University · Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh
Sampurnanand Sanskrit Vishwavidyalaya
Sampurnanand Sanskrit Vishwavidyalaya, a NAAC 'A'-grade state Sanskrit university, is among the world's oldest institutions of Sanskrit and shastric learning, tracing to the Government Sanskrit College founded at Varanasi in 1791. Its five faculties follow the traditional organisation of knowledge: Veda-Vedanga (Veda, Dharma Shastra, Jyotisha, Vyakarana), Sahitya-Sanskriti, Darshana (Nyaya-Vaisheshika, Vedanta, Mimamsa, Sankhya-Yoga-Tantragama, Comparative Religion), Sramana Vidya (Bauddha and Jaina Darshana, Prakrit & Jainagama, Pali & Theravada), and Adhunika Gyan Vigyan (modern subjects).
| Established | 1791 |
| Type | Government / central |
| Location | Jagatganj, Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh 221002 |
| Website | https://ssvv.ac.in |
Founded in 1791 under Jonathan Duncan's initiative, the Government Sanskrit College became the model for institutional Sanskrit education in India. Its Saraswati Bhavan library preserves one of the world's greatest Sanskrit manuscript collections, and the campus includes a Vedhashala (observatory) serving the Jyotisha tradition. Elevated to university status in 1958 as Varanaseya Sanskrit Vishwavidyalaya and renamed for Dr. Sampurnanand, it grants the traditional degree ladder — Shastri, Acharya, Vidyavaridhi — and affiliates Sanskrit pathshalas across India.
Courses & degrees
• Shastri (UG) — Veda, Vyakarana, Jyotisha, Dharmashastra, Sahitya, Darshana
• Acharya (PG) — per vidya department
• Shiksha Shastri (B.Ed.)
• Vidyavaridhi (Ph.D.)
• Manuscriptology & traditional shastric disciplines
Notable people
• Dr. Sampurnanand (namesake, scholar-statesman)
• Prof. Bihari Lal Sharma (Vice-Chancellor)
• Generations of eminent panditas across shastric disciplines
Facts last verified 2026-08-15. Spot an error? Tell us.