Banaras Hindu University

Banaras Hindu University (BHU) (IAST: kāśī hindū viśvavidyālaya IPA: /kaːʃiː hɪnd̪uː ʋɪʃwəʋid̪jaːləj/) is a collegiate, central, and research university located in Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh, India, and founded in 1916. The university incorporated the Central Hindu College, which had been founded by future Indian Home Rule-league leader and theosophist, Annie Besant in 1898. By 1911 Besant and her associates were marginalised on the governing board of the Central Hindu College by Madan Mohan Malviya and his associates, who preferred a more orthodox version of Hindusim to Besant's more theosophy-oriented ''Sanatana Dharma'', for which she had written the text-books. Besant had also become involved in founding the India Home Rule League with Bal Gangadhar Tilak, leaving the university to be established in 1916 by Malaviya with the support of the maharaja of Darbhanga Rameshwar Singh, the maharaja of Benares Prabhu Narayan Singh, 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 by the Government of India. It is also one of the 12 institutions from India in BRICS Universities League, a consortium of leading research universities from BRICS countries.

BHU has often been referred to 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, 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 (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 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.

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