The Sampurnanand Sanskrit Vishwavidyalaya (university) was founded on 22 March 1958 by the then Chief Minister Dr. Sampurnanand and Education Minister Pt. Kamalapati Tripathi, with the name of `Varanaseya Sanskrit Vishwavidyalaya'. Dr. A.N. Jha was its first vice-chancellor. It was renamed as Sampurnanand Sanskrit University under the U.P. State University Act, 1973.

The University has since been proceeding along the set path of the programme while trying to achieve its goal. The Sampurnanand Sanskrit University has a great history of about 205 years (including the goverment. Sanskrit College). In other words, the history of the Sampurnanand Sanskrit University includes history of the Sanskrit Education itself. The guidelines set by the glorious past of the goverment. Sanskrit College Benares has been the focus of the university.

The history of the goverment. Sanskrit College goes back to the last quarter of the eighteenth century. Under a proposal of Sri Jonathan Duncan, the goverment. Sanskrit College was established in 1791. Pt. Kashinath was its first teacher and Acharya. At that point of time, there was an arrangement for the teaching of subjects such as Vedas, Vedanta Purana, Ayurveda, Sahitya, Astrology, Theology, Mimamsa, Nyaya, etc. The college was conducted with the surplus revenue of the Benares State. At present the Sampurnanand University has a number of faculties and departments, dedicated to the study of various humanities and science disciplines