Hindu Mahila Vidyalaya (School for Hindu Women) was an all-female

boarding school A boarding school is a school where pupils live within premises while being given formal instruction. The word "boarding" is used in the sense of "room and board", i.e. lodging and meals. As they have existed for many centuries, and now exten ...

located at 22 Beniapukur Lane, Entally, Kolkata, India.Bagal, Jogesh Chandra, ''History of the Bethune School and College (1849-1949)'' in ''Bethune College and School Centenary Volume'', edited by Dr. Kalidas Nag, 1949, p33 Founded by British translator

Annette Akroyd Annette Susannah Beveridge (née Akroyd) (1842–1929) was a British Orientalist known for her translation of the '' Humayun-nama'' and the '' Babur-nama''. Background and education Annette Akroyd's father William Akroyd was a Unitarian indus ...

, the school was one of the first in India to provide girl students with a curriculum equivalent to that offered for boys. Sources record different dates for the establishment of the school. While Indian historian Jogesh C. Bagal records the date of establishment as 18 November 1873, American historian David Kopf mentions it as 18 September 1873.Kopf, David, ''The Brahmo Samaj and the Shaping of the Modern Indian Mind'', 1979, pp. 34-39, Princeton University Press,

Dwarkanath Ganguly Dwarkanath Gangopadhyay (also known as Dwarkanath Ganguly, 20 April 184427 June 1898) was a Brahmo reformer in Bengal, British India. He made substantial contributions towards societal enlightenment and the emancipation of women. Ganguly dedicat ...

was the headmaster. Ananda Mohan Bose and

Durga Mohan Das Durga Mohan Das ( bn, দুর্গামোহন দাশ ''Durga Mohon Das''; 1841–1897) was a Brahmo Samaj leader and a social reformer. Early life Durga Mohan was born in a well-known Baidya family at Telirbagh, Bikrampur, Dhaka in ...

bore the expenses of the institution.Sastri, Sivanath, ''History of the Brahmo Samaj'', 1911-12/1993, p. 164, Sadharan Brahmo Samaj. Others involved in the school were Sivanath Sastri and

Monomohun Ghose Manmohun Ghose (''Mônmohon Ghosh'') (also spelt Monomohun Ghosh, Manmohan Ghosh) (13 March 1844 – 16 October 1896) was the first practicing barrister of Indian origin.Cotton, H.E.A., ''Calcutta Old and New'', 1909/1980, pp. 639-40, General P ...

. Mrs. J. B. Phear was an honorary teacher. She went to the extent of teaching her students how to eat at a table with cutlery. After the marriage of Annette Akroyd, the school was closed in March 1876. It was revived on 1 June 1876 as Banga Mahila Vidyalaya (Bengali Women's College).

References

Girls' schools in Kolkata Academic institutions associated with the Bengal Renaissance Educational institutions established in 1873 1873 establishments in India {{WestBengal-school-stub