25-07-2017, 12:28 PM
Savitribai Phule University of Pune, formerly Pune University and Poona University, is a university in Pune in western India, founded in 1949. It spans a campus of 411 acres (1.66 km2), the university is the Home to 43 academic departments. The university is named after Savitribai Phule, a 19th century Indian social reformer who is known for his contribution to the empowerment and emancipation of women through education. The university has affiliated colleges, departments, and research institutes, which are mainly in Pune.
History
Poona University (original name) was established on February 10, 1949 under the Law of Poona University, approved by the Bombay legislature in 1948. M. R. Jayakar became its first vice-rector. B. G. Kher, Chief Minister and Minister of Education of the Bombay government, helped ensure that the university received a large allocation of land for its campus. In the early 1950s, the university was allocated more than 411 acres (1.7 km²).
Its location has a historical significance. Some incidents of the Battle of Khirkee, during the Third Anglo-Maratha War, took place where the current university is. The current main building was built in 1864 and was known as the Governor's House. The university is home to IUCAA, an institute of astronomy.
The name of the institution changed from the University of Pune to Savitribai University Phule Pune on August 9, 2014 in honor of Savitribai Phule, a nineteenth-century social reformer who played an important role in improving the lives of women and Dalit communities in Maharashtra during the Great Britain colonial rule. She and her husband founded the first school in Pune for girls in 1848.