ancient Hindu philosophy. Malaviya supported this idea and starting in 1911 he left his legal practice and sought to organize a larger university using the Central Hindu School as a base. Besant proposed that the British crown found a "University of India" and in 1907 applied for a royal charter to establish such an institution. Malaviya sought and received the support of the Kashi Naresh and the Maharaja Sir Rameshwar Singh Bahadur
Raj Darbhanga
Darbhanga Raj, also known as Raj Darbhanga and the Royal Family of Darbhanga, were a family of Zamindars and rulers of territories that are now part of Mithila and Darbhanga district, Bihar, India. Their seat was at the city of Darbhanga...

 to establish the university. In April 1911, Besant and Malaviya met and decided to unite their forces and work for a common Hindu University at Varanasi. The Government of India offered funding if Besant's Central Hindu College
Central Hindu College
Central Hindu School, formerly known as Central Hindu College, is one of India's largest schools which is situated in the heart of the city at Kamachha Varanasi in India. This school provides the education to all societies of people having highly qualified faculties and aboratory and a SARGA HALL...

 would become part of the new university, and Besant, Bhagwan Das
Bhagwan Das
Bhagwan Das was an Indian theosophist and public figure. For a time he served in the Central Legislative Assembly of British India. He became allied with the Hindustani Culture Society and was active in opposing rioting as a form of protest...

, and other college trustees agreed to the merge in November 1915.

In February 1916 to promote the university's expansion guest speakers such as Mahatma Gandhi
Mahatma Gandhi
Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi , pronounced . 2 October 1869 – 30 January 1948) was the pre-eminent political and ideological leader of India during the Indian independence movement...

, Sir J.C. Bose, Dr. PC. Ray
Prafulla Chandra Roy
Prafulla Chandra Ray was a Indian academician, a chemist and entrepreneur. He was the founder of Bengal Chemicals & Pharmaceuticals, India's first pharmaceutical company...

, Prof. Sam Higginbottom
Sam Higginbottom
Sam Higginbottom was an English-born Christian missionary in Allahabad, India, where he founded the Allahabad Agricultural Institute.-Early life:...

, Besant, Prof. C. V. Raman, delivered a series of what are now called the University Extension Lectures on Vasant Panchami
Vasant Panchami
Vasant Panchami , sometimes referred to as Vasant Panchami or Shree Panchami , is a Hindu festival celebrating Saraswati, the goddess of knowledge, music and art. It is celebrated every year on the fifth day of the Indian month Magh , the first day of spring...

. Sir Sundar Lal was appointed the first Vice-Chancellor. The Chancellor of the University, Maharaja Krishna Raja Wadiyar IV
Krishna Raja Wadiyar IV
Krishna Raja Wadiyar IV , also known popularly as Nalvadi Krishna Raja Wadiyar , was the ruling Maharaja of the princely state of Mysore from 1902 until his death in 1940. He is regarded as one of the most celebrated rulers among the Indian States when India was still under British rule...

 of Mysore who had come to preside over and address the Convocation, also performed the opening ceremony of the Engineering College Workshop buildings. Krishna Raja Wadiyar IV
Krishna Raja Wadiyar IV
Krishna Raja Wadiyar IV , also known popularly as Nalvadi Krishna Raja Wadiyar , was the ruling Maharaja of the princely state of Mysore from 1902 until his death in 1940. He is regarded as one of the most celebrated rulers among the Indian States when India was still under British rule...

 of Mysore presided over the first university convocation on 17 January 1919, and at this time he also announced the opening of the first college on the campus, which was the Engineering College.

Organisation

Being a vast university and under various phases of development, Banaras Hindu University has two main types of academic subunits: Institute and Faculty.http://www.education.nic.in/cd50years/x/7H/8I/7H8I0201.htm

Institute of Medical Sciences, Banaras Hindu University

The Institute of Medical Sciences is a residential, co-educational medical institute. It admits undergraduate (MBBS/BAMS/BDS) students through the BHU-PMT entrance examination held by BHU in cities of India. The B.Sc.(Nursing), B Pharma ( Ay),M Pharma ( Ay) MDS, MD/MS, DM/M.Ch, MD.(Ay)/MS(Ay)and Ph.D students are selected through national entrance tests held by BHU in Varanasi. The M.Sc. (Health Statistics) students are admitted through a common post-graduate entrance test conducted by BHU in cities of India.

Institute of Technology, Banaras Hindu University

Other facilities

Faculties
  • Faculty of Arts
    Faculty of Arts, BHU
    Faculty of Arts, Banaras Hindu University , Varanasi, India is among the oldest department of Banaras Hindu University. Established in 1898.-History:...

  • Faculty of Commerce
  • Faculty of Education
  • Faculty of Law
  • Faculty of Management Studies
  • Faculty of Performing Arts
  • Faculty of Science
  • Faculty of Engineering
  • Faculty of Agriculture
  • Faculty of Medicine
  • Faculty of Ayurveda
  • Faculty of Dental Sciences
  • Faculty of Social Sciences
  • Sanskrit Vidya Dharma Vijnan Sankaya
  • Faculty of Visual Arts

School of Biotechnology

The School of Biotechnology is a centre of postgraduate teaching and research under the aegis of Faculty of Science at BHU. It is one of the earliest centres established by Department of Biotechnology
Department of Biotechnology
The Department of Biotechnology is an Indian government department, under the Ministry of Science and Technology responsible for administrating development in the field of modern biology and biotechnology in India...

, Ministry of Science and Technology, Government of India
Government of India
The Government of India, officially known as the Union Government, and also known as the Central Government, was established by the Constitution of India, and is the governing authority of the union of 28 states and seven union territories, collectively called the Republic of India...

 in 1986. It offers M.Sc. and Ph.D.
Ph.D.
A Ph.D. is a Doctor of Philosophy, an academic degree.Ph.D. may also refer to:* Ph.D. , a 1980s British group*Piled Higher and Deeper, a web comic strip*PhD: Phantasy Degree, a Korean comic series* PhD Docbook renderer, an XML renderer...

 programmes in Biotechnology
Biotechnology
Biotechnology is a field of applied biology that involves the use of living organisms and bioprocesses in engineering, technology, medicine and other fields requiring bioproducts. Biotechnology also utilizes these products for manufacturing purpose...

. Notable faculty include Arvind Mohan Kayastha
Arvind Mohan Kayastha
Arvind Mohan Kayastha , born on August 1, 1960 at Dharmashala, is Professor at School of Biotechnology, Banaras Hindu University , Varanasi and an established scientist in the field of Plant Biochemistry and Enzyme Technology...

.

Advanced research centers and interdisciplinary schools
  • DBT-BHU Interdisciplinary School of Life Sciences Advance Research and Education (DBT-BHU-ISLARE)http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/varanasi/Central-grant-to-BHU-for-school-of-life-sciences/articleshow/5098475.cms
  • DST Centre for Interdisciplinary Mathematical Sciences
  • DBT Centre of Genetic Disorders
  • DBT Centre for Food Science and Technology
  • Centre for Environmental Science and Technologyhttp://www.bhu.ac.in/cest
  • Nanoscience and Technology Center
  • Hydrogen Energy Centre
  • UGC Advanced Immunodiagnostic Training and Research Centre
  • Centre for Experimental Medicine and Surgery
  • Center for Women's Studies and Development (CWSD)
  • Center for the Study of Nepal (CNS)
  • Malviya Center for Peace Research (MCPR)
  • Center for Rural Integrated Development
  • Centre for Study of Social Exclusion and Inclusive Policy (CSSEIP)

The Women's College (Mahila Mahavidyalaya) and four constituent colleges
  • D.A.V. college
  • Arya Mahila postgraduate college
  • Basanta Kanya Mahavidyalaya
  • Vasanta College,Rajghat


Affiliated schools and college
  • Ranvir Sanskrit Vidyalaya, Kammacha
  • Central Hindu Boys and Girls school, Kammacha


Apart from specialized centers directly funded by DBT, DST, ICAR and ISRO, a large number of departments under the faculty of Sciences, Engineering, Technology and Social Sciences are supported by DST-FIST (22 departments/schools) and UGC CAS/SAP/DRS (14 departments/schools).http://www.bhu.ac.in/press/index.html

Admissions

Banaras Hindu University conducts national level undergraduate (UET) and postgraduate (PET) entrance tests usually during May–June for admission. Admissions are done according to merit in the entrance tests, subject to fulfilling of other eligibility requirements. Admissions to B.Tech./B.Pharm., M.Tech./M.Pharm. are done through JEE and GATE respectively. Admission to MBA and MIBA are done through IIM-CAT score. Admissions for PhD
PHD
PHD may refer to:*Ph.D., a doctorate of philosophy*Ph.D. , a 1980s British group*PHD finger, a protein sequence*PHD Mountain Software, an outdoor clothing and equipment company*PhD Docbook renderer, an XML renderer...

 are done on the basis of either qualification of National Eligibility Test
National Eligibility Test
The National Eligibility Test is the national level entrance examination in India for postgraduate candidates who wish to qualify for admission in Ph.D research and/or university level teaching jobs in India...

 (NET) by the candidates or through the scores of CRET (common research entrance test). Admissions in IMS are done through PMT exam.

BHU attracts a number of foreign learners. Foreign students are admitted through the application submitted to the Indian mission in his/her country or by his/her country's mission in India.

Department of Library and Information Science

Department of Library and Information Science was established in 1941 and is among the oldest Library and Information Science schools in India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...

 and provides an education for librarianship
Education for librarianship
Education for librarianship is the term for the educational preparation for professional librarians. This varies widely in different countries. In the United States and Canada, it generally consists of a one- or two-year Masters degree program in library science...

 in India. The department has established a national and international reputation in its field. It started as a two-month course of Librarianship which lead to a six-month certificate course in Librarianship later that year. The department initiated diploma course in Librarianship, second of its kind in India after Madras University in 1942. In 1961, the diploma course was converted to a bachelor degree course with necessary modifications in course content. The course has been discontinued from 2005 onward. Department introduced a one-year Master of Library and Information Science
Master of Library and Information Science
The Master of Library and Information Science is the master's degree that is required for most professional librarian positions in the United States and Canada. The MLIS is a relatively recent degree; an older and still common degree designation for librarians to acquire is the Master of Library...

 (MLIS) Programme in the 1965 second after University of Delhi in order to train specialist librarians for specialized libraries. From 2005 onwards the department has introduced a two-year integrated MLIS programme as per guidelines of Curriculum Development Committee (CDC) of the University Grant Commission (UGC). A Ph.D. course was initiated in the department in 1980. Nineteen doctoral dissertations so far have been successfully defended for the award of Doctor of Philosophy. The department has recently started a special course of study M.A. (Manuscriptology) which aims to provide education and training of handling manuscripts — storage, preservation, conservation, study and use.

Admission to the MLIS course is based on the merit acquired by a candidate in an entrance test conducted by B.H.U. administration annually. Applicants need a graduate degree under 10+2+3 pattern from any Indian university/institution recognized by U.G.C. with at least 50% marks in aggregate (at least 45% for SC/ST candidates). A candidate appearing at the qualifying examination and expecting to fulfill the eligibility requirements as above may also apply. Programs include masters degrees in Library and Information Science
Library and information science
Library and information science is a merging of the two fields library science and information science...

 and Manuscriptology
Manuscriptology
Manuscriptology is a branch of study in Archaeology about history or Literature by means of very old Palm-leaf manuscript's, Rare Paper Manuscript's, Epigraphy and Underwater archaeology....

, and a PhD research program.

The Central Library

The Banaras Hindu University Library system was established from a collection donated by Prof. P.K. Telang in the memory of his father Justice Kashinath Trimbak Telang
Kashinath Trimbak Telang
Kashinath Trimbak Telang was an Indian judge and Indologist.-Biography:By profession an advocate of the high court, he also took a vigorous share in literary, social, municipal and political work, as well as in the affairs of the University of Bombay, over which he presided as vice-chancellor from...

 in 1917. The collection was housed in the Telang Hall of the Central Hindu College, Kamachha. In 1921 the library was moved to the Central Hall of the Arts College (now Faculty of Arts) and then in 1941 to its present building. The library was established with the donation from Maharaja Sayajirao Gaekwad III
Maharaja Sayajirao Gaekwad III
165454565Sayajirao Gaekwad III was the Maharaja of Baroda State from 1875 to 1939, and is notably remembered for reforming much of his state during his rule....

 of Baroda, on the pattern of the library British Museum
British Museum
The British Museum is a museum of human history and culture in London. Its collections, which number more than seven million objects, are amongst the largest and most comprehensive in the world and originate from all continents, illustrating and documenting the story of human culture from its...

 in London on the suggestion of Pandit Madan Mohan Malaviya
Madan Mohan Malaviya
Madan Mohan Malaviya was an Indian educationist, and freedom fighter notable for his role in the Indian independence movement and his espousal of Hindu nationalism...

, the founder of university. It is also a designated 'Manuscript Conservation Centre' (MCC) under the National Mission for Manuscripts
National Mission for Manuscripts
The National Mission for Manuscripts is an autonomous organisation under Ministry of Culture, Government of India, established to survey, locate and conserve Indian manuscripts, with an aim to create national resource base for manuscripts, for enhancing their access, awareness and use for...

 established in 2003.

The library had a collection of around 60,000 volumes in 1931, through donations from various sources. The trend of donation of personal and family collection to the library continued as late as forties with the result that it has unique pieces of rarities of books and journals dating back to 18th century.

Presently the Banaras Hindu University Library System consists of Central Library at apex and 3 Institute Libraries, 8 Faculty Libraries, 25 Departmental Libraries, with a total collection of over 13 lakh volumes to serve the students, faculty members, researchers, technical staff of fourteen faculties consisting of 126 subject departments of the university.

Banaras Hindu University people

As a major university, Banaras Hindu University has had many notable people associated with it from all fields.

See also

  • List of universities in India
  • Universities and colleges in India
    Universities and colleges in India
    -North India:*Chandigarh*Delhi*Haryana*Himachal Pradesh*Jammu and Kashmir*Punjab*Rajasthan*Uttar Pradesh*Uttarakhand-South India:*Andhra Pradesh*Karnataka*Kerala*Pondicherry*Tamil Nadu-East India:*Bihar*Jharkhand*Orissa*West Bengal-West India:...

  • Education in India
    Education in India
    Education in India is provided by the public sector as well as the private sector, with control and funding coming from three levels: federal, state, and local. Child education is compulsory. The Nalanda University was the oldest university-system of education in the world...

  • Distance Education Council
    Distance Education Council
    Distance Education Council is an organisation based in New Delhi, India responsible for the promotion and coordination of the open university and distance education system and for determination of its standards in India. The Council was constituted under the Indira Gandhi National Open University...

  • University Grants Commission (India)
    University Grants Commission (India)
    The University Grants Commission of India is a statutory organisation set up by Union government in 1956, for the coordination, determination and maintenance of standards of university education. It provides recognition for universities in India, and provides funds for government-recognised...

  • Bhartendu Academy of Dramatic Arts
    Bhartendu Academy of Dramatic Arts
    Bhartendu Academy of Dramatic Arts is a theatre training institute in Lucknow, India...


Further reading

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

External links

The source of this article is wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.  The text of this article is licensed under the GFDL.
 
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