Pune's Deccan College Celebrates 202 Years: A Glimpse of Its Legacy

Deccan College Post-Graduate and Research Institute, the third oldest educational institution in India, celebrated its 202nd anniversary on October 6. Let's take a brief journey through its remarkable legacy:

- Deccan College was established on October 6, 1821, as Hindoo College under the initiative of Mountstuart Elphinstone, the then Lt. Governor of Bombay Presidency.

- The Dakshina Fund, initiated by Sardar Senapati Khanderao Dabhade for learned scholars in the early 18th century and further continued by the Peshwas, funded the college's establishment.

- It was renamed Poona College on June 7, 1851, and later became Deccan College in October 1864.

- Originally located in Vishrambaug Wada, Kasba Peth, the college moved to its current 115-acre campus on March 23, 1868, thanks to a ₹1 lakh donation from Sir Jamsetji Jejeebhoy, which financed the construction of the main Gothic-style building.

- The college faced temporary closure by the British in 1934 due to financial reasons but was successfully reopened on August 17, 1939, as Deccan College Post-Graduate and Research Institute with support from alumni and Pune citizens.

- Notable alumni include Sir Ramkrishna Gopal Bhandarkar, Vishnushastri Chiplunkar, Lokmanya Bal Gangadhar Tilak, Gopal Ganesh Agarkar, Vishwanath Kashinath Rajawade, Senapati Bapat, N.C. Kelkar, Vishnu Narayan Bhatkhande, Dr. Dwarkanath Kotnis, and many others.

- Lokmanya Tilak's hostel room at the college is preserved as a small memorial.