Overview
The Indian Institute of Technology (Banaras Hindu University) Varanasi, commonly known as IIT (BHU) Varanasi, is a public technical and research university located in Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh, India. It is one of the Indian Institutes of Technology, a group of autonomous engineering and technology institutes designated as Institutes of National Importance by the Government of India. The institute occupies a part of the campus of Banaras Hindu University (BHU) and traces its academic lineage to engineering colleges established at BHU in the early twentieth century.
Key facts
| Name | Indian Institute of Technology (BHU) Varanasi |
|---|---|
| Former names | Banaras Engineering College (BENCO), Mining and Metallurgical Engineering College (MINMET), Technological Institute of Banaras Hindu University (IT-BHU) |
| Type | Public technical institute |
| Status | Institute of National Importance |
| Location | Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh, India |
| Campus | Within the Banaras Hindu University campus |
| Affiliation | Indian Institutes of Technology system |
| Founder of antecedent institutions | Madan Mohan Malaviya (founder of BHU) |
| Year of conversion to IIT | 2012 |
Background
The origins of IIT (BHU) Varanasi lie in the engineering and technology faculties set up at Banaras Hindu University, which was founded by Pandit Madan Mohan Malaviya in 1916. Three constituent colleges — the Banaras Engineering College (BENCO), the College of Mining and Metallurgy (MINMET) and the College of Technology (TECHNO) — were established at BHU during the first half of the twentieth century to teach civil, mechanical, electrical, mining, metallurgical and chemical engineering, along with allied sciences.
In 1968, these three colleges were merged into a single unit called the Institute of Technology, Banaras Hindu University (IT-BHU), which functioned as a constituent institute of BHU offering undergraduate, postgraduate and doctoral programmes in engineering, technology and applied sciences.
Conversion to IIT
After several years of discussion within the university, the Government of India and Parliament, IT-BHU was converted into an Indian Institute of Technology. The Institutes of Technology (Amendment) Act, 2012 brought the institute into the IIT framework as Indian Institute of Technology (Banaras Hindu University) Varanasi. Following the conversion, the institute became autonomous from BHU in administrative and academic terms while retaining its location within the BHU campus and the "BHU" element in its name to preserve its historical identity.
Academics and structure
The institute offers Bachelor of Technology, Integrated Dual Degree, Master of Technology, Master of Science, Master of Pharmacy and doctoral programmes. Academic activity is organised into departments and schools covering disciplines such as civil engineering, mechanical engineering, electrical engineering, electronics engineering, computer science and engineering, chemical engineering and technology, ceramic engineering, mining engineering, metallurgical engineering, pharmaceutical engineering and technology, biochemical engineering, biomedical engineering, architecture, planning and design, along with departments of mathematical sciences, physics, chemistry and humanistic studies.
Admissions to undergraduate programmes are made through the Joint Entrance Examination (JEE) Advanced, while postgraduate and doctoral admissions follow the standard IIT-system entrance routes such as GATE and institute-level interviews.
Campus
The campus of IIT (BHU) is situated inside the larger Banaras Hindu University campus in the southern part of Varanasi, close to the Ganga. It includes academic departments, central workshops, laboratories, a central library, hostels for men and women, faculty and staff residences, and sports facilities. Students share many of the wider amenities of BHU.
Timeline
- 1916 — Banaras Hindu University founded by Madan Mohan Malaviya.
- Early 20th century — BENCO, MINMET and TECHNO colleges established at BHU at different points to teach engineering, mining, metallurgy and technology.
- 1968 — The three colleges merged to form the Institute of Technology, Banaras Hindu University (IT-BHU).
- 2012 — IT-BHU converted into IIT (BHU) Varanasi through the Institutes of Technology (Amendment) Act, 2012, becoming an Institute of National Importance.
Significance
IIT (BHU) Varanasi is significant as one of the older technical institutions in India and as the only IIT that is co-located with, and historically derived from, a major central university. Its conversion in 2012 expanded the IIT system and integrated a long-standing engineering tradition at BHU into the national framework of premier technical institutes. The institute has produced alumni active in academia, industry, public service and entrepreneurship in India and abroad.
Related topics
- Banaras Hindu University
- Indian Institutes of Technology
- Madan Mohan Malaviya
- Varanasi
- Joint Entrance Examination
- Institute of National Importance
- Education in Uttar Pradesh
References
- Wikidata entity: Q3701750.
- The Institutes of Technology Act, 1961, as amended by the Institutes of Technology (Amendment) Act, 2012, Government of India.
- Official website of IIT (BHU) Varanasi and Banaras Hindu University.