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| Motto | yatra viśvaṃ bhavatyekanīḍam |
|---|---|
Motto in English | Where the world makes a home in a single nest |
| Type | Central University Institute of National Importance |
| Established | c. 1921; 104 years ago (1921) |
| Founder | Rabindranath Tagore |
| Accreditation | |
Academic affiliations | |
| Budget | ₹367.71crore (US$43.5 million) (2023–24)[2] |
| Chancellor | Prime Minister of India |
| Vice-Chancellor | Probir Kumar Ghosh[3] |
| Rector | Governor of West Bengal |
| Visitor | President of India |
Academic staff | 469 (2025)[2] |
| Students | 4,814 (2025)[2] |
| Undergraduates | 1,632 (2025)[2] |
| Postgraduates | 2,300 (2025)[2] |
| 882 (2025)[2] | |
| Location | ,, India 23°40′50.92″N87°40′48.44″E / 23.6808111°N 87.6801222°E /23.6808111; 87.6801222 |
| Campus | Remote Town 4.57 square kilometres (1.76 sq mi) |
| Newspaper | The Visva-Bharati News |
| Mascot | Deer (Gentleness and Oneness) |
| Website | visvabharati |
| Official name | Santiniketan |
| Criteria | Cultural: (iv)(vi) |
| Designated | 2023(45thsession) |
| Reference no. | 1375 |
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Visva-Bharati (IAST:Viśva-Bhāratī), (Bengali:[biʃːɔbʱaroti]) is apubliccentral university and anInstitute of National Importance located inShantiniketan,West Bengal, India. The foundation stone was laid on 8Poush 1325 (24th December 1918) byRabindranath Tagore, who called itVisva-Bharati, which means the communion of the world with India. Until independence it was a college. Soon after independence, the institution was given the status of a central university in 1951 by an act of the Parliament.
The Hindu writes, "Santiniketan in many ways is still quite different compared to other universities in the country. Located atBolpur in Birbhum district of West Bengal, the university still has the rural trappings that Tagore dreamt of. The classes are still held in the open under the shade of huge mango trees and students and tutors alike still travel by cycles to keep pollution at bay. The old buildings, even those that were made up of mud walls and thatched roofs, are still intact and find a place within the main campus. While some are preserved for historical value, others are functional in all aspects. While for tourists the place could only be place for sight-seeing, the studious and the academically-inclined can easily feel the scholastic vibrations. Many, especially the Bengalis, have deep reverence for the place and take the visit as a pilgrimage to pay their respects to Tagore. Almost every festival, be it the local ‘ Poush mela' or the more universal ‘Raksha Bandhan' or ‘Holi,' is celebrated in its originality by the students, locals and staff on the campus... Tagore visualised it as a ‘seat of learning', and his vision was taken forward by Gandhiji and Jawaharlal Nehru. Both played a stellar role in its becoming a Central University in 1951."[4][5]
Visva-Bharati University is located about 170 km (110 mi) by road fromKolkata in the twin towns of Santiniketan and Sriniketan, in the district ofBirbhum, West Bengal. The nearest railway station isBolpur (Santiniketan) on the Eastern Railway, the domestic air terminal isKazi Nazrul Islam Airport, Durgapur and the international air terminal isNetaji Subhash Chandra Bose International Airport, Kolkata. The institute's buildings and departments are scattered among the two towns.[6][7]
The twin towns of Santiniketan and Sriniketan are surrounded byBolpur to the north, Kheya to the south,Surul to the east andPrantik to the west. The towns and the university are not far from the river Kopai which flows to the south.
In 2018 at a cultural program in Indonesia, former officiating VC Sabuj Koli Sen in her tenure told to the then minister ofMHRD, ShriRamesh Pokhriyal, about Tagore's connection with Ramgarh. He was immediately interested. On 8 July 2020, he announced the building of the new campus atRamgarh inNainital district.[8] The University later responded to his suggestion and made preparations accordingly.[9]Government of Uttarakhand has handed over 45 acres of land to the university free of cost to set up a campus. The university is keen to start five schools of studies at its first satellite centre in Nainital's Ramgarh from July 2022. Until the campus is ready, the university will function from a temporary campus. Ramgarh was one of Tagore's favourite holiday destinations, where he purchased a bungalow on a hilltop. Around 10 acres, on which the bungalow stands, is also likely to be given to the university, which plans to turn it into a museum to showcase Tagore's work. the centre would begin functioning with around 650 students in five schools of studies: language, art & culture, Himalayan studies, social science, public policy and good governance.[10]
The high officials of the university include theparidarshaka (visitor),pradhana (rector),acharya (chancellor), and theupacharya (vice-chancellor). The paridarshaka of this university is thepresident of India, the pradhana is thegovernor of West Bengal while the acharya is theprime minister of India. Thesamsad or University Court is the supreme authority of the University and has the power to review the acts of theKarma Samity (Executive Council) and theSiksha Samity (Academic Council). The Executive Council is the highest executive body of the University. The Academic Council is the highest academic body of the University and is responsible for the maintenance of standards of instruction, education and examination within the university. It has the right to advise the Executive Council on all academic matters. The university is run by itsKarma Samity (Executive Council) which is chaired by the acharya. The institutes and departments are located in both Santiniketan and Sriniketan.[11]
The campus security is provided by theCISF, since 2019.[12][13]
| No. | Name | Tenure |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | Rathindranath Tagore | 1951–1953 |
| – | Kshitimohan Sen(acting) | 1953–1954 |
| 2. | Prabodh Chandra Bagchi | 1954–1956 |
| – | Indira Devi Chaudhurani(acting) | 1956–1956 |
| 3. | Satyendranath Bose | 1956–1958 |
| – | Kshitishchandra Chowdhury(acting) | 1958–1959 |
| 4. | Sudhi Ranjan Das | 1959–1965 |
| 5. | Kalidas Bhattacharya | 1965–1970 |
| 6. | Pratul Chandra Gupta | 1970–1975 |
| 7. | Surajit Chandra Sinha | 1975–1980 |
| 8. | Amlan Dutta | 1980–1984 |
| 9. | Nemai Sadhan Basu | 1984–1989 |
| – | Ajit Kumar Chakraborty(acting) | 1989–1990 |
| 10. | Ashim Dasgupta | 1990–1991 |
| – | Sisir Mukhopadhyay(acting) | 1991–1991 |
| 11. | Sabyasachi Bhattacharya | 1991–1995 |
| – | Sisir Mukhopadhyay(acting) | 1995–1995 |
| – | R. R. Rao(acting) | 1995–1995 |
| 12. | Dilip Kumar Sinha | 1995–2001 |
| 13. | Sujit Kumar Bose | 2001–2006 |
| 14. | Rajat Kanta Ray | 2006–2011 |
| 15. | Sushanta Kumar Dattagupta | Sep 2011–Feb 2016 |
| 16. | Swapan Kumar Datta | Feb 2016–Jan 2018 |
| – | Sabuj Koli Sen(acting) | Feb 2018–Oct 2018 |
| 17. | Bidyut Chakrabarty | Oct 2018–Nov 2023 |
| – | Sanjoy Kumar Mallik(acting) | Nov 2023–May 2024 |
| – | Arabinda Mandal(acting) | May 2024–Aug 2024 |
| – | Binoy Kumar Saren(acting) | Sep 2024–March 2025 |
| 18. | Probir Kumar Ghosh | March 2025–Incumbent |
The university is divided into institutes, centres, departments and schools. The respective departments are included in the institutes. The university's programmes dealing with its rich cultural heritage, as well as art and dance education, are funded by the Department of Science and Technology (DST), Government of India.
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| Other name | ISERC, Santiniketan |
|---|---|
| Motto | vidyāṃ dadāti vinayaṃ |
| Established | 2008 |
| Focus | Interdisciplinaryscientific education andresearch |
| Head | Susanta Ghosh |
| Faculty | 06 |
| Subsidiaries | |
| University rankings | |
|---|---|
| Global – Overall | |
| CWUR World[34] | 1134 (2020-21) |
| USNWR Global[35] | 1571 (2024-25) |
| University rankings | |
|---|---|
| General – India | |
| NIRF (Overall) (2024)[36] | 151-200 |
| NIRF (Universities) (2024)[37] | 101-150 |
TheNational Institutional Ranking Framework (NIRF) ranked Visva-Bharati in the 151-200 band overall and 101-150 among universities in India in 2024.[38][39]
According to Best Global Universities 2020 ranking produced byU.S. News & World Report, Visva- Bharati ranked 4th among Indian universities.[40]
The university terminated the services of the Professor of Economics, Sudipta Bhattacharya, for allegedly supporting the student protests against the then Vice-Chancellor Bidyut Chakraborty's undemocratic action and attempts ofsaffronisation of the university. The university, however, claimed that the removal of the professor was to prevent damaging the academic environment of the university. 261 academics came out in support of Prof. Bhattacharya, includingNoam Chomsky,Prabhat Patnaik,Utsa Patnaik,Amiya Kumar Bagchi, etc.[41][42][43]
In April 2022, Sumit Basu, a professor in the Manipuri department of Visva-Bharati was arrested on charges of racially abusing a student.[44]
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