Sampurnanand Sanskrit Vishwavidyalaya

The Sampurnanand Sanskrit Vishwavidyalaya (university) was founded on 22 March 1958 by the then Chief Minister Dr. Sampurnanand and Education Minister Pt. Kamalapati Tripathi, with the name of `Varanaseya Sanskrit Vishwavidyalaya’. Dr. A.N. Jha was its first vice-chancellor. It was renamed as Sampurnanand Sanskrit University under the U.P. State University Act, 1973.

The University has since been proceeding along the set path of the program while trying to achieve its goal. The Sampurnanand Sanskrit University has a great history of about 205 years (including the Govt. Sanskrit College). In other words, the history of the Sampurnanand Sanskrit University includes history of the Sanskrit Education itself. The guidelines set by the glorious past of the Govt. Sanskrit College Benares has been the focus of the university.

The history of the Govt. Sanskrit College goes back to the last quarter of the eighteenth century. Under a proposal of Sri Jonathan Duncan, the Govt. Sanskrit College was established in 1791. Pt. Kashinath was its first teacher and Acharya. At that point of time, there was an arrangement for the teaching of subjects such as Vedas, Vedanta Purana, Ayurveda, Sahitya, Astrology, Theology, Mimamsa, Nyaya, etc. The college was conducted with the surplus revenue of the Benares State. At present the Sampurnanand University has a number of faculties and departments, dedicated to the study of various humanities and science disciplines.

Sanskrit & Varanasi

Sanskrit is not only a classical language but also a repository of Indian cultural heritage. Sanskrit is the most ancient among the languages of the world. Its storehouse of knowledge is unrivaled and one of the most invaluable treasures of the world. Sanskrit language is a symbol of Indian tradition and thought, which has exhibited full freedom in the search of truth. The most interesting aspect of Sanskrit language is that it has shown complete tolerance towards other languages. Varanasi is a true example of Guru-Shishya tradition, which has helped in the growth and development of Sanskrit language.

Since ancient times, Varanasi is a great center of learning of Sanskrit language. Over a period of time, Varanasi has produced many great scholars of Sanskrit. Many great works of Sanskrit have also been penned at Varanasi. The Sampurnanand Sanskrit University was set up at Varanasi to keep intact the traditional scholarship and to strike a balance between India and western outlooks and to conduct research and to study various aspects of culture and spiritual literature. Over a period of time, this university has contributed towards the development of Sanskrit language by taking up the study and research on Vedas, Vedanta Purana, Ayurveda, Sahitya, Astrology, Theology, Mimamsa, Nyaya, etc.

The Sampurnanad Sanskrit University has played an important role in the development of Sanskrit language through translation and publication of specific texts as well cataloguing of manuscripts. It has also coordinated the oriental and occidental currents of thoughts, while preserving the ancient Indian tradition. It has helped in the grooming up of new and talented scholars who are well versed in the knowledge of traditional Sanskrit and fully acquainted with modern thoughts and are capable of carrying on comparative study on modern lines.

Contact

http://ssvv.ac.in

Sanskrit Vishva Vidhyalaya
Varanasi
India