Type Public Campus urban Phone 033 2241 1906 | Established 1824 Founded 1824 | |
Location College Street, Calcutta Affiliations Sanskrit College and University Website Sanskrit College and University Address 1, Bankim Chatterjee Street, College Square, Kolkata, West Bengal 700073 Notable alumni Ishwar Chandra Vidyasagar, Haraprasad Shastri, Surendranath Dasgupta, Abanindranath Tagore, Krishna Kanta Handique Similar Bethune College, Vidyasagar College, Anandamohan College, Fort William College, Bangabasi College |
Sanskrit College and University (erstwhile Sanskrit College) is a specialized state-government administered Liberal Arts University offering an undergraduate degree in Sanskrit language, Pali language, Linguistics and ancient Indian and world history. It is one of the affiliated colleges of the University of Calcutta. Founded on 1 January 1824, Sanskrit College, is one of the oldest educational institutions in the subcontinent. It is a traditional college that specializes in the scholarship of Indian tradition, philosophy and religion. It is located on College Street in central Kolkata. Its centrality is heightened by its proximity to Hindu School, Presidency College, Kolkata, the University of Calcutta, and the Indian Coffee House. It was established during the Governor-Generalship of Lord Amherst, based on a recommendation by HT James Prinsep and Thomas Babington Macaulay among others.
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Mahamahopadhyay Pandit Mahesh Chandra Nyayratna Bhattacharyya, C.I.E., the eminent scholar of Sanskrit 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's educational reformation. He revived the "Tol" system in Sanskrit education, and introduced titles or "Upadhi".
The institution rose to prominence during the principalship of Ishwar Chandra Vidyasagar in 1851, who admitted students from other than the brahmin caste. In particular the tol or traditional Indian training school model was incorporated as a department in the 1870s. In the pre-independence era, it was one of the finest seats of academic excellence in matters pertaining to Hinduism, eastern philosophy, ancient Indian history and ancient Indian languages like Pali and Prakrit. It is particularly well known for the contribution of its faculty and students in the social, cultural and religious transformation in nineteenth century Bengal in what came to be popularly regarded as the Bengal Renaissance. In terms of scholarship and intellectual output, it contributed hugely to enriching the knowledge of ancient Indian society and interpretation of ancient Indian texts.
Sanskrit College and University, West Bengal Bill 2015
In a bid to create a nodal center in learning of Sanskrit, the "Sanskrit College and University, West Bengal Bill 2015" was passed in West Bengal Assembly on 17 December 2015. Sanskrit College and University, West Bengal Bill 2015 will enable complete up-gradation of the 191 year-old Sanskrit College along with its properties and liabilities.