PU to shift out of historic bldg after nearly a century

Time of India

16-07-2025

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Patna: Patna University (PU), established in 1917, is set to bid farewell to its iconic administrative building on Ashok Rajpath and relocate to a new G+8 storey complex under construction at Krishna Ghat.
Simultaneously, around 18 postgraduate departments under the faculties of humanities and social sciences will shift from the 70-year-old Darbhanga House to a new G+9 academic block adjacent to the administrative complex.
Both the administrative and academic buildings, being constructed by the Bihar State Educational Infrastructural Development Corporation (BSEIDC) at a cost of Rs 139 crore, are nearing completion and are expected to be handed over to PU shortly.
"The PU office and all PG departments located at Darbhanga House will be shifted to their new buildings by Dec this year," PU engineer Sachin Dayal said.
PU's office has had a nomadic history since its inception. For the first five years, it operated from a wing of the then newly built Patna High Court. From 1922, it functioned out of offices near Golghar vacated by the Board of Revenue. In 1928, during the vice-chancellorship of Sir Sultan Ahmad, the university finally moved into its own building on Ashok Rajpath.
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Now, 98 years later, it prepares for another major relocation.
Darbhanga House, a former palace built in 1901 on a 15-acre plot, became the home of PU's humanities and social sciences postgraduate departments in 1955. It was handed over to the university by the erstwhile Maharaja of Darbhanga for Rs 7 lakh. The building, with its carpeted wooden staircases, ornamental carved friezes, covered verandas and terraces, has seen only minor alterations since.
It was renovated by BSEIDC around a decade ago.
However, the structure has long struggled to accommodate the growing number of students enrolled in various courses. "With the considerable increase in the number of students in different courses, the classroom accommodation at Darbhanga House was proving too short for the conduct of smooth academic pursuits. Hence, another academic block was constructed for PU," said development officer Khagendra Kumar.
The new G+9 academic block will feature a cafeteria on the ground floor and two departments per upper floor on average. It will also include a library and a dedicated reading room. Once vacated, Darbhanga House is likely to be taken over by Vanijya Mahavidyalaya.
The administrative building will accommodate the general, establishment, registration and other essential university departments. It will also house the offices of the vice-chancellor, pro-vice-chancellor, the syndicate, the academic council and a conference hall, the development officer added.