The Faculty of Ayurveda is a constituent faculty of the Banaras Hindu University (BHU), located in Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh, India. It is part of the Institute of Medical Sciences at BHU and is dedicated to teaching, research and clinical practice in Ayurveda, the traditional Indian system of medicine.
Key facts
| Name | Faculty of Ayurveda, Banaras Hindu University |
|---|---|
| Type | Faculty of a central university |
| Parent institution | Banaras Hindu University |
| Part of | Institute of Medical Sciences, BHU |
| Location | Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh, India |
| Field | Ayurveda, traditional Indian medicine |
Overview
The Faculty of Ayurveda offers undergraduate, postgraduate and doctoral programmes in various branches of Ayurveda. Its academic structure is organised through specialised departments covering classical and applied disciplines of Ayurvedic medicine, alongside an attached hospital for clinical training.
Background
Banaras Hindu University was founded in 1916 by Madan Mohan Malaviya, with traditional Indian learning forming a central part of its mission. Instruction in Ayurveda has been offered at BHU since the early decades of the university's existence, and was later consolidated within the Institute of Medical Sciences when that institute was established to integrate modern medicine and Ayurveda under a common academic umbrella.
Academic programmes
The faculty conducts programmes leading to qualifications in Ayurveda at multiple levels:
- Undergraduate: Bachelor of Ayurvedic Medicine and Surgery (BAMS).
- Postgraduate: MD (Ayurveda) and MS (Ayurveda) in various specialities.
- Doctoral: PhD in Ayurvedic disciplines.
Departments
The faculty is organised into departments that broadly correspond to the classical branches of Ayurveda, including subjects such as:
- Samhita and Sanskrit (classical texts)
- Rachana Sharir (anatomy) and Kriya Sharir (physiology)
- Dravyaguna (materia medica) and Rasa Shastra and Bhaishajya Kalpana (pharmaceutics)
- Kayachikitsa (general medicine)
- Shalya Tantra (surgery) and Shalakya Tantra (eye, ENT and head)
- Prasuti Tantra and Stri Roga (obstetrics and gynaecology)
- Kaumarbhritya (paediatrics)
- Swasthavritta (preventive and social medicine)
- Vikriti Vigyan (pathology)
Significance
The Faculty of Ayurveda at BHU is among the long-established centres of higher education in Ayurveda in India and has contributed to the formal academic development of the discipline within a modern university setting. Its position within the Institute of Medical Sciences allows interaction between Ayurveda and allopathic medical education at the same campus, a feature that has shaped its profile in research and clinical training.
Related topics
- Banaras Hindu University
- Institute of Medical Sciences, BHU
- Ayurveda
- Madan Mohan Malaviya
- Bachelor of Ayurvedic Medicine and Surgery
- Ministry of AYUSH
- Varanasi
References
- Wikidata entity: Q20036798
- Banaras Hindu University, official website.