Department of Buddhist Studies, Faculty of Arts, University of Delhi

The Department of Buddhist Studies was established in the year 1957 with the purpose of promoting advanced study and research in Buddhism as follow up to the action initiated by the Government of India on the occasion of the celebration of 2500 years of Buddhism on 24 May 1956. This department, the first of its kind in India, was established with the primary objective of conducting research at the advanced level in various subjects related to Buddhist Studies. As part of this initiative, a Chair of Buddhist Studies was created. Professor P.V. Bapat, a scholar of international repute, was the first scholar to occupy this chair. Professor Bapat initially began his work of organizing the Department of Buddhist Studies under
the overall supervision of the Department of Philosophy which was headed by Professor N.V. Banerjee
at that time.

For the first few years, the Department had a staff strength of one professor, two research fellows, one stenographer, and an office attendant. Under Professor Bapat, University Grants Commission was approached for initiating action to provide an independent identity to the Department with its own library and more academic as well as non-academic staff. As a result of these efforts, the University Grants Commission sanctoned the posts of one reader, three lecturers, two part-time lecturers and, one research
assistant. However, the Department continued to function as part of the Department of Philosophy till 1962 when it began to function independently as a full-fledge department of the University of Delhi.