Maharshi Dayanand University (also known as M.D. University or MDU) is a public university located in Rohtak, Haryana. It is named after the noted Indian social reformer Dayananda Saraswati. The university was established in 1976 and was originally known as the University of Rohtak.
The institution came into existence through Act No. 25 of 1975 of the Haryana Legislative Assembly, with the stated objective of promoting interdisciplinary higher education and research in the fields of environmental, ecological and life sciences. It was renamed Maharshi Dayanand University in 1977 in honour of Maharshi Dayanand, a visionary and social reformer. The renaming is associated with the efforts of Pandit Ramchander Arya.
In its early years, the university had a unitary and residential character. It was subsequently reorganised as an affiliating university in November 1978, expanding its role across colleges in the region. The university secured recognition from the University Grants Commission, the higher education regulatory body of India, for central government grants on 16 March 1979.
Adapted from the English Wikipedia article on Maharshi Dayanand University.