Dharanidhar University, formerly Dharanidhar Autonomous College, is a state public university in

Kendujhar district Kendujhar district, also known as Keonjhar district, is an administrative district of Odisha. The district is one of the fifth Scheduled Areas of Odisha. The town of Kendujhar (or Kendujhargarh) is the district headquarters. The district has t ...

Odisha Odisha (), formerly Orissa (List of renamed places in India, the official name until 2011), is a States and union territories of India, state located in East India, Eastern India. It is the List of states and union territories of India by ar ...

, India. The college was established in 1957 as ''Keonjhar Science College,'' an intermediate science college, and was granted affiliation by

Utkal University Utkal University (UU) is a public university in Bhubaneswar, Khordha, Odisha, and is the oldest university in the state, and the 17th-oldest university in India. The university was established in 1943 and was operating from Ravenshaw College ...

. It was initially headed by R. Venkatraman, IAS. On February 12, 2023, the college was awarded the university status.

History

Funding for the main building of the college was donated by Muhammad Sirajuddin. The college was taken over by the Government of Odisha in 1962. On the opening of the college's humanities courses in 1967, it was renamed after Keonjhar College. It introduced an Hons at the B.Sc. level in 1974. During 1983–84, the institution was renamed after the revolutionary

Dharanidhar Naik Dharanidhar Naik (May 5, 1864 – 1914) was a tribal leader of Keonjhar who fought battle against Dhanurjay Bhanja during British rule in Odisha. Early life He was high school educated. He received surveyor's training at Cuttack Survey School. H ...

. In 1999 the college affiliated with

North Odisha University Maharaja Sriram Chandra Bhanja Deo University (MSCB University), formerly North Orissa University (NOU), is a public university in the regional city of Baripada in the state of Odisha, India. MSCB University was accredited by National Asses ...

, at

Baripada Baripada () is a city and a municipality in Mayurbhanj district in the state of Odisha, India. Located along the east bank of the Budhabalanga river, Baripada is the cultural centre of north Odisha. In recent years, it has emerged as an e ...

, in the adjoining district of

Mayurbhanj Mayurbhanj district is one of the 30 districts of Odisha state in eastern India and the largest in the state by area, nearly equivalent to Tripura. The district's headquarters is located in Baripada, with other major towns including Rairangp ...

Autonomous In developmental psychology and moral, political, and bioethical philosophy, autonomy is the capacity to make an informed, uncoerced decision. Autonomous organizations or institutions are independent or self-governing. Autonomy can also be defi ...

status was conferred to the college on 24 September 2004. It was accredited B++ by the

National Assessment and Accreditation Council The National Assessment and Accreditation Council (NAAC) is a public autonomous body of the government of India that assesses and accredits higher education institutions (HEIs) in India. It is funded by the University Grants Commission and hea ...

(NAAC) on 2 February 2006. The College was granted University status on 12 February 2023.

Facilities

The college is equipped with laboratories, a central library, audio-visual labs and a playground.

Colleges

Its jurisdiction extends to

. The university affiliates 40 Colleges in Keonjhar District.

References

{{Universities in Odisha Department of Higher Education, Odisha Universities and colleges in Odisha Kendujhar district 1957 establishments in Orissa Universities and colleges established in 1957