Counted amongst the most recognizable names in the world of renowned colleges and universities of Asia, Banaras Hindu University (BHU) certainly comes right up the list. Tracing its roots back to 1916, BHU is a government-run public university which was started by Pandit Madan Mohan Malviya under the ideology of imparting knowledge that instils immortality among the learned people. Offering a versatile number of professional courses, BHU is affiliated to UGC, AIU and NAAC and currently has a student population of over 20000 making it one of the largest universities of Asia.