Sampurnanand Sanskrit Vishwavidyalaya, Varanasi

Sampurnanand Sanskrit Vishwavidyalaya, formerly known as Varanaseya Sanskrit Vishwavidyalaya and Government Sanskrit College, is located in Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh, India. It originated in 1791 when Jonathan Duncan proposed a Sanskrit college, sanctioned by Governor General Charles Cornwallis, with Pandit Kashinath as its first teacher. The college later had notable principals including John Muir, James R. Ballantyne, Ralph T. H. Griffith, George Thibaut, Arthur Venis, Ganganath Jha, and Gopinath Kaviraj. Postgraduate teaching began in 1857, and an examination system was introduced in 1880. The Saraswati Bhavan Granthalaya, housing thousands of manuscripts, was built in 1894, leading to the publication of over 400 books in the Sarasvati Bhavana Granthamala series. In 1958, through the efforts of Sampurnanand, the institution became a Sanskrit university, and in 1974 it was renamed Sampurnanand Sanskrit University. It now comprises departments across five broad areas—Adhunika Gyan Vijyana, Philosophy, Sahitya Sanskriti, Shramana Vidya, and Veda-Vedanga—and oversees a Research Institute that publishes the Sarasvati Bhavana Granthamala and the journal Sārasvatī Suṣamā. The university is affiliated with over 600 schools and colleges across India, with instruction in Sanskrit, Hindi, and English. It is accredited by NAAC and recognized by UGC.