MAA MANIKESWARI DEGREE COLLEGE

Maa Manikeshwari University, earlier known as Kalahandi University, is a state public university situated in Bhawanipatna, the district headquarters of Kalahandi district in Odisha, India. Its origins trace back to 18 July 1960, when it was established as Kalahandi Science College under private management, functioning as such until 30 September 1961. On 1 December 1961, the institution was taken over by the Government of Odisha and renamed Government Science College. Degree classes commenced in 1982, and the college was granted autonomous status in 2002. On 1 September 2020, the Odisha state government upgraded it to an affiliating university under the name Kalahandi University, serving as a key higher education center for the KBK (Kalahandi-Bolangir-Koraput) region. On 28 December 2023, then Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik approved renaming the university to Maa Manikeshwari University. The institution offers undergraduate, postgraduate, and PhD courses across 16 subjects, including Anthropology, Botany, Chemistry, Commerce, Economics, Education, English, Geography, History, Mathematics, Odia, Physics, Political Science, Sanskrit, Sociology, and Zoology. The university also holds jurisdiction over affiliated colleges located within the Kalahandi and Nuapada districts.