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Banaras Hindu University (BHU)
IAST The International Alphabet of Sanskrit Transliteration (IAST) is a transliteration scheme that allows the lossless romanisation of Indic scripts as employed by Sanskrit and related Indic languages. It is based on a scheme that emerged during ...
:
kāśī hindū viśvavidyālaya IPA: /kaːʃiː hɪnd̪uː ʋɪʃwəʋid̪jaːləj/), is a collegiate, central, and
research Research is " creative and systematic work undertaken to increase the stock of knowledge". It involves the collection, organization and analysis of evidence to increase understanding of a topic, characterized by a particular attentiveness ...
university A university () is an institution of higher (or tertiary) education and research which awards academic degrees in several academic disciplines. Universities typically offer both undergraduate and postgraduate programs. In the United States, ...
located in Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh, India, and founded in 1916. The university incorporated the Central Hindu College, founded by Indian Home Rule-leaguer and Theosophist,
Annie Besant Annie Besant ( Wood; 1 October 1847 – 20 September 1933) was a British socialist, theosophist, freemason, women's rights activist, educationist, writer, orator, political party member and philanthropist. Regarded as a champion of human fre ...
in 1898. After Besant and her associates were marginalized, the university was established by
Madan Mohan Malaviya Madan Mohan Malaviya ( (25 December 1861 — 12 November 1946) was an Indian scholar, educational reformer and politician notable for his role in the Indian independence movement. He was president of the Indian National Congress four times and ...
with the financial support of the maharaja of Dharbhanga Rameshwar Singh, the maharaja of Benares
Prabhu Narayan Singh Prabhu Narayan Singh (26 November 1855 – 4 August 1931) was ruler of the Benares State ( Royal House of Benares), an Indian princely state, from 1889 to 1931. Prabhu Narayan Singh would reign for 42 years as Maharaja; in 1891, he was knight ...
, and the lawyer Sunder Lal. With over 30,000 students, and 18,000 residing on campus, BHU is the largest residential university in Asia. The university is one of the eight public institutions declared as an
Institute of Eminence Institutes of Eminence (IoE) is a recognition scheme for higher education institutes in India, set by the University Grants Commission in 2017. The plan encompasses twenty institutions, 12 of which have already been declared Institutes of Emine ...
by the Government of India. BHU has often been referred by different names throughout the history and present. Some of the English names include Banaras University, Benares Hindu University, and Hindu University. The university's main campus, spread over , was built on land donated by the Kashi Naresh
Prabhu Narayan Singh Prabhu Narayan Singh (26 November 1855 – 4 August 1931) was ruler of the Benares State ( Royal House of Benares), an Indian princely state, from 1889 to 1931. Prabhu Narayan Singh would reign for 42 years as Maharaja; in 1891, he was knight ...
, the hereditary ruler of Banaras ("Kashi" being an alternative name for Banaras or Varanasi). The south campus, spread over is built on land donated later by Maharaj Kumar Aditya Narayan Singh in Sunderpur, hosts the
Krishi Vigyan Kendra A Krishi Vigyan Kendra (KVK; ) is an agricultural extension center in India. The centres are associated with a local agricultural university, and serve as links between the Indian Council of Agricultural Research and farmers to apply agricultural r ...
(Agriculture Science Centre) and is located in Barkachha in Mirzapur district, about from Varanasi. BHU is organized into six institutes, 14 faculties (streams) and about 140 departments. , the total student enrolment at the university is 30,698 coming from 48 countries. It has over 65 hostels for resident students. Several of its faculties and institutes include Arts, Social Sciences, Commerce, Management Studies, Science, Performing Arts, Law, Agricultural Science, Medical Science, and Environment and Sustainable Development along with departments of Linguistics, Journalism & Mass Communication, among others. The university's engineering institute was designated as an
Indian Institute of Technology The Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs) are central government owned public technical institutes located across India. They are under the ownership of the Ministry of Education of the Government of India. They are governed by the Insti ...
in June 2012, and henceforth is Indian Institute of Technology (BHU). Centralised in 1916 through the Banaras Hindu University Act, Banaras Hindu University is India's first central university. BHU celebrated its centenary year in 2015–2016.


History

The Banaras Hindu University was jointly established by
Madan Mohan Malaviya Madan Mohan Malaviya ( (25 December 1861 — 12 November 1946) was an Indian scholar, educational reformer and politician notable for his role in the Indian independence movement. He was president of the Indian National Congress four times and ...
,
Annie Besant Annie Besant ( Wood; 1 October 1847 – 20 September 1933) was a British socialist, theosophist, freemason, women's rights activist, educationist, writer, orator, political party member and philanthropist. Regarded as a champion of human fre ...
, Maharaja Rameshwar Singh of Darbhanga Raj and
Prabhu Narayan Singh Prabhu Narayan Singh (26 November 1855 – 4 August 1931) was ruler of the Benares State ( Royal House of Benares), an Indian princely state, from 1889 to 1931. Prabhu Narayan Singh would reign for 42 years as Maharaja; in 1891, he was knight ...
of Narayan dynasty, while the university is the brainchild of Malviya. At the 21st Conference of the
Indian National Congress The Indian National Congress (INC), colloquially the Congress Party but often simply the Congress, is a political party in India with widespread roots. Founded in 1885, it was the first modern nationalist movement to emerge in the British ...
in
Benares Varanasi (; ; also Banaras or Benares (; ), and Kashi.) is a city on the Ganges river in northern India that has a central place in the traditions of pilgrimage, death, and mourning in the Hindu world. * * * * The city has a syncretic tra ...
in December 1905, Malaviya publicly announced his intent to establish a university in
Banaras Varanasi (; ; also Banaras or Benares (; ), and Kashi.) is a city on the Ganges river in northern India that has a central place in the traditions of pilgrimage, death, and mourning in the Hindu world. * * * * The city has a syncretic tra ...
. Malaviya continued to develop his vision for the university with inputs from other Indian nationalists and educationists. He published his plan in 1911. The focus of his arguments was the prevailing poverty in India and the decline in income of Indians compared to Europeans. The plan called for the focus on technology and science, besides the study of India's religion and culture:
"The millions mired in poverty here can only get rid (of it) when science is used in their interest. Such maximum application of science is only possible when scientific knowledge is available to Indians in their own country." -- Madan Mohan Malviya
Malaviya's plan evaluated whether to seek government recognition for the university or operate without its control. He decided in favour of the former for various reasons. Malaviya also considered the question of medium of instruction and decided to start with English given the prevalent environment, and gradually add
Hindi Hindi (Devanāgarī: or , ), or more precisely Modern Standard Hindi (Devanagari: ), is an Indo-Aryan language spoken chiefly in the Hindi Belt region encompassing parts of northern, central, eastern, and western India. Hindi has been ...
and other Indian languages. A distinguishing characteristic of Malaviya's vision was the preference for a residential university. All other Indian universities of the period, such as the universities in
Bombay Mumbai (, ; also known as Bombay — the official name until 1995) is the capital city of the Indian state of Maharashtra and the ''de facto'' financial centre of India. According to the United Nations, as of 2018, Mumbai is the second-m ...
,
Calcutta Kolkata (, or , ; also known as Calcutta , the official name until 2001) is the capital of the Indian state of West Bengal, on the eastern bank of the Hooghly River west of the border with Bangladesh. It is the primary business, com ...
,
Madras Chennai (, ), formerly known as Madras ( the official name until 1996), is the capital city of Tamil Nadu, the southernmost Indian state. The largest city of the state in area and population, Chennai is located on the Coromandel Coast of th ...
, etc., were affiliating universities which only conducted examinations and awarded degrees to students of their affiliated colleges. Malaviya had supported Annie Besant's cause and in 1903, he had raised 250,000 Rupees in donations to finance the construction of the school's
hostel A hostel is a form of low-cost, short-term shared sociable lodging where guests can rent a bed, usually a bunk bed in a dormitory, with shared use of a lounge and sometimes a kitchen. Rooms can be mixed or single-sex and have private or shared ...
. In 1907 Besant had applied for a
royal charter A royal charter is a formal grant issued by a monarch under royal prerogative as letters patent. Historically, they have been used to promulgate public laws, the most famous example being the English Magna Carta (great charter) of 1215, b ...
to establish a university. However, there was no response from the British government. Following the publication of Malviya's plan, Besant met Malviya and in April 1911 they agreed to unite their forces to build the university in Varanasi Malaviya soon left his legal practice to focus exclusively on developing the university and his independence activities. On 22 November 1911, he registered the Hindu University Society to gather support and raise funds for building the university. He spent the next four years gathering support and raising funds for the university. Malaviya sought and received early support from the Kashi Naresh
Prabhu Narayan Singh Prabhu Narayan Singh (26 November 1855 – 4 August 1931) was ruler of the Benares State ( Royal House of Benares), an Indian princely state, from 1889 to 1931. Prabhu Narayan Singh would reign for 42 years as Maharaja; in 1891, he was knight ...
and Rameshwar Singh Bahadur of
Raj Darbhanga The Darbhanga Raj, also known as Raj Darbhanga and the Khandwala dynasty, was a Maithil Brahmins dynasty and the rulers of territories, not all contiguous, that were part of the Mithila region, now divided between India and Nepal. The rulers ...
. Thakur Jadunath Singh of Arkha along with other noble houses of United Provinces contributed for the development of the university. On 22 March 1915, then Education Minister Harcourt Butler introduced the ''Benares Hindu University Bill'' in the
Imperial Legislative Council The Imperial Legislative Council (ILC) was the legislature of the British Raj from 1861 to 1947. It was established under the Charter Act of 1853 by providing for the addition of 6 additional members to the Governor General Council for legislativ ...
''.'' In his speech, he remarked about the university:The Benares Hindu University Bill was passed on 1 October 1915 and assented by the
Viceroy and Governor-General of India The Governor-General of India (1773–1950, from 1858 to 1947 the Viceroy and Governor-General of India, commonly shortened to Viceroy of India) was the representative of the monarch of the United Kingdom and after Indian independence in 1 ...
on the same day. BHU was finally established in 1916, the first university in India that was the result of people's efforts. The foundation for the main campus of the university was laid by Lord Hardinge, the then
Viceroy of India The Governor-General of India (1773–1950, from 1858 to 1947 the Viceroy and Governor-General of India, commonly shortened to Viceroy of India) was the representative of the monarch of the United Kingdom and after Indian independence in 19 ...
, on
Vasant Panchami Vasant Panchami, also called Saraswati Puja in honor of the Hindu goddess Saraswati, is a festival that marks the preparation for the arrival of spring. The festival is celebrated in Indian religions in different ways depending on the region ...
4 February 1916. To promote the university's expansion, Malviya invited eminent guest speakers such as
Mahatma Gandhi Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi (; ; 2 October 1869 – 30 January 1948), popularly known as Mahatma Gandhi, was an Indian lawyer, anti-colonial nationalist Quote: "... marks Gandhi as a hybrid cosmopolitan figure who transformed ... anti- ...
,
Jagadish Chandra Bose Sir Jagadish Chandra Bose (;, ; 30 November 1858 – 23 November 1937) was a biologist, physicist, botanist and an early writer of science fiction. He was a pioneer in the investigation of radio microwave optics, made significant contributions ...
, C. V. Raman,
Prafulla Chandra Ray Sir Prafulla Chandra Ray, CIE, FNI, FRASB, FIAS, FCS (also spelled Prafulla Chandra Rây and Prafulla Chandra Roy; bn, প্রফুল্ল চন্দ্র রায় ''Praphulla Chandra Rāy''; 2 August 1861 – 16 June 1944 ...
, Sam Higginbottom,
Patrick Geddes Sir Patrick Geddes (2 October 1854 – 17 April 1932) was a British biologist, sociologist, Comtean positivist, geographer, philanthropist and pioneering town planner. He is known for his innovative thinking in the fields of urban planning ...
, and Besant to deliver a series of what are now called ''The University Extension Lectures'' between 5–8 February 1916. Gandhi's lecture on the occasion was his first public address in India. Sunder Lal was appointed the first Vice-Chancellor, and the university began its academic session the same month with classes initially held at the Central Hindu School in the Kamachha area, while the campus was being built on over of land donated by the Kashi Naresh on the outskirts of the city. The
Nizam The Nizams were the rulers of Hyderabad from the 18th through the 20th century. Nizam of Hyderabad (Niẓām ul-Mulk, also known as Asaf Jah) was the title of the monarch of the Hyderabad State ( divided between the state of Telangana, M ...
of
Hyderabad Hyderabad ( ; , ) is the capital and largest city of the Indian state of Telangana and the ''de jure'' capital of Andhra Pradesh. It occupies on the Deccan Plateau along the banks of the Musi River, in the northern part of Southern India. ...
and Berar,
Mir Osman Ali Khan Mir Osman Ali Khan, Asaf Jah VII (5 or 6 April 1886 — 24 February 1967), was the last Nizam (ruler) of the Princely State of Hyderabad, the largest princely state in British India. He ascended the throne on 29 August 1911, at the age o ...
, also made a donation for the university. The university's anthem, called '' Kulgeet'', was composed by university professor and eminent scientist
Shanti Swarup Bhatnagar Sir Shanti Swaroop Bhatnagar OBE, FNI, FASc, FRS, FRIC, FInstP (21 February 1894 – 1 January 1955) was an Indian colloid chemist, academic and scientific administrator. The first director-general of the Council of Scientific and Industr ...
.


Campus


Main campus

Banaras Hindu University's main campus is located on the southern edge of Varanasi, near the banks of the river
Ganges The Ganges ( ) (in India: Ganga ( ); in Bangladesh: Padma ( )). "The Ganges Basin, known in India as the Ganga and in Bangladesh as the Padma, is an international river to which India, Bangladesh, Nepal and China are the riparian states." is ...
. Development of the main campus, spread over , started in 1916 on land donated by the then Kashi Naresh
Prabhu Narayan Singh Prabhu Narayan Singh (26 November 1855 – 4 August 1931) was ruler of the Benares State ( Royal House of Benares), an Indian princely state, from 1889 to 1931. Prabhu Narayan Singh would reign for 42 years as Maharaja; in 1891, he was knight ...
. The campus layout approximates a
semicircle In mathematics (and more specifically geometry), a semicircle is a one-dimensional locus of points that forms half of a circle. The full arc of a semicircle always measures 180° (equivalently, radians, or a half-turn). It has only one line ...
, with intersecting roads laid out along the radii or in arcs. Buildings built in the first half of the 20th century are fine examples of Indo-Gothic architecture. The campus has over 65 hostels offering residential accommodation for over 12,000 students. On-campus housing is also available to a majority of the full-time faculty. The main entrance gate and boundary wall was built on the donation made by Maharaja of
Balrampur Balrampur is a city and a municipal board in Balrampur district in the state of Uttar Pradesh, India. It is situated on the bank of river Rapti and is the district headquarters of Balrampur district. Demographics As of 2011 Indian Census, B ...
, Maharaja Pateshvari Prashad Singh, and is named after him as the (). The Sayaji Rao Gaekwad Library is the main library on campus and houses over 1.3 million volumes as of 2011. Completed in 1941, its construction was financed by Maharaja
Sayajirao Gaekwad III Sayajirao Gaekwad III (born Shrimant Gopalrao Gaekwad; 11 March 1863 – 6 February 1939) was the Maharaja of Baroda State from 1875 to 1939, and is remembered for reforming much of his state during his rule. He belonged to the royal Gae ...
of
Baroda Vadodara (), also known as Baroda, is the second largest city in the Indian state of Gujarat. It serves as the administrative headquarters of the Vadodara district and is situated on the banks of the Vishwamitri River, from the state capital ...
. In addition to the main library, there are three institute libraries, eight faculty libraries and over 25 departmental libraries available to students and staff. Sir Sunderlal Hospital on the campus is a
teaching hospital A teaching hospital is a hospital or medical centre that provides medical education and training to future and current health professionals. Teaching hospitals are almost always affiliated with one or more universities and are often co-located ...
for the Institute of Medical Sciences. Established in 1926 with 96 beds, it has since been expanded to over 900 beds and is the largest
tertiary referral hospital A tertiary referral hospital (also called a tertiary hospital, tertiary referral center, tertiary care center, or tertiary center) is a hospital that provides tertiary care, which is a level of health care obtained from specialists in a large hos ...
in the region. The most prominent landmark is the Shri Vishwanath Mandir, located in the centre of the campus. The foundation for this high complex of seven temples was laid in March 1931, and took almost three decades to complete. Established in 1920, Bharat Kala Bhavan is the university museum of the Banaras Hindu University. It is situated inside the main campus of the university with over 100,000 holdings which include artifacts, paintings,
philately Philately (; ) is the study of postage stamps and postal history. It also refers to the collection and appreciation of stamps and other philatelic products. Philately involves more than just stamp collecting or the study of postage; it is pos ...
, textiles, costumes, etc.


Rajiv Gandhi South Campus

The south campus is located in Barkachha in Mirzapur district, about southwest of the main campus. Spread over an area of over , it was transferred as a lease in perpetuity to BHU by the Bharat Mandal Trust in 1979. It hosts the Krishi Vigyan Kendra (Agricultural Science Centre), with focus on research in agricultural techniques, agro-forestry and bio-diversity appropriate to the
Vindhya Range The Vindhya Range (also known as Vindhyachal) () is a complex, discontinuous chain of mountain ridges, hill ranges, highlands and plateau escarpments in west-central India. Technically, the Vindhyas do not form a single mountain range in the ...
region. The South Campus features a lecture complex, library, student hostels and faculty housing, besides administrative offices.


Halls of residence

BHU is a fully residential university with a total of 66 hostels - 41 hostels for male, 21 hostels for female students, and 4 hostels for
International student International students, or foreign students, are students who undertake all or part of their tertiary education in a country other than their own and move to that country for the purpose of studying. In 2019, there were over 6 million internati ...
s. Hostels in the university are divided among different faculties, institutes, campuses, and colleges catering to their specific demands. Out of the four separate hostels for international students, two are for boys and the other two for girls. Hostels of the university are named after several historically important figures such as Raja Baldev Das Jugal Kishore Birla,
Lal Bahadur Shastri Lal Bahadur Shastri (; 2 October 1904 – 11 January 1966) was an Indian politician and statesman who served as the 2nd Prime Minister of India from 1964 to 1966 and 6th Home Minister of India from 1961 to 1963. He promoted the White Re ...
, Rani Laxmibai and M. Visvesvaraya. Some hostels are named after important rivers of India; 'Triveni' for instance was initially a cluster of three girls' hostels named after rivers
Ganga The Ganges ( ) (in India: Ganga ( ); in Bangladesh: Padma ( )). "The Ganges Basin, known in India as the Ganga and in Bangladesh as the Padma, is an international river to which India, Bangladesh, Nepal and China are the riparian states." is ...
,
Yamuna The Yamuna ( Hindustani: ), also spelt Jumna, is the second-largest tributary river of the Ganges by discharge and the longest tributary in India. Originating from the Yamunotri Glacier at a height of about on the southwestern slopes of Ba ...
, and
Sarasvati Saraswati ( sa, सरस्वती, ) is the Hindu goddess of knowledge, music, art, speech, wisdom, and learning. She is one of the Tridevi, along with the goddesses Lakshmi and Parvati. The earliest known mention of Saraswati as a god ...
; thereby the cluster being called after Triveni Sangam. Later, hostels named after river Godavari and
Kaveri The Kaveri (also known as Cauvery, the anglicized name) is one of the major Indian rivers flowing through the states of Karnataka and Tamil Nadu. The Kaveri river rises at Talakaveri in the Brahmagiri range in the Western Ghats, Kodagu dis ...
were also added to the 'Triveni' block. BHU also provides on-campus residence to a substantial number of teaching and non-teaching staff. There are 654 quarters for teaching staff, 688 quarters for non-teaching staff.


Organisation and administration


Governance

The
President of India The president of India (IAST: ) is the head of state of the Republic of India. The president is the nominal head of the executive, the first citizen of the country, as well as the commander-in-chief of the Indian Armed Forces. Droupadi Murmu ...
(as of December 2022,
Droupadi Murmu Droupadi Murmu (, born 20 June 1958) is an Indian politician who has been serving as the 15th president of India since 25 July 2022. She is the first person belonging to the tribal community and also the second woman after Pratibha Patil to hol ...
) is the visitor of the Banaras Hindu University. The university's formal head is the
chancellor Chancellor ( la, cancellarius) is a title of various official positions in the governments of many nations. The original chancellors were the of Roman courts of justice—ushers, who sat at the or lattice work screens of a basilica or law co ...
(as of December 2022, Giridhar Malviya), though this is a titular figure, and is not involved with the day-to-day running of the university. The chancellor is elected by the members of the University Court. The university's chief executive is the
Vice-chancellor A chancellor is a leader of a college or university, usually either the executive or ceremonial head of the university or of a university campus within a university system. In most Commonwealth and former Commonwealth nations, the chancellor is ...
(as of December 2022, Sudhir K. Jain), appointed by the President of India on the recommendations of
Ministry of Education An education ministry is a national or subnational government agency politically responsible for education. Various other names are commonly used to identify such agencies, such as Ministry of Education, Department of Education, and Ministry of Pub ...
which, in turn, is based on an open application process. All permanent administrative offices of the university are located in the Central Office. The university is governed as per the procedures laid out in the Banaras Hindu University Act of 1915, and
statutes A statute is a formal written enactment of a legislative authority that governs the legal entities of a city, state, or country by way of consent. Typically, statutes command or prohibit something, or declare policy. Statutes are rules made by l ...
of the university. The Executive Council is the supreme executive governing body of the university and exercises all the powers on management and administration of the revenue, property, and administrative affairs of the university. The University Court is the supreme advisory body to the
Visitor A visitor, in English and Welsh law and history, is an overseer of an autonomous ecclesiastical or eleemosynary institution, often a charitable institution set up for the perpetual distribution of the founder's alms and bounty, who can interv ...
for all matters not otherwise provided for by the Banaras Hindu University Act, and the statutes. The Academic Council is the highest academic body of the university and is responsible for the maintenance of standards of instruction, education and examination within the university. It has the right to advise the Executive Council on all academic matters. The Finance Committee is responsible for recommending financial policies, goals, and budgets. The BHU Act has clearly laid out procedure and functions of different administrative bodies of the university. All officers of the university draw their power and responsibilities from the BHU Act of 1915, and statues of the university.


University Temple

The university has a university temple called Shri Vishwanath Mandir also known as Vishwanath Temple located in the center of the campus, primarily dedicated to
Lord Shiva Shiva (; sa, शिव, lit=The Auspicious One, Śiva ), also known as Mahadeva (; ɐɦaːd̪eːʋɐ, or Hara, is one of the principal deities of Hinduism. He is the Supreme Being in Shaivism, one of the major traditions within Hi ...
along with 8 other temples inside the main temple structure.


International Centre

BHU established International Centre, a university department in 2004 to handle all international academic affairs such as foreign students' applications, international collaboration, international alumni outreach.


University Museum

The University Museum, Bharat Kala Bhavan, is an art and archaeological museum on the campus. Established in January 1920, its first chairman was
Nobel laureate The Nobel Prizes ( sv, Nobelpriset, no, Nobelprisen) are awarded annually by the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences, the Swedish Academy, the Karolinska Institutet, and the Norwegian Nobel Committee to individuals and organizations who make ou ...
Rabindranath Tagore Rabindranath Tagore (; bn, রবীন্দ্রনাথ ঠাকুর; 7 May 1861 – 7 August 1941) was a Bengali polymath who worked as a poet, writer, playwright, composer, philosopher, social reformer and painter. He resh ...
, with his nephew
Abanindranath Tagore Abanindranath Tagore ( Bengali: অবনীন্দ্রনাথ ঠাকুর; 7 August 1871 – 5 December 1951) was the principal artist and creator of the "Indian Society of Oriental Art". He was also the first major exponent of S ...
as the vice-chairman. The museum was expanded and gained prominence with the efforts of Rai Krishnadasa. The museum is best known for its collection of Indian paintings, but also includes archaeological artefacts, textiles and costumes, Indian philately as well as literary and archival materials. The Alice Boner Gallery was also set up at Bharat Kala Bhavan with the assistance of the Alice Boner Foundation in 1989 to mark the birth centenary of Alice Boner.


Banaras Hindu University Press

Established in 1936 with initial funding from
Seth Seth,; el, Σήθ ''Sḗth''; ; "placed", "appointed") in Judaism, Christianity, Islam, Mandaeism, and Sethianism, was the third son of Adam and Eve and brother of Cain and Abel, their only other child mentioned by name in the Hebrew Bible. ...
Jugal Kishore Birla, formally the Banaras Hindu University Press and Publication Cell, is the
university press A university press is an academic publishing house specializing in monographs and scholarly journals. Most are nonprofit organizations and an integral component of a large research university. They publish work that has been reviewed by scholars i ...
of BHU. It comprises two entities, namely BHU Press, and the Publication Cell. While the BHU press publishes books, and journals of the university, the Publication Cell looks after the
sales Sales are activities related to selling or the number of goods sold in a given targeted time period. The delivery of a service for a cost is also considered a sale. The seller, or the provider of the goods or services, completes a sale in ...
aspect. The BHU Press also publishes ''Vishwa Panchang'' prepared by the Faculty of Sanskrit Vidya Dharma Vigyan.


Academics

Academic entities in the Banaras Hindu University are divided in several types of units with varying independence and budget. ''Institutes'' are a cluster of one or more faculties; ''faculties'' are a cluster of one or more departments, departments are specifically dedicated to one subject such as political science, or mathematics, or pottery. The university also has special chairs, inter-disciplinary schools, and special centres.


Institutes

Banaras Hindu University maintains six institutes: The Indian Institute of Techonlology Banaras Hindu University (IIT-BHU) has its roots in the Institute of Technology, Banaras Hindu University (IT-BHU). Upon receiving a proposal from the MHRD to convert IT-BHU into an
Indian Institutes of Technology The Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs) are central government owned Institute of technology, public technical institutes located across India. They are under the ownership of the Ministry of Human Resource Development, Ministry of Educat ...
, the university's Executive Council approved the change in 2012. Today the IIT-BHU functions as an autonomous
IIT The Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs) are central government owned public technical institutes located across India. They are under the ownership of the Ministry of Education of the Government of India. They are governed by the In ...
, with certain powers vested in the BHU. IIT provides courses at UG, PG, and PhD level. The Institute of Science, originally established as the Faculty of Science and later upgraded, provides education in
zoology Zoology ()The pronunciation of zoology as is usually regarded as nonstandard, though it is not uncommon. is the branch of biology that studies the animal kingdom, including the structure, embryology, evolution, classification, habits, and ...
,
botany Botany, also called , plant biology or phytology, is the science of plant life and a branch of biology. A botanist, plant scientist or phytologist is a scientist who specialises in this field. The term "botany" comes from the Ancient Greek w ...
,
biochemistry Biochemistry or biological chemistry is the study of chemical processes within and relating to living organisms. A sub-discipline of both chemistry and biology, biochemistry may be divided into three fields: structural biology, enzymology an ...
,
computer science Computer science is the study of computation, automation, and information. Computer science spans theoretical disciplines (such as algorithms, theory of computation, information theory, and automation) to practical disciplines (includin ...
,
geography Geography (from Greek: , ''geographia''. Combination of Greek words ‘Geo’ (The Earth) and ‘Graphien’ (to describe), literally "earth description") is a field of science devoted to the study of the lands, features, inhabitants, an ...
, mathematics,
physics Physics is the natural science that studies matter, its fundamental constituents, its motion and behavior through space and time, and the related entities of energy and force. "Physical science is that department of knowledge which re ...
,
geology Geology () is a branch of natural science concerned with Earth and other astronomical objects, the features or rocks of which it is composed, and the processes by which they change over time. Modern geology significantly overlaps all other Ear ...
,
geophysics Geophysics () is a subject of natural science concerned with the physical processes and physical properties of the Earth and its surrounding space environment, and the use of quantitative methods for their analysis. The term ''geophysics'' som ...
,
chemistry Chemistry is the scientific study of the properties and behavior of matter. It is a natural science that covers the elements that make up matter to the compounds made of atoms, molecules and ions: their composition, structure, propertie ...
,
statistics Statistics (from German: ''Statistik'', "description of a state, a country") is the discipline that concerns the collection, organization, analysis, interpretation, and presentation of data. In applying statistics to a scientific, indust ...
. The Institute also publishes the
double-blind In a blind or blinded experiment, information which may influence the participants of the experiment is withheld until after the experiment is complete. Good blinding can reduce or eliminate experimental biases that arise from a participants' expec ...
peer reviewed Peer review is the evaluation of work by one or more people with similar competencies as the producers of the work ( peers). It functions as a form of self-regulation by qualified members of a profession within the relevant field. Peer revie ...
'' Journal of Scientific Research''. Established in 1931 as the Institute of Agricultural Research, the Institute of Agricultural Sciences is one of the premier institutes of agricultural sciences in India. The institute comprises 11 departments and four auxiliary units and imparts education through undergraduate, postgraduate, special courses, PhD, and diploma programs. The Institute of Medical Sciences, comprising three faculties and one college, is one of the premier medical institutions in India. The institute provides courses at undergraduate, postgraduate, PhD, and diploma levels. It also has the Sir Sunderlal Hospital, and a Trauma centre and Super Speciality Hospital The Institute of Environment & Sustainable Development (IESD), which aims to develop and advance the knowledge of technology and processes for sustainable development, was started in 2010. The institute was established in accordance with the
United Nations Decade of Education for Sustainable Development The Decade of Education for Sustainable Development (DESD) 2005–2014 was an Education for Sustainable Development (ESD) initiative of the United Nations. The Decade was delivered by UNESCO as lead agency, and gave rise to Regional Centres of E ...
goal to contribute significantly to the development of appropriate knowledge and competences in the area of sustainable development. Starting as the Department of Management Studies, which was upgraded to Faculty of Management Studies in 1984, IMSt-BHU was finally upgraded into an institute in 2015. The Institute of Management Studies is the
business school A business school is a university-level institution that confers degrees in business administration or management. A business school may also be referred to as school of management, management school, school of business administration, or ...
of Banaras Hindu University. Among the earliest management schools in India, the institute imparts education at postgraduate and doctoral levels. Alok Kumar Rai, a professor at FMS-BHU is currently the vice-chancellor of the
University of Lucknow The University of Lucknow (informally known as Lucknow University, and LU) is a public state university based in Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh. Founded in 1920, the University of Lucknow is one of the oldest government owned institutions of higher ed ...
.


Faculties

There are nine standalone (which are not under any institute or college) faculties at the Banaras Hindu University: Founded in 1898 as the Central Hindu College, the
Faculty of Arts A faculty is a division within a university or college comprising one subject area or a group of related subject areas, possibly also delimited by level (e.g. undergraduate). In American usage such divisions are generally referred to as colleges ...
is the oldest faculty of the university. It offers courses in History, Culture, Philosophy, Languages, Literature along with various professional and vocational courses. Due to its nature of age, it is also called the 'Mother faculty' of the university. Established in 1940 as the Department of Commerce, the Faculty of Commerce was fully institutionalized as an independent faculty in 1965. The FoC offers courses at undergraduate, postgraduate, and doctoral levels in commerce,
financial management Financial management is the business function concerned with profitability, expenses, cash and credit, so that the "organization may have the means to carry out its objective as satisfactorily as possible;" the latter often defined as maximizi ...
,
foreign trade International trade is the exchange of capital, goods, and services across international borders or territories because there is a need or want of goods or services. (see: World economy) In most countries, such trade represents a significant ...
, and risk & insurance. Established in 1918 as the Teacher's Training College, the Faculty of Education is based out of the Kamachha Complex ''(''outside main campus'')''. The FoE provides
B.Ed A Bachelor of Education (B.Ed.) is an undergraduate professional degree which prepares students for work as a teacher in schools. In some countries such as Tanzania and Kenya, additional tasks like field work and research are required in order for ...
, B.Ed (Special Visual Impairment),
M.Ed The Master of Education (MEd or M.Ed. or Ed.M.; Latin ''Magister Educationis'' or ''Educationis Magister'') is a master's degree awarded by universities in many countries. This degree in education often includes the following majors: curriculum ...
and Ph.D in education. Established in 1922, the
Law School A law school (also known as a law centre or college of law) is an institution specializing in legal education, usually involved as part of a process for becoming a lawyer within a given jurisdiction. Law degrees Argentina In Argentina, ...
offers courses at undergraduate, postgraduate, doctoral, and diploma level in
law Law is a set of rules that are created and are enforceable by social or governmental institutions to regulate behavior,Robertson, ''Crimes against humanity'', 90. with its precise definition a matter of longstanding debate. It has been vari ...
. The Faculty of Performing Arts offers
undergraduate Undergraduate education is education conducted after secondary education and before postgraduate education. It typically includes all postsecondary programs up to the level of a bachelor's degree. For example, in the United States, an entry-lev ...
,
postgraduate Postgraduate or graduate education refers to academic or professional degrees, certificates, diplomas, or other qualifications pursued by post-secondary students who have earned an undergraduate (bachelor's) degree. The organization and struc ...
and
doctorate A doctorate (from Latin ''docere'', "to teach"), doctor's degree (from Latin ''doctor'', "teacher"), or doctoral degree is an academic degree awarded by universities and some other educational institutions, derived from the ancient formalism ''li ...
courses in
performing arts The performing arts are arts such as music, dance, and drama which are performed for an audience. They are different from the visual arts, which are the use of paint, canvas or various materials to create physical or static art objects. Perf ...
. It was founded in 1950 and had several renowned and award-winning artists and musicians as faculty members. Faculty of Performing Arts was started by
Omkarnath Thakur Pandit Omkarnath Thakur (24 June 1897 – 29 December 1967), was an Indian music teacher, musicologist and Hindustani classical singer. A disciple of classical singer Vishnu Digambar Paluskar of Gwalior gharana, he became the principal of Gandh ...
in 1950. It was initially instituted as a college called "Music and Fine Arts". In 1966, under Govind Malviya and founding principal Omkarnath Thakur, the college was restructured to a faculty, with three departments (
Vocal music Vocal music is a type of singing performed by one or more singers, either with instrumental accompaniment, or without instrumental accompaniment (a cappella), in which singing provides the main focus of the piece. Music which employs singing but d ...
,
Instrumental music An instrumental is a recording normally without any vocals, although it might include some inarticulate vocals, such as shouted backup vocals in a big band setting. Through semantic widening, a broader sense of the word song may refer to instr ...
and
Musicology Musicology (from Greek μουσική ''mousikē'' 'music' and -λογια ''-logia'', 'domain of study') is the scholarly analysis and research-based study of music. Musicology departments traditionally belong to the humanities, although some mu ...
). The Faculty of Performing Arts claims to have started the first department of
Musicology Musicology (from Greek μουσική ''mousikē'' 'music' and -λογια ''-logia'', 'domain of study') is the scholarly analysis and research-based study of music. Musicology departments traditionally belong to the humanities, although some mu ...
in India headed by musicologist
Prem Lata Sharma Prem Lata Sharma, 10-05-1927 to 05-12-1998, was an Indian musicologist. Life Prem Lata Sharma was born on 10 May 1927, in Nakodar, District Jalandhar, East Panjab. She was the only child of her parents, Pandita Lalchand sharma, Srimati, Mayad ...
. Established in 1918, the Faculty of Sanskrit Vidya Dharma Vijnan (SVDV) offers courses at ''Shastri'' (undergraduate), ''
Acharya In Indian religions and society, an ''acharya'' (Sanskrit: आचार्य, IAST: ; Pali: ''ācariya'') is a preceptor and expert instructor in matters such as religion, or any other subject. An acharya is a highly learned person with a t ...
'' (postgraduate), ''Vidyavardhi'' (doctoral) and diploma levels in
Hindu Hindus (; ) are people who religiously adhere to Hinduism.Jeffery D. Long (2007), A Vision for Hinduism, IB Tauris, , pages 35–37 Historically, the term has also been used as a geographical, cultural, and later religious identifier for ...
,
Jain Jainism ( ), also known as Jain Dharma, is an Indian religion. Jainism traces its spiritual ideas and history through the succession of twenty-four tirthankaras (supreme preachers of ''Dharma''), with the first in the current time cycle being ...
, and
Buddhism Buddhism ( , ), also known as Buddha Dharma and Dharmavinaya (), is an Indian religion or philosophical tradition based on teachings attributed to the Buddha. It originated in northern India as a -movement in the 5th century BCE, and ...
practices and philosophies. The Faculty of Visual Arts offers undergraduate and postgraduate courses in applied and
visual arts The visual arts are art forms such as painting, drawing, printmaking, sculpture, ceramics, photography, video, filmmaking, design, crafts and architecture. Many artistic disciplines such as performing arts, conceptual art, and textile arts a ...
. It was founded in 1916. It includes five departments:
Painting Painting is the practice of applying paint, pigment, color or other medium to a solid surface (called the "matrix" or "support"). The medium is commonly applied to the base with a brush, but other implements, such as knives, sponges, and a ...
, Applied arts,
Plastic arts Plastic arts are art forms which involve physical manipulation of a plastic medium by molding or modeling such as sculpture or ceramics. Less often the term may be used broadly for all the visual arts (such as painting, sculpture, film and ph ...
,
Pottery Pottery is the process and the products of forming vessels and other objects with clay and other ceramic materials, which are fired at high temperatures to give them a hard and durable form. Major types include earthenware, stoneware and p ...
and
Ceramics A ceramic is any of the various hard, brittle, heat-resistant and corrosion-resistant materials made by shaping and then firing an inorganic, nonmetallic material, such as clay, at a high temperature. Common examples are earthenware, porcelain, ...
, and
Textile Textile is an umbrella term that includes various fiber-based materials, including fibers, yarns, filaments, threads, different fabric types, etc. At first, the word "textiles" only referred to woven fabrics. However, weaving is not t ...
designing.


Faculty of Social Sciences (FSS)

The Faculty of Social Sciences offers undergraduate and postgraduate courses in
Social science Social science is one of the branches of science, devoted to the study of societies and the relationships among individuals within those societies. The term was formerly used to refer to the field of sociology, the original "science of soc ...
. It was bifurcated from the
Faculty of Arts A faculty is a division within a university or college comprising one subject area or a group of related subject areas, possibly also delimited by level (e.g. undergraduate). In American usage such divisions are generally referred to as colleges ...
in 1971. It includes the departments of Economics, History, Political Science, Psychology and Sociology. Other than the departments, there are five centres which carry on the studies in various fields, namely the Centre for the Study of Nepal, Centre for Women's Study and Development, Centre for Integrated Rural Development, Centre for the Study of Social Exclusion and Inclusion Policy and the Malviya Centre for Peace Research. and Special Courses like Master of Personnel Management and Industrial Relations (MPMIR) The faculty holds three chairs, the currently () vacant Babu Jagjivan Ram Chair for Social Research, commemorating
Jagjivan Ram Jagjivan Ram (5 April 1908 – 6 July 1986), known popularly as Babuji, was an Indian independence activist and politician from Bihar. He was instrumental in the foundation of the ''All India Depressed Classes League'', an organisation dedicated ...
and his contributions, the Dr. B. R. Ambedkar Chair for Nationalism & National Integration established in 2016 and the Pt. Deendayal Upadhyay Chair, established in 2017. Currently, Arvind Kumar Joshi is the Dean of Faculty of Social Sciences. Koushal Kishor Mishra has been formerly dean here, several professors are at administrative positions likewise: Professor Sanjay Srivastava as the Member of BHU Court, and Professor Ram Pravesh Pathak (Former Dean) as Chairman of Student Grievance Cell. In 2021, the Faculty of Social Sciences started a postgraduate course
M.A. A Master of Arts ( la, Magister Artium or ''Artium Magister''; abbreviated MA, M.A., AM, or A.M.) is the holder of a master's degree awarded by universities in many countries. The degree is usually contrasted with that of Master of Science. ...
in Kashi Studies, specializing in the political, religious, and social history of the ancient holy city.


Colleges and schools


Colleges

Four colleges in Varanasi are admitted to the privileges of the Banaras Hindu University. The DAV Post Graduate College is a
public In public relations and communication science, publics are groups of individual people, and the public (a.k.a. the general public) is the totality of such groupings. This is a different concept to the sociological concept of the ''Öffentlichk ...
,
co-ed Mixed-sex education, also known as mixed-gender education, co-education, or coeducation (abbreviated to co-ed or coed), is a system of education where males and females are educated together. Whereas single-sex education was more common up to ...
, research college admitted to the privileges of Banaras Hindu University, which was established in 1938. There are three public women's colleges: Arya Mahila Post Graduate College, established in 1956; Vasanta College for Women, which was established in 1913 by
Annie Besant Annie Besant ( Wood; 1 October 1847 – 20 September 1933) was a British socialist, theosophist, freemason, women's rights activist, educationist, writer, orator, political party member and philanthropist. Regarded as a champion of human fre ...
; and Vasant Kanya Mahavidyalaya, established in 1954.


Schools

Three schools in Varanasi are run by the Banaras Hindu University School Board: * Ranveer Sanskrit Vidyalaya, * Central Hindu Boys School * Central Hindu Girls School Kendriya Vidyalaya BHU situated inside the university campus is an autonomous body under the
Ministry of Education An education ministry is a national or subnational government agency politically responsible for education. Various other names are commonly used to identify such agencies, such as Ministry of Education, Department of Education, and Ministry of Pub ...
, run by the Kendriya Vidyalya Sangathan.


Inter-disciplinary schools


School of Biotechnology

The School of Biotechnology (SBT) is a center for postgraduate teaching and research under the aegis of Institute of Science of the BHU. It was established in 1986 with funding from the Department of Biotechnology, of the Ministry of Science and Technology,
Government of India The Government of India ( ISO: ; often abbreviated as GoI), known as the Union Government or Central Government but often simply as the Centre, is the national government of the Republic of India, a federal democracy located in South Asia, ...
. It offers MSc and PhD programmes in
Biotechnology Biotechnology is the integration of natural sciences and engineering sciences in order to achieve the application of organisms, cells, parts thereof and molecular analogues for products and services. The term ''biotechnology'' was first used by ...
. The interdisciplinary program involves the partnership between the Institute of Science, the Institute of Medical Sciences and the Indian Institute of Technology at BHU. Notable faculty include Arvind Mohan Kayastha.


DBT-BHU Interdisciplinary School of Life Sciences

The Interdisciplinary School of Life Sciences (ISLS) is a joint initiative of the Department of Biotechnology (DBT), Government of India and the BHU. It was established with a grant of INR 238.9 million from the DBT.


Research centres

Apart from specialised centres directly funded by DBT, DST, ICAR and
ISRO The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO; ) is the national space agency of India, headquartered in Bengaluru. It operates under the Department of Space (DOS) which is directly overseen by the Prime Minister of India, while the Chairman o ...
, a large number of departments under the Institutes of Sciences, Engineering & Technology and Faculty of Social Sciences receive funding from the DST Fund for Improvement of Science & Technology Infrastructure (FIST) and the University Grants Commission (UGC) Special Assistance Programme (SAP). UGC SAP provides funds under its Centre of Advanced Study (CAS), Department of Special Assistance (DSA) and Departmental Research Support (DRS) programmes. The Centre for Genetic Disorders was established in 2008. The centre is a result of efforts of Rajiva Raman and his team who was granted a DBT-programme support in 2006 (2006-2011). This centre is involved in genetic diagnosis and counselling of cases referred from BHU hospital. The centre is engaged in research on various genetic disorders. It offers a one-year PG diploma course on Chromosomal, Genetic and Molecular Diagnostics. It also offers Ph.D. programmes. The Centre for Interdisciplinary Mathematical Sciences (CIMS) focuses on research and education in mathematics, modelling and statistics. It was established under the management of the Faculty of Science, with support from the Department of Science and Technology (DST). The centre imparts post-graduate education and research with participation from the Department of Mathematics, Department of Statistics and Department of Computer Science of the Institute of Science and the Department of Applied Mathematics of the IIT-BHU. It regularly organises training programmes, workshops, seminars, and conferences. The Centre of Food Science & Technology (CFST) is an inter-disciplinary research centre with collaboration between the Institute of Agricultural Sciences and the Indian Institute of Technology (BHU) focusing on food processing technology. The Center for Environmental Science and Technology (CEST) is an interdisciplinary university research centre at the Faculty of Science. The CEST conducts three-year M.Sc.(Tech) and Ph.D programmes in Environmental Science & Technology. The centre also works to coordinate environmental programmes of the university Established by the executive council of the university under the Government of India's Namami Gange Mission, the Malaviya Research Centre for Ganga, River Development & Water Resource Management is dedicated to the study of pollution of the Ganges. The centre focuses on the study of river basin ecology, hydrology and pollution management, technology development, socio-economic and culture, and data management. The centre provides training called ''Ganga Mitra ()'' in pursuance of its objectives on various subjects. Established in 1991, the Malviya Centre for Ethics and Values aims to promote ethics and human values in higher education. The centre provides two-year diploma courses on human values and ethics. The centre has been tasked as the nodal agency for developing and monitoring courses on human values and ethics in all central universities.


Other research centres

Other research centres of the university include: * Center for Nanotechnology * Hydrogen Energy Center * UGC Advanced Immunodiagnostic Training and Research Center * Centre for Experimental Medicine and Surgery * Center for Women's Studies and Development * Center for the Study of Nepal * Malviya Center for Peace Research * Center for Rural Integrated Development * Centre for Study of Social Exclusion and Inclusive Policy


Special centres


Design Innovation Centre

Funded by Department of Higher Education, MHRD, and established in 2015, the Design Innovation Centre(DIC) is a collaboration between IIT-BHU and BHU. The DIC focuses on providing a platform to the students and faculties of the university in order to foster innovation and creative problem solving. The centre also serves Indian Institute of Information Technology, Allahabad, Motilal Nehru National Institute of Technology Allahabad, and the
University of Allahabad , mottoeng = "As Many Branches So Many Trees" , established = , type = Public , chancellor = Ashish Chauhan , vice_chancellor = Sangita Srivastava , head_label ...
.


BioNest-BHU

Established in 2020 as the InnoResTech Foundation-BHU (called BioNest-BHU) by funding from the Biotechnology Industry Research Assistance Council, BioNest-BHU aims to promote
startup A startup or start-up is a company or project undertaken by an entrepreneur to seek, develop, and validate a scalable business model. While entrepreneurship refers to all new businesses, including self-employment and businesses that never intend ...
and entrepreneurship in sciences, biotechnology, healthcare, agritech, food technology, etc. composed of expert faculty members from IMS-BHU, IAS-BHU, and ISc-BHU.


Admissions

Starting academic year 2022, the university has confirmed shifting towards the All-India
Common University Entrance Test The Common University Entrance Test (CUET), earlier known as Central Universities Common Entrance Test (CUCET) is an all-India test being organized by National Testing Agency for admission to various Undergraduate, Integrated, Postgraduate, D ...
(CUET) for admission to several undergraduate and postgraduate courses, which shall replace the ''Banaras Hindu University Undergraduate Entrance Test'' ''(BHU-UET)'' and ''Banaras Hindu University Postgraduate Entrance Test'' (''BHU-PET'') exams. Admissions are done according to coursewise eligibility criteria set by the university, merit in the entrance tests, and as per reservation policy of the Government of India. Admissions to undergraduate programs of IIT-BHU are only through JEE Advanced, similarly, admissions to programs of IMS-BHU are only through
NEET NEET, an acronym for "Not in Education, Employment, or Training", refers to a person who is unemployed and not receiving an education or vocational training. The classification originated in the United Kingdom in the late 1990s, and its use h ...
, and admissions to FMS-BHU is through a mix of
Common Admission Test The Common Admission Test (CAT) is a computer based test for admission in graduate management programs. The test consists of three sections: Verbal Ability and Reading Comprehension, Data Interpretation and Logical Reasoning and Quantitative A ...
and personal interview, etc. Admissions for PhD are done on the basis of either qualification of
National Eligibility Test UGC NET or NTA-UGC-NET, is the examination for determining the eligibility for the post of assistant professor and/or Junior Research Fellowship award in Indian universities and colleges. The examination is conducted by National Testing Agenc ...
(NET) by the candidates, or through the scores of ''Banaras Hindu University Research Entrance Test (BHU-RET)''. Admissions in
Institute of Medical Sciences, Banaras Hindu University The Institute Of Medical Sciences (IMS-BHU) is one of the Six institutes of Banaras Hindu University in Varanasi, India and comprises three faculties, Faculty of Medicine, Dental Sciences, and Ayurveda. The Institute of Medical Sciences is the ...
are done through PMT exam. Starting 2021, the UET & PET exams have been conducted by the
National Testing Agency National Testing Agency (NTA) is an Indian government agency that has been approved by the Union Council of Ministers and established in November 2017 to conduct entrance examinations for educational institutions. The government appointed Vinee ...
. Admissions to the Banaras Hindu University are highly competitive and tough with more than 50 applicants for one seat. BHU attracts a substantial number of
international students International students, or foreign students, are students who undertake all or part of their tertiary education in a country other than their own and move to that country for the purpose of studying. In 2019, there were over 6 million internati ...
. The university has a separate admission pipeline for international students. Applications from international students wishing to continue their education at BHU are invited directly to the university International Centre. Admissions to the diploma and Special Courses of Study (SCS) are conducted through varying processes depending on the faculty, directly by the university.


Banaras Hindu University Entrance Tests

After opting for CUET exam for undergraduate and postgraduate courses, the Banaras Hindu University now only conducts the ''Banaras Hindu University Research Entrance Test (BHU-RET)'' for admission to the PhD courses''.'' Until 2021, Banaras Hindu University has used to conduct national level ''BHU-UET'' for undergraduate courses, and ''BHU-PET'', for postgraduate courses, usually during May–June for admission for which registrations begun on Vasant Panchmi ''i.e.,'' university foundation day, for over 24 undergraduate and over 100 postgraduate courses. The UET & PET exams were held for 5166 seats in online and offline mode in subject-wise papers. The total exam duration was two hours with multiple-choice questions. Total marks varied with the exam. The entire admission process is conducted by the Controller of Examinations.


Rankings

Internationally, BHU was ranked 601–800 in the world by the ''
Times Higher Education World University Rankings The ''Times Higher Education World University Rankings'' (often referred to as the THE Rankings) is an annual publication of university rankings by the ''Times Higher Education'' (THE) magazine. The publisher had collaborated with Quacquarelli ...
'' of 2022 and 153 in Asia in 2022. In India, the 2022
National Institutional Ranking Framework The National Institutional Ranking Framework (NIRF) is a methodology adopted by the Ministry of Education, Government of India, to rank institutions of higher education in India. The Framework was approved by the MHRD and launched by Minister o ...
(NIRF) ranked BHU sixth among universities and eleventh overall. In NIRF 2022 rankings, BHU ranked fifth in medical, 20 in law, and 50 in management. The university was ranked seventh among universities in India by ''Outlook India'' in 2020. Its engineering institute, IIT-BHU, was ranked thirteenth by the NIRF Engineering ranking for 2021. In 2019, IIT-BHU was ranked ninth among engineering colleges in India by ''
The Week ''The Week'' is a weekly news magazine with editions in the United Kingdom and United States. The British publication was founded in 1995 and the American edition in 2001. An Australian edition was published from 2008 to 2012. A children's ed ...
''. The Faculty of Law, Banaras Hindu University was ranked fifth in India by ''Outlook India'' in 2019 and seventh in India by ''The Week''. The Institute of Medical Sciences, Banaras Hindu University was ranked fifth among medical colleges in India in 2022 by NIRF. It was ranked seventh among medical colleges in India in 2020 by ''
India Today ''India Today'' is a weekly Indian English-language news magazine published by Living Media India Limited. It is the most widely circulated magazine in India, with a readership of close to 8 million. In 2014, ''India Today'' launched a new onl ...
'', sixth by ''The Week'' and eighth by ''Outlook India''.


Library

The Banaras Hindu University Library system was established from a collection donated by 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 the Faculty of Arts). The present Central Library of BHU was established with a donation from Maharaja
Sayajirao Gaekwad III Sayajirao Gaekwad III (born Shrimant Gopalrao Gaekwad; 11 March 1863 – 6 February 1939) was the Maharaja of Baroda State from 1875 to 1939, and is remembered for reforming much of his state during his rule. He belonged to the royal Gae ...
of
Baroda Vadodara (), also known as Baroda, is the second largest city in the Indian state of Gujarat. It serves as the administrative headquarters of the Vadodara district and is situated on the banks of the Vishwamitri River, from the state capital ...
. Upon his return from the First round Table Conference, Gaekwad wanted a library built on the pattern of the
British Library The British Library is the national library of the United Kingdom and is one of the largest libraries in the world. It is estimated to contain between 170 and 200 million items from many countries. As a legal deposit library, the Britis ...
and its reading room, which was then located in the
British Museum The British Museum is a public museum dedicated to human history, art and culture located in the Bloomsbury area of London. Its permanent collection of eight million works is among the largest and most comprehensive in existence. It docu ...
. On Malviya's suggestion, he made the donation to build the library on the BHU campus. The Gaekwad Library is a designated ''Manuscript Conservation Centre'' (MCC) of the
National Mission for Manuscripts The National Mission for Manuscripts (NAMAMI) 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 manuscr ...
, established in 2003. By 1931, the library had built a collection of around 60,000 volumes. The trend of donation of personal and family collection to the library continued as late as the 1940s with the result that it has unique pieces of rarities of books and journals dating back to the 18th century. As of 2011, the BHU Library System consisted of the Central Library and 3 Institute Libraries, 8 Faculty Libraries and over 25 Departmental Libraries, with a collection of at least 1.3 million volumes. The digital library is available to students and staff and provides online access to thousands of journals, besides access to large collections of online resources through the
National Informatics Centre The National Informatics Centre (NIC) is an Indian government department under the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY). The NIC provides infrastructure, IT Consultancy, IT Services including but not limited to architecti ...
's DELNET and UGC's INFLIBNET.


Student life


Festivals and traditions

The Banaras Hindu University observes
Saraswati Saraswati ( sa, सरस्वती, ) is the Hindu goddess of knowledge, music, art, speech, wisdom, and learning. She is one of the Tridevi, along with the goddesses Lakshmi and Parvati. The earliest known mention of Saraswati as a go ...
puja day (also known as
Vasant Panchami Vasant Panchami, also called Saraswati Puja in honor of the Hindu goddess Saraswati, is a festival that marks the preparation for the arrival of spring. The festival is celebrated in Indian religions in different ways depending on the region ...
) as its foundation day. Goddess Saraswati is the Hindu goddess of knowledge, music, arts, wisdom and nature. She is also the revered mascot of the university, and is a part of the university seal. There is an intra-university fest, Spandan, where students represent their faculty/institute in various arts competitions such as literature (essay-writing, poems, debates), painting, sketches, vocal music, dancing, singing, drama, and mimicry. It is held every year after Vasant Panchami in the month of February or March. Apart from ''Spandan'', each faculty and institute have their own in-house annual festivals, for instance, ''Aakanksha'' is the annual festival of
Institute of Science, Banaras Hindu University Institute of Science, Banaras Hindu University (ISc-BHU) is a constituent institute of Banaras Hindu University, Varanasi, India which offers courses in Zoology, Botany, Biochemistry, Computer science, Geography, Mathematics, Physics , Ge ...
. The university anthem, ''
Banaras Hindu University Kulgeet The Banaras Hindu University Kulgeet (BHU Kulgeet) , ''i.e.'', () is a poem written by Indian chemist and university professor Shanti Swaroop Bhatnagar. It has been composed by Pt. Omkar Nath Thakur. The poem has been popularized and ado ...
'', is sung in chorus before the convocation or any other official event begins.


Convocation Dress

Academic costume is mandatory for university convocation. The university's academic costume is White
Saree A sari (sometimes also saree or shari)The name of the garment in various regional languages include: * as, শাৰী, xārī, translit-std=ISO * bn, শাড়ি, śāṛi, translit-std=ISO * gu, સાડી, sāḍī, translit-std= ...
with red border, and red blouse for females; and White
Kurta A ''kurta'' is a loose collarless shirt or tunic worn in many regions of South Asia, (subscription required) Quote: "A loose shirt or tunic worn by men and women." Quote: "Kurta: a loose shirt without a collar, worn by women and men from South ...
with
Dhoti The dhoti, also known as veshti, vetti, dhuti, mardani, chaadra, dhotar, jaiñboh, panchey, is a type of sarong, tied in a manner that outwardly resembles "loose trousers". It is a lower garment forming part of the ethnic costume for men in the ...
or Pyjama for male students. Both academic costumes include Safa and
Uttariya An uttariya () is a loose piece of upper body clothing. It is a single piece of cloth that falls from the back of the neck to curl around both arms and could also drape the top half of the body. An Uttariya is similar to a veil, a long scarf and ...
. BHU was the first prominent university in India to ditch Western convocation dress for Indian traditional convocation dress, which led to students at other universities demanding the same, and eventually other universities following suit.


Clubs and societies

BHU has university level
Mountaineering Mountaineering or alpinism, is a set of outdoor activities that involves ascending tall mountains. Mountaineering-related activities include traditional outdoor climbing, skiing, and traversing via ferratas. Indoor climbing, sport climbing, a ...
Centre, and University Sports Board. Other interest-specific clubs and societies exist at faculty, institute, and college level, like ''FSS Connect'', which is a consortium of all societies and clubs at the Faculty of Social Sciences. In 2022 ''BHU Connect'' was introduced, which is a platform that acts as a consortium for different institutes' clubs and societies, as well as act as an umbrella for students run unit to manage clubs, events and ensure help to aspirants and freshers at the Banaras Hindu University.


Awards and medals

Medals and prizes are awarded at faculty, as well as university level. Each faculty and institute have several in-house awards and medals. Some of the university level medals include: * The ''BHU Chancellor's Medal'' is given to the student securing highest
CGPA Grading in education is the process of applying standardized measurements for varying levels of achievements in a course. Grades can be assigned as letters (usually A through F), as a range (for example, 1 to 6), as a percentage, or as a numbe ...
in the university. *The ''BHU Medal'' is given to students who secure the first position in their respective courses (e.g. B.Com.). *''Late Maharaja Vibhuti Narain Singh Gold Medal'' is given to the student securing the highest
CGPA Grading in education is the process of applying standardized measurements for varying levels of achievements in a course. Grades can be assigned as letters (usually A through F), as a range (for example, 1 to 6), as a percentage, or as a numbe ...
in the university. *''Ex-President of India Dr. Shanker Dayal Sharma Gold Medal'' is awarded to the student exhibiting best character, academic excellence, outstanding co-curricular, extra-curricular, and social services in the university. *''Bhagwandas Thakurdas Chandwani Gold Medal'' is given to the student standing first in
MBBS Bachelor of Medicine, Bachelor of Surgery ( la, Medicinae Baccalaureus, Baccalaureus Chirurgiae; abbreviated most commonly MBBS), is the primary medical degree awarded by medical schools in countries that follow the tradition of the United King ...
at the IMS-BHU. *''The Wagle Gold Medal'' is given to the student standing first in M.A. Economics.


Student unions and protests

Banaras Hindu University does not have an active political student union, but an administrative student council called the Banaras Hindu University Students Council to represent and safeguard the interests of the students. Despite no elections, student wings of major political parties have an active presence on the campus. Organized and unorganized protests are held often in the campus due to the vast majority of students. The most prominent protest in the last few years have been the Banaras Hindu University women's rights protest.


Gallery of notable alumni and faculty

Alumni and faculty of the Banaras Hindu University, called BHUians and ' ('), have gained prominence in India and across the world in almost all fields of arts, science, and social work. Two former
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,
Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan (; 5 September 1888 – 17 April 1975), natively Radhakrishnayya, was an Indian philosopher and statesman. He served as the 2nd President of India from 1962 to 1967. He also 1st Vice President of India from 1952 ...
and A. P. J. Abdul Kalam have worked and taught at the university. Other famous administrators include Sunder Lal, K. L. Shrimali, and Moti Lal Dhar. File:Photograph of Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan presented to First Lady Jacqueline Kennedy in 1962.jpg, S Radhakrishnan File:Sir CV Raman.JPG, CV Raman File:A. P. J. Abdul Kalam.jpg,
APJ Abdul Kalam Avul Pakir Jainulabdeen Abdul Kalam (; 15 October 193127 July 2015) was an Indian aerospace scientist and statesman who served as the 11th President of India from 2002 to 2007. He was born and raised in Rameswaram, Tamil Nadu and studied ph ...
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Girija Devi Girija Devi (8 May 1929 – 24 October 2017) was an Indian classical singer of the Seniya and Banaras gharanas. She performed classical and light classical music and helped elevate the profile of thumri. She was dubbed as the 'Queen of Thumri ...
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Alumni include: File:Ashok Agarwal 2013.jpg, Ashok Agarwal File:Harivansh Rai Bachchan 2003 stamp of India.jpg,
Harivansh Rai Bachchan Harivansh Rai Bachchan (; 27 November 1907 19 December 2002) was an Indian poet and writer of the Nayi Kavita literary movement (romantic upsurge) of early 20th century Hindi literature. He was also a poet of the Hindi Kavi Sammelan. He is be ...
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Raj Narain Raj Narain (23 November 1917 – 31 December 1986) was an Indian freedom fighter and politician. He won in a famous electoral malpractice case against the then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi, which led to her disqualification and imposition of ...
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Robert M. Pirsig Robert Maynard Pirsig (; September 6, 1928 – April 24, 2017) was an American writer and philosopher. He was the author of the philosophical novels '' Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance: An Inquiry into Values'' (1974) and '' Lila: ...
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Kota Harinarayana Kota Harinarayana (born 1943 in Brahmapur, Odisha) is an aviation engineer. He was born in Brahmapur on the border of Odisha and Andhra Pradesh into a Telugu speaking family. He was appointed as chairman of the board of governors of IIT (BHU) ...
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Mannu Bhandari Mannu Bhandari Yadav (3 April 1931 – 15 November 2021) was an Indian author, screenplay writer, teacher, and playwright. Primarily known for her two Hindi novels, ''Aap Ka Bunty'' (''Your Bunty'') and ''Mahabhoj'' (''Feast''), Bhandari also ...


See also

* List of universities in India *
List of educational institutions in Varanasi The following is a list of educational institutions in Varanasi. Varanasi (known earlier as Benares) is a city situated on the banks of the River Ganges in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh and is approximately 800 kilometres (497 mi) south ...


References


Further reading

* *


External links

* {{Authority control Institutes of Eminence Hindu universities and colleges Central universities in Uttar Pradesh Universities and colleges in Varanasi Educational institutions established in 1916 1916 establishments in India Madan Mohan Malaviya