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Sido Kanhu Murmu University

Entrance Gate of Sido Kanhu Murmu University, Dumka
Entrance Gate of Sido Kanhu Murmu University, Dumka Image: Wikimedia Commons. Flashthomsom / CC BY 4.0

Overview

Sido Kanhu Murmu University is a state public university located in Dumka, in the Santhal Pargana division of Jharkhand, India. The university is named after Sido Murmu and Kanhu Murmu, two of the four Murmu brothers who led the Santhal Hul (rebellion) of 1855 against the British East India Company and local zamindars. It serves as the principal affiliating and teaching university for the Santhal Pargana region, with several constituent and affiliated colleges spread across the area.

Key facts

Name Sido Kanhu Murmu University
Type State public university
Location Dumka, Jharkhand, India
Region served Santhal Pargana division
Named after Sido Murmu and Kanhu Murmu, leaders of the Santhal Hul of 1855
Country India

Background

The Santhal Pargana division, of which Dumka is the headquarters, has a large Adivasi population, particularly of the Santhal community. The establishment of a university based in Dumka was intended to expand access to higher education in this region, which had historically depended on universities based outside the division for affiliation of its degree colleges.

The naming of the university after Sido and Kanhu Murmu reflects the historical importance of the Santhal Hul, an early organised uprising against colonial rule in eastern India. The brothers, along with Chand and Bhairav Murmu, mobilised Santhal cultivators in 1855 in protest against exploitative revenue and moneylending practices.

Academics and structure

The university functions as both a teaching and an affiliating institution. It oversees postgraduate departments at its Dumka campus and a network of constituent and affiliated colleges across the districts of the Santhal Pargana, including Dumka, Deoghar, Godda, Sahibganj, Pakur and Jamtara. Programmes offered through the university and its affiliated colleges span the arts, sciences, commerce, education, and professional and vocational courses.

Significance

As the regional university for the Santhal Pargana, Sido Kanhu Murmu University plays a central role in higher education access for students in one of Jharkhand's predominantly tribal regions. Its naming honours figures of Adivasi resistance, and it contributes to the documentation and teaching of Santhali language and culture alongside mainstream academic disciplines.

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