Banaras Hindu University is a public central university located in Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh. Established in 1916 by Pandit Madan Mohan Malviya, BHU is one of the largest residential universities in Asia, with over 20,000 students.
The university's main campus spread over 1,300 acres was built on land donated by the Kashi Naresh, the hereditary ruler of Banaras. BHU is organised into 4 institutes and 14 faculties and more than 140 departments.Total student enrolment at the university exceeds 20,000, and includes students from over 34 nations.It has over 60 hostels for resident students. Several of its colleges, including engineering (IIT-BHU), science, linguistics, journalism & mass communication, performing arts, law, agriculture (IAS-BHU), medicine (IMS-BHU) and Institute of Environment And Sustainable Development (IESD-BHU), are ranked among the best in India.The university is well known for hosting an IIT. The university's engineering institute was designated an IIT in June 2012.
