Mahatma Gandhi Kashi Vidyapeeth, Varanasi

Mahatma Gandhi Kashi Vidyapith is a public university located in Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh, India. It was established on 10 February 1921 by Babu Shiv Prasad Gupta and Bhagwan Das as Kashi Vidyapith, during the non-cooperation movement of the Indian freedom struggle, and was inaugurated by Mahatma Gandhi. The institution was renamed Mahatma Gandhi Kashi Vidyapith in 1995. It is administered under the state legislature of the Government of Uttar Pradesh, receiving deemed-university status in 1974 and state university status in 2009 through The Uttar Pradesh State Universities (Amendment) Act, 2008. Today it is one of the largest state universities in Uttar Pradesh, with more than 400 affiliated colleges spread across six districts, serving hundreds of thousands of rural and urban students. The university offers a wide range of professional and academic courses including arts, science, commerce, agricultural science, law, computing, and management. Historically, Kashi Vidyapith served as an important center of the Indian National Movement and was regarded as a pilgrimage site for socialists. Its notable alumni include former Indian Prime Minister Lal Bahadur Shastri and several former chief ministers and political leaders.