Who founded the Central Hindu School at Benaras which was later developed into Benaras Hindu University ?

The Central Hindu School (originally Central Hindu College) was founded in July 1898 by Annie Besant in Varanasi [1]. Besant, a prominent Theosophist and freedom fighter, established the institution with the goal of providing modern education integrated with traditional Hindu values [1]. The school was later gifted to Pandit Madan Mohan Malaviya to serve as the nucleus for his larger project, the Banaras Hindu University (BHU), which was formally established in 1916. While Malaviya is celebrated as the founder of BHU, the specific foundational credit for the Central Hindu School belongs to Annie Besant [1]. The institution remains an integral part of BHU today, overseen by the university administration. Other figures like Ishwar Chandra Vidyasagar were primarily involved in social reforms and women's education in Bengal rather than the establishment of BHU [1].

Sources

1. [1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Central_Hindu_School