The Sanskrit College and University (erstwhile Sanskrit College) is a

state university A state university system in the United States is a group of public universities supported by an individual state, territory or federal district. These systems constitute the majority of public-funded universities in the country. State univers ...

located in

Kolkata 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, comme ...

West Bengal West Bengal (, Bengali: ''Poshchim Bongo'', , abbr. WB) is a state in the eastern portion of India. It is situated along the Bay of Bengal, along with a population of over 91 million inhabitants within an area of . West Bengal is the fourt ...

India India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...

. It focuses on

liberal arts Liberal arts education (from Latin "free" and "art or principled practice") is the traditional academic course in Western higher education. ''Liberal arts'' takes the term ''art'' in the sense of a learned skill rather than specifically the ...

, offering both UG and PG degrees in Ancient Indian and world history, Bengali, English,

Sanskrit language Sanskrit (; attributively , ; nominally , , ) is a classical language belonging to the Indo-Aryan branch of the Indo-European languages. It arose in South Asia after its predecessor languages had diffused there from the northwest in the lat ...

Linguistics Linguistics is the scientific study of human language. It is called a scientific study because it entails a comprehensive, systematic, objective, and precise analysis of all aspects of language, particularly its nature and structure. Linguis ...

, and traditional orientation learning (Advaita Vedanta) except Pali in which only UG degree is being offered.

History

Sanskrit College was founded on 1 January 1824, during the Governor-Generalship of

Lord Amherst Field Marshal Jeffery Amherst, 1st Baron Amherst, (29 January 1717 – 3 August 1797) was a British Army officer and Commander-in-Chief of the Forces in the British Army. Amherst is credited as the architect of Britain's successful campaig ...

, based on a recommendation by

James Prinsep James Prinsep FRS (20 August 1799 – 22 April 1840) was an English scholar, orientalist and antiquary. He was the founding editor of the ''Journal of the Asiatic Society of Bengal'' and is best remembered for deciphering the Kharosthi and B ...

and

Thomas Babington Macaulay Thomas Babington Macaulay, 1st Baron Macaulay, (; 25 October 1800 – 28 December 1859) was a British historian and Whig politician, who served as the Secretary at War between 1839 and 1841, and as the Paymaster-General between 1846 and 184 ...

among others.

Mahesh Chandra Nyayratna Bhattacharyya Mahamahopadhyay Pandit Mahesh Chandra Nyayratna Bhattacharyya (22 February 1836 – 12 April 1906) was an Indian scholar of Sanskrit, and the principal of the Sanskrit College between 1876 and 1895. A friend and colleague of Ishwar Chandra Vid ...

, the scholar of

Sanskrit Sanskrit (; attributively , ; nominally , , ) is a classical language belonging to the Indo-Aryan branch of the Indo-European languages. It arose in South Asia after its predecessor languages had diffused there from the northwest in the late ...

, was the principal of the college for over 18 years. He was made a Companion of the Most Eminent Order of the Indian Empire (C.I.E.), and a member of the Most Eminent Order of the Indian Empire. He played a crucial role in colonial

Bengal Bengal ( ; bn, বাংলা/বঙ্গ, translit=Bānglā/Bôngô, ) is a geopolitical, cultural and historical region in South Asia, specifically in the eastern part of the Indian subcontinent at the apex of the Bay of Bengal, predom ...

's educational reformation. He revived the ''tol'' system in Sanskrit education, and introduced titles or "

Upadhi Upādhi () is a term in Hindu philosophy meaning "imposition" or "limitation". In Hindu logic, an upādhi is the condition which accompanies the major term and must be supplied to limit the too general middle term. For instance, "the mountain ha ...

". The institution rose to prominence during the principalship of

Ishwar Chandra Vidyasagar Ishwar Chandra Vidyasagar CIE ( bn, ঈশ্বর চন্দ্র বিদ্যাসাগর; 26 September 1820 – 29 July 1891), born Ishwar Chandra Bandyopadhyay, was an Indian educator and social reformer of the nineteenth century. ...

in 1851, who admitted students from other than the

Brahmin Brahmin (; sa, ब्राह्मण, brāhmaṇa) is a varna as well as a caste within Hindu society. The Brahmins are designated as the priestly class as they serve as priests (purohit, pandit, or pujari) and religious teachers (guru ...

and

Baidya Baidya or Vaidya is a Hindu community located in Bengal. Baidyas, a caste (''jāti'') of Ayurvedic physicians, have long had pre-eminence in society alongside Brahmins and Kayasthas. In the colonial era, the Bhadraloks were drawn primarily, b ...

caste. In particular, the ''tol'' or traditional Indian training school model was incorporated as a department in the 1870s. From 1824 until 1851 the college did not have the post of principal but was headed by a secretary. From 1851 the college was headed by a principal.Sanskrit College: About
sanskritcollege.co.in (archive version). Retrieved 7 September 2017.

Transformation into a university

The ''Sanskrit College and University, West Bengal Bill 2015'', aimed at transforming Sanskrit College into a university was passed in West Bengal Assembly on 17 December 2015. The university was established vide ''The Sanskrit College and University, West Bengal Act 2015'' on 19 February 2016 and became functional on 15 June 2016 when the first

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 of Nations, Commonwealth and former Commonwealth n ...

, Dilipkumar Mohanta, joined the institute.

Campus

The Sanskrit College and University is located on College Street in central

. Its centrality is heightened by its proximity to

Hindu School Hindu School is a state government-administered school in Kolkata (Calcutta), India. Founded in 1817, it is the oldest modern educational institution in Asia (then known as ''Hindu College''). The institution played a key role during Bengal R ...

Presidency University, Kolkata Presidency University, Kolkata (formerly known as Presidency College, Kolkata) is a second major public state aided research university located in College Street, Kolkata. Considered as one of best colleges when Presidency College was affili ...

, the

University of Calcutta The University of Calcutta (informally known as Calcutta University; CU) is a Public university, public collegiate university, collegiate State university (India), state university in India, located in Kolkata, West Bengal, India. Considered ...

, and the

Indian Coffee House Indian Coffee House is a restaurant chain in India, run by a series of worker co-operative societies. It has strong presence across India with nearly 400 coffee houses. It has been a hub for Communist and Socialist movements for generations. ...

Organization and Administration

Governance

The governor of

is the chancellor of The Sanskrit College and University. The Vice-chancellor of the Sanskrit College and University is the chief executive officer of the university. Soma Bandyopadhyay is the current Vice-chancellor of the university.

Departments

Sanskrit College and University consist of the departments of Ancient Indian & World History, Bengali, English, Linguistics, Philosophy, Pali, Sanskrit, and Traditional Orientation Learning(Advaita Vedanta, Panini Vyakarana, and Sahitya).

Academics

Courses

Sanskrit College and University offer different undergraduate and postgraduate courses: * Three-year Undergraduate Degree (B.A. Honours) courses: Ancient Indian & World History, Bengali, English, Linguistics, Philosophy, Pali, Sanskrit, Advaita Vedanta, Panini Vyakarana, and Sahitya. * Two-year Postgraduate Degree (M.A.) Courses: Ancient Indian & World History, Bengali, English, Philosophy, Sanskrit, and Linguistics. *Two-year Acharya degree(equivalent to M.A.) in Traditional Orientation Learning (Advaita Vedanta).

Central Library

The central library of the Sanskrit College and University is a veritable goldmine for researchers. It contains over 2,00,000 books and 25,000 manuscripts, including several very rare manuscripts. The university has also started a massive digitization program such that it can place these 25,000 manuscripts in the cultural commons.

Sanskrit Charcha Kendra, Nabadwip

The Sanskrit College and University has established a Sanskrit Charcha Kendra, in

Nabadwip Nabadwip (), also spelt Navadwip, anciently Nadia or Nudiya, is a heritage city in Nadia district in the Indian state of West Bengal. It is regarded as a holy place by Hindus, and is the birthplace of Chaitanya Mahaprabhu. Famous for Rass fest ...

Nadia Nadia is a female name. Variations include Nadja, Nadya, Nadine, Nadiya, and Nadiia. Most variations of the name are derived from Arabic, Slavic languages, or both. In Slavic, names similar to ''Nadia'' mean "hope" in many Slavic languages: Uk ...

. This state-of-the-art research center provides an opportunity to research scholars, and academicians to harvest the traditional Indic knowledge base already present in University's repository and to take Indological and Sanskrit studies to the future.

Notable alumni

Saradaranjan Ray Saradaranjan Ray (26 May 1858 – 30 October 1925) was an Indian teacher of mathematics and Sanskrit who worked at Aligarh University and at Calcutta. He was also a cricket enthusiast and promoter who has been called the "W.G. Grace of India" a ...

Bijoy Krishna Goswami Bijoy Krishna Goswami (; 2 August 1841 – 4 June 1899) was a prominent Hindu social reformer and religious figure in India during the British period. Brahmo Samaj was started at Calcutta on 20 August 1828 by Raja Ram Mohan Roy and Debendran ...

* Surendranath Dasgupta *

Krishna Kanta Handique Krishna Kanta Handique (20 July 1898 – 7 June 1982) was a Sanskrit scholar, an Indologist and philanthropist from Assam. He was a recipient of the civilian honour of the Padma Shri and Padma Bhushan. Biography Krishna Kanta Handique was ...

Mahanambrata Brahmachari Dr. Mahanambrata Brahmachari (25 December 1904 – 18 October 1999; pre-ashramite name Bankim Dasgupta) was a Hindu monk who headed the Mahanam Sampraday in present-day Bangladesh. A yogi and monk of Mahauddharan order, a school of Bengal, he w ...

Bimal Krishna Matilal Bimal Krishna Matilal (1 June 1935 – 8 June 1991) was an eminent British-Indian philosopher whose writings presented the Indian philosophical tradition as a comprehensive system of logic incorporating most issues addressed by themes in Wester ...

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 Sw ...

References

External links

* Academic institutions associated with the Bengal Renaissance Universities and colleges in Kolkata Educational institutions established in 1824 Schools in Colonial India 19th century in Kolkata Sanskrit universities in India 1824 establishments in India {{DEFAULTSORT:Sanskrit College and University