Sidho-Kanho Birsa University

Sidho-Kanho-Birsha University (SKBU) is a public state university in Purulia district, West Bengal, India, founded on 6 July 2010 under the Sidho Kanho Brisha University Act, 2010. It is named after tribal rebels Sidhu Murmu, Kanhu Murmu, and Birsa Munda, who resisted British rule. Jagannath Kishore College, Purulia, donated 12.86 acres for its main campus, later expanded with a 53-acre second campus in Chharra, Purulia, allotted by the West Bengal government in 2019. The university has 22 departments organized into three faculties: Science, Arts and Social Science, and Commerce. It offers undergraduate, postgraduate, diploma, and certificate courses, including unique programs in Kudmali language and Santali Scriptology, as well as diplomas in Chhau dance and Jhumur folk song. SKBU is an affiliating university overseeing 31 colleges in Purulia district, including 21 degree colleges and ten B.Ed. and professional colleges. It has been awarded a B+ grade by the National Assessment and Accreditation Council (NAAC). The university has contributed to research, including studies on environmental attitudes among students and the discovery of a 52-million-year-old flower fossil linking India and Australia's prehistoric flora.