First and foremost, a few words about the beautiful Kashmir province
Kashmir University is situated in the Kashmir region of India. Located on the most northern Indian-Australian tectonic plate, the Kashmir region is mostly mountainous. It has barren plateaus and deep valleys, which add more charm to this beautiful place. The Vale of Kashmir is the basin for the Jhelum River and it includes Srinagar city. These but are but a few of the details that turn this place into a wonderful environment both for study and for enjoying the beauty of nature.
The Kashmir University is situated in Hazratbal, on the western side of the beautiful Dal Lake of Sringar. Hazratbal is famous for its Muslim shrine which contains a relic of the Islamic prophet Muhammad. The name of this shrine comes from the Arabic “Hazrat” which means majestic or holy, and the Kashmiri word “bal”, which means “place”. Therefore, this university is situated in a place filled with spirituality. No wonder the University of Kashmir motto is “From darkness to light”. Knowledge enlightens the human mind and spirit, helping us acquire a state of noble consciousness. Learning and self-improvement has always been a key feature of the Kashmir spirituality and culture.
A brief history of the Kashmir University
This university appeared very soon after the region got its independence, in 1948. Also, later on, in 1956, three postgraduate programs were established: English at Srinagar, plus Economics and Geology at Jammu.
Later on, in the year 1965, Kashmir University got reorganized and was therefore split into two divisions of equal importance. One was intended for the Jammu province, and the other for the province of Kashmir.
They had a central organization system and their own specific legislation and other issues related to finance, budget, coordination, planning and techniques for improving teaching standards, as well as the method of dividing the courses of studies. However, each division had its own executive body. The principal executive and the academic head of the entire University was the Vice-Chancellor. The Pro-Vice-Chancellor was the academic officer and chief executive of that respective division.
Kashmir University has certainly come a long way since 1956. It has developed into a multi-faculty university, in which teachers with high knowledge and experience taught various subjects to students of letters, medicine, law, commerce, dental surgery, and so on and so forth.
Facilities for students
The residential facilities for university students and teaching as well as non-teaching personnel are based on the “first-come-first-served” principle. In short, they are as follows:
- Gani Kashmiri a hostel meant for research scholars who pursue M.Phil. and Ph.D. programs;
- The Habba Khatoon Hostel, especially created for female students;
- Mehboob-ul-Aalam, a hostel which is intended especially for postgraduate male students;
- Shiekh-ul-Aalam, meant for male scholars;
- and the Maulana Kashmiri Hostel, which was also created for male students of the Kashmir University.
The Iqbal Library has quite an impressive collection of books, international magazines and newspapers, and has internet facility, being a great place to relax, spend some quiet time or study for your exams.
The University covers a wide range of specializations, among which we could mention:
- Arts
- Social Science
- Faculty of Business, Financial Studies & Management
- Faculty of Education
- Faculty of Engineering
- Faculty of Law
- Faculty of Music & Fine Arts
- Faculty of Oriental Learning
- Faculty of Physical and Material Sciences
- Faculty of Applied Sciences & Technology
- etc.
In brief, Kashmir University covers mostly any type of academic field, where students can find out a lot about the subjects they are highly interested in.