By ARUN PRATAP SINGH
Garhwal Post Bureau
Dehradun, 16 Sep: Approval has been granted for the establishment of a Vedic College in Rudraprayag under the Centre’s Char Dham Char Ved Mahavidyalaya scheme. For this purpose, the Badrinath-Kedarnath Temple Committee (BKTC) has selected 22 Nali of land at Sansari in Rudraprayag district. The Sanskrit Education Department will now take forward the process of setting up the institution.
It may be recalled that the Centre has envisaged the establishment of four Vedic Colleges at the country’s Char dhams (Badrinath, Jagannath Puri, Rameshwaram and Dwarka) to connect the younger generation with India’s ancient knowledge traditions, the Vedas and the Puranas. One of these colleges is proposed in the Badrinath region of Uttarakhand. Acting on the proposal of the Sanskrit Education Department, BKTC had been searching for suitable land across the state. After assessing options in Mandal and Simli in Chamoli district, the committee finally selected its own land in Sansari, Rudraprayag, as the most appropriate site.
A high-level board meeting of BKTC has approved the proposal unanimously. Chairman Hemant Dwivedi, in an official statement, described the establishment of the Vedic College in Uttarakhand as a commendable and historic step by both the Centre and the state government. He said the institution would provide the youth of the state and the country with a rare opportunity to study the Vedas, Upanishads and Puranas along with the values of Sanatan civilisation and culture.
Following the approval of the land proposal, the Sanskrit Education Department has begun preparing the framework to implement the project. The department and the temple committee are jointly working on building construction, modern facilities, curriculum design and the commencement of academic sessions. Scholars and educationists believe that such institutions will serve as milestones in preserving and promoting Indian philosophy, Vedic sciences and Sanatan culture amidst the fast-paced modern era.
Significantly, the college will function in the traditional gurukul style, with the students residing in hostels and engaging in intensive study of scriptures. A notable condition of admission would be the prohibition of mobile phone use within the campus. The institution aims to revive the ancient guru-shishya tradition in a grand manner.
The officials claim that Uttarakhand is poised to emerge as a global centre for religious, spiritual and cultural education as a result of this project. The initiative will open new avenues of Vedic learning not only for students from the state but also for seekers from across India and abroad, thereby playing a crucial role in safeguarding the country’s cultural heritage.
The Centre’s model Vedic College plan, conceptualised under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, seeks to institutionalise Vedic education. Ujjain’s Maharshi Sandipani Rashtriya Ved Vidya Pratishthan is the principal body associated with this system. On the lines of Ujjain’s national model, Puri has been chosen for the east, Badrinath for the north, Shringeri for the south, Dwarka for the west and Guwahati for the northeast. However, in case of Badrinath, the institution will be set up in Rudraprayag, which is located at the confluence of the Alaknanda and Mandakini rivers.
