Deccan College Post-Graduate & Research Institute, Pune
डेक्कन कॉलेज स्नातकोत्तर एवं शोध संस्थान, पुणे
- Established
- 6 October 1821
- Type
- Institute
- Location
- Pune, Maharashtra
About
A Deemed University that began as a Sanskrit Pathshala on 6 October 1821, making it one of the oldest educational institutions in India. It is known for research in Sanskrit, linguistics and archaeology — including the long-running Encyclopaedic Dictionary of Sanskrit on Historical Principles — and offers an M.A. in Sanskrit & Lexicography.
Courses & areas of study
- M.A. in Sanskrit & Lexicography
- M.A. in Ancient Indian History, Culture & Archaeology
- M.A. in Linguistics
- Ph.D. and certificate courses
- Research project: An Encyclopaedic Dictionary of Sanskrit on Historical Principles
History
A Sanskrit Pathshala (1821)
The Bombay Presidency Government started a Sanskrit Pathshala on 6 October 1821 at the initiative of Governor Mountstuart Elphinstone, using the Dakshina Fund — begun by the Maratha sardar Khanderao Dabhade and continued by the Peshwas to support Sanskrit learning. It was renamed Poona College in 1851 and Deccan College in 1864, and moved to its Gothic-style campus near Yerawada in 1868.
Closure, revival and university status
Its students included R. G. Bhandarkar and Lokmanya Bal Gangadhar Tilak. The British government closed the college in 1934, but former students and citizens revived it, and it reopened on 17 August 1939 as the Deccan College Post-Graduate & Research Institute. It was declared a Deemed University in 1990 and has functioned as one since 1994–95.