A commemorative postage stamp on the Bicentenary of the Deccan College Post-Graduate and Research Institute, 3^rd oldest Indian Educational Institute  :

Issued by India

Issued on Oct 6, 2021

Issued for : Department of Posts is pleased to issue the Commemorative Postage Stamp on Bicentenary of Deccan College, Pune for its outstanding contribution in research, especially in areas of Archaeology and Linguistics Development.

Credits :
Stamp/FDC/Brochure : Shri Sankha Samanta

Type : Stamp, Mint Condition

Colour : Multi Colour

Denomination : 500 Paise

Stamps Printed : 307157

Printing Process : Wet Offset

Printer : Security Printing Press, Hyderabad

About : 

• The Deccan College, Postgraduate and Research Institute, Pune is the third oldest Educational Institute in India. The Hindoo College was founded on 6^th October, 1821 by the then Bombay Presidency Government at the initiative of its Governor, Mount Stuart Elphinstone by using the Dakshina Fund, which was started by Khanderao Dabhade, a Maratha Sardar and continued by the Peshwas for propagating Sanskrit studies. This College grew from strength to strength and has emerged as one of the foremost Institutes of higher learning and research in the world. It was renamed as the Poona College on 7^th June, 1851 and later as the Deccan College in October 1864.
• The Deccan College was shifted to a new campus covering an area of 115 acres near Yerawada on 23^rd March 1868. With the help of a munificent grant of Rs. 1 lakh donated by Sir Jamsetji Jeejeebhoy, the main building of the College was built in a beautiful Gothic style. The Deccan College, since then, has produced a number of students who rose to positions of excellence in various walks of life. They include Sir Ramkrishna Gopal Bhandarkar, the celebrated Indologist, Lokmanya Bal Gangadhar Tilak, the great nationalist leader, Gurudev Ramchandra Dattratraya Ranade, the eminent philosopher, Gopal Ganesh Agarkar, the great social reformer, Vishwanath Kashinath Rajwade, the famous historian, Dr. Dwarkanath Kotnis, the famous Indian medical practitioner who also rendered his services in China.
• The College was closed down by the British Government in 1934, but it was reopened on 17^th August 1939 as Deccan College, Postgraduate and Research Institute.
• In the next half-century, the Institute carried out outstanding research in Ancient Indian History, Culture and Archaeology, Linguistics, Medieval and Maratha History, Sociology, Anthropology and Sanskrit studies. Eminent scholars such as the late Professors S. M. Katre, H. D. Sankalia, Irawati Karve, C. R. Sankaran, T. S. Shejwalkar, and their colleagues and successors such as Professors A. M. Ghatage, M. A. Mehendale, S. B. Deo, M. K. Dhavalikar, made the first-rate teaching and research contributions. On account of these contributions, the University has achieved a pre-eminent status not only in India but also outside the country. In recognition of the excellence achieved by the Institute both in teaching and research, the Ministry of Human Resource Development, Government of India, awarded it the status of a Deemed University in 1990.
• The Department of Sanskrit and Lexicography is only of its kind in the country which combines both the branches of Sanskrit and Lexicography. The Encyclopedic Sanskrit Dictionary Project based on Historical Principles forms on integral part of this Department. It has a huge scriptorium housing more than 10 million references extracted from the entire gamut of Sanskrit literature. The Department of Archaeology is unique in the world as it has faculty dealing with different aspects of cultural heritage and scientific archaeology and is considered the second best in the world in terms of archaeological infrastructure and research output, next only to the Institute of Archaeology, London.
• Recently, the University has taken up several steps to extend its academic activities to reach to the general public. The Department of Archaeology conducted certificate courses in Ancient Maharashtra and Ancient Indian thoughts. The Department of Linguistics conducted short term courses in Computational Linguistics and practical course in Phonetics for corporate language trainer and school teachers of English.
• Text : Referenced from content provided by Deccan College, Postgraduate and Research Institute, Pune.

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