Banaras Hindu University

Banaras Hindu University
काशी हिन्दू विश्वविद्यालय
Established	1916[1]
Type	Public
Religious affiliation	UGC, NAAC, AIU
Chancellor	Karan Singh
Vice-Chancellor	Lalji Singh
Students	15,000
Location	Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh, India
Campus	Main campus: 1,300 acres (5.3 km2) South campus: 2,700 acres (11 km2)
Website	bhu.ac.in

Banaras Hindu University (Hindi: काशी हिन्दू विश्वविद्यालय) (commonly referred to as BHU) is a public university located in Varanasi, India and is one of the Central Universities of India. It is the largest residential university in Asia, with over 33,000 students in its campus. BHU was founded in 1916 by Pandit Madan Mohan Malviya under the Parliamentary legislation 'B.H.U. Act 1915'.^[1][2][3]

The central university campus spread over 1,300 acres (5.3 km²) was built on land donated by the Kashi Naresh, the hereditary ruler of Banaras. The Rajiv Gandhi South Campus, spread over 2,700 acres (11 km²),^[4] hosts the Krishi Vigyan Kendra (Agriculture Science Centre)^[5] and is located in Barkachha in Mirzapur district, about 80 kilometers from Banaras.

BHU is organized into 3 institutes and 14 colleges. Total enrollment at the university stands at just over 15000, and includes students from all over the world. It has over 55 hostels for resident students. Several of its colleges, including engineering (IIT-BHU), science, linguistics, journalism & mass communication, law, medicine (IMS-BHU) and management (FMS), are ranked among the best in India.^[6] The university's engineering institute was designated an IIT in 2011.^[7][8] Also, the university is well known for its Department of French studies which offers degree and diploma courses.

History

Statue of Pandit Madan Mohan Malaviya at the entrance of Banaras Hindu University

In 1898 Annie Besant founded the Central Hindu School in Varanasi and introduced the idea that there should be learning institutions based on ancient Hindu philosophy.^[9] Pandit Madan Mohan Malviya supported this idea and in 1911 he left his legal practice and sought to organize a larger university using the Central Hindu School as a base.^{[citation needed]} Besant proposed that the British crown found a "University of India" and in 1907 applied for a royal charter to establish such an institution.^{[citation needed]} Malviya sought and received the support of the Kashi Naresh and the Maharaja Sir Rameshwar Singh Bahadur to establish the university.^[9] Malviya and Besant met in April 1911 and they decided to unite their forces and work for a common Hindu University at Varanasi.^[10] Malviya then spent the next 5 years raising funds for the university. In October 1915, the Banaras Hindu University Bill was passed. The British Government of India offered some funds if Besant's Central Hindu College would become part of the new university, and Besant, Bhagwan Das, and other college trustees agreed to the merger in November 1915.^{[citation needed]}

The foundation ceremony of the university was held on Vasant Panchami, 4 February 1916.^[11] To promote the university's expansion, Malviya invited guest speakers such as Mahatma Gandhi, Sir Jagadish Chandra Bose, Dr. Prafulla Chandra Roy, Prof Sam Higginbottom, Besant and Prof C. V. Raman to deliver a series of what are now called the University Extension Lectures on the occasion. Sir Sunder Lal was appointed the first Vice-Chancellor, and the university began its academic session that year.^[1]

The Chancellor of the University, Krishna Raja Wadiyar IV of Mysore presided over the first university convocation in 1919. The Engineering College of the university was established the same year and during the visit, on 17 January, he also performed the opening ceremony of the Engineering College Workshop buildings.^{[citation needed]}

Organisation

Being a vasst university and under various phases of development, Banaras Hindu University has two main types of academic subunits: Institute and Faculty.[2]

Institutes

Institute of Technology, Banaras Hindu University

The Institute of Technology, Banaras Hindu University (IT-BHU) is an engineering institute under the aegis of BHU. IT-BHU has 13 departments and 3 inter-disciplinary schools, providing technical education with an emphasis on its industrial applications. Established in 1919, it is one of the oldest engineering institutes in India.^[12] It is slated for conversion into an Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) under the Institutes of Technology (Amendment) Bill, 2011 ,which was passed by the Lok Sabha. on 24th March, 2011, and by the Rajya Sabha on 30th April 2012.

Institute of Agricultural Sciences

The Institute of Agricultural Sciences (IAS) is one of the oldest agricultural sciences institutions in India.^{[citation needed]} It is involved in both research education and is affiliated to the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR).^{[citation needed]}

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 Environment and Sustainable Development

Other facilities

Faculties^[13]

School of Biotechnology

School of Biotechnology, Faculty of Science, Banaras Hindu University

The School of Biotechnology is a centre of postgraduate teaching and research under the aegis of Faculty of Science^[14] at BHU. It is one of the earliest centres established by Department of Biotechnology,^[15] Ministry of Science and Technology, Government of India in 1986. It offers M.Sc. and Ph.D. programmes in Biotechnology. Notable faculty include Arvind Mohan Kayastha.^[16]

Advanced research centers and interdisciplinary schools

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).[5]

Admissions

The new Vishwanath temple of Varanasi is located in the premises of the Banaras Hindu University.

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 are done on the basis of either qualification of National Eligibility Test (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 and provides an education for librarianship in India. The department has established a national and international reputation in its field.^[who?] 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 (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^[when?] 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 and Manuscriptology, 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 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 of Baroda, on the pattern of the library British Museum in London on the suggestion of Pandit Madan Mohan Malaviya, the founder of university. It is also a designated 'Manuscript Conservation Centre' (MCC) under the National Mission for Manuscripts established in 2003.^[17]

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.^[18]

Rankings

BHU was ranked 3rd in India Today's India's Top 45 Universities of 2011.^[19] The engineering institute IT-BHU was ranked #7 on the Outlook India Top Engineering Colleges of 2011,^[21] #8 on Dataquest's India's Top Engineering Colleges 2011 (DQ-CMR Top T-Schools Survey 2011)^[22] and #9 in India Today Best Engineering colleges of 2011.^[20] In rankings limited to government colleges, it has ranked #8 in Mint's Top 50 Government Engineering Colleges of 2009.^[23]

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
• Education in India
• Distance Education Council
• University Grants Commission (India)
• Bhartendu Academy of Dramatic Arts

References

Further reading

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

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Banaras Hindu University

• Official website

Coordinates: 25°15′52″N 82°59′42″E / 25.264413°N 82.995014°E / 25.264413; 82.995014