Question

Which amongst the following is the oldest university in the city of Varanasi?
A. Aligarh University
B. Osmania University
C. Banaras Hindu University
D. None of these

Answer 1

Hint : The present day city of Benaras is also known as Varanasi. Varanasi came to be settled by the early Aryans coming to the Indian subcontinent and became a part of the Kingdom of Kashi. It has been a spiritual, economic and philosophical hub of India and the tradition can be traced back to the Advaita Vedanta philosophy of Shankaracharya.

Complete Answer : The city of Varanasi was the capital of Kashi in ancient India. It became a prominent hub of art and culture during the Gupta period but even prior to that, finds detailed mentions in the religious texts as well as epic works of the Vedic traditions. The city is most famously known in the epic of Assi ghat and the story of Lord Rudra’s massacre of 80 rakshasas on the bank of river Ganga, making it the centre of Shiva worship following the spiritual tradition set up by Adi Shankaracharya.

Even so, there is scarce mention of it in the city’s contribution to the eminence of education. Though there have been many scholars hailing from Varanasi, no centre of education gets recorded in the history exceptionally from Varanasi.

Now, looking at the options;

Option A- Aligarh Muslim University is situated in Aligarh, Uttar Pradesh. So this is incorrect.

Option B- Osmaniya University is situated in Hyderabad, Telangana. Therefore, this is also incorrect.

Option C- Going chronological set up of universities in the city, it's the Varanaseya Sanskrit Vishwavidyalaya, established in 1796 on the proposition of Jonathan Duncan, that can be located as the oldest university in the city. It is worthy to note that Banaras Hindu University, established by Madan Mohan Malviya in 1916 is one of the leading universities in the country now but not the oldest one. So, this is also an incorrect option.

Thus, option (D) is the correct answer.

Note : More so than being a hub for education, Varanasi had grown to be the industrial and trading hub of the Indian subcontinent. Famous for its muslin and silk fabrics, perfumes, ivory works, and sculpture, the city is also highly known for its contribution to music and other forms of art.