Indian History and World History (Part-38)

The Banaras Hindu University (BHU) was founded by Pandit Madan Mohan Malaviya in 1916. It is a public central university located in Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh, India.

BHU is one of the largest residential universities in Asia, with over 30,000 students and about 2000 teachers and nearly 5000 non-teaching staff.

Abul Kalam Azad was the first education minister of independent India.

M.N. Roy (Manvendranath Roy) is considered the Father of Indian Communism. His original name was 'Narendranath Bhattacharya'.

Kalamkari painting is related to hand painting on thread cloth in southern India.

The literal meaning of Kalamkari is paintings made with a pen.

This painting is prevalent in Andhra Pradesh. Botanical colors are used in Kalamkari's work.

Francis Xavier was born in Spain in 1506.

• With the help of King John III of Portugal and the Pope, he was sent to India in 1541 as a Jesuit missionary.
• He reached India in 1542.
• After engaging in missionary work in Goa, he also went to Madras and Travancore. He died in China in 1552.
• The relics of St. Francis Xavier have been enshrined in the 'Basilica of Bom Jesus Goa (India).

Madan Mohan Malaviya strongly advocated imparting of religious education in Indian universities. He founded Banaras Hindu University in the year 1916 and was its Vice-Chancellor from November 1919 to September 1939.

The Dalai Lama took refuge in India in 1959. He has been living in India since China's invasion of Tibet in 1959. The government-in-exile of Tibet operates from Dharamsala in Himachal Pradesh.