PATNA UNIVERSITY

PATNA UNIVERSITY

Patna University is the seventh oldest university in India and the first in Bihar. It was founded on October 1, 1917, by an Act of the Legislature. Its jurisdiction initially covered Bihar, Orissa, and Nepal. The Patna University Act, 1951, was passed on July 6, 1951, to establish a teaching and residential university at Patna. The insignia of the university has a shield divided into four parts with each part housing a motif. The motifs are a tree, an open book with ‘प्रज्ञा’ meaning ‘Wisdom’ written on it, a dam of water and a tree and flowing waters. The tree denotes strength, individuality and expression, calmness, growth and the interconnectedness of everything; the open book denotes knowledge, wisdom and education; the dam of water may represent the Mahatma Gandhi Setu and the flowing waters represent the River Ganga. The shield symbolises protection, courage, heritage, authority and bravery. Below the shield, on a banner its motto in Sanskrit ‘सत्यं त्वेव विजिज्ञात्यितव्यम्’ (Section 16, Chapter 7, Chāndogyopaniṣad) meaning ‘The Desire To Seek The Truth Should Be Your Defined Quest’.