Benares Hindu University

Indian educational institution founded
in 1916 by the nationalist figure Madan
Mohan Malviya (1861–1946). The World
War I era marked a more activist orientation to the Indian independence
movement. One of the ways this
activism manifested itself was in founding educational institutions, which gave
Indians greater control over the universities’ mission, tone, and curriculum.
Benares Hindu University was founded
to uphold Hindu cultural and philosophical traditions, but also to educate
its students in the sciences and thus prepare them for the modern world. This
mission reflected the modernist thinking of its founders as well as their passionate commitment to traditional
Hindu culture. It is still one of the finest
universities in India, particularly for the
study of classical Indian culture.