• Universities

Sri Venkateswara University (SVU), a public university in India, opened in 1954 with six departments: Chemistry, Physics, Mathematics, Botany, Zoology, Economics and Philosophy. It has since expanded to 54 departments organised into four colleges.Undergraduate, master’s and doctoral courses are on offer in a broad spectrum of fields, ranging from rural development to food management to Sanksrit.Student facilities include the university’s gymnasium and sports stadiums, which include a hockey field and courts for tennis, badminton, basketball and volleyball. There is also a recreation centre where students can play table tennis, chess and carrom, an Indian game similar to billiards.The university takes its name from the Lord Venkateswara, an avatar of the god Vishnu. One of Hinduism’s most important shrines to Venkateswara is located near the university. Legend has it that Vishnu, since becoming incarnated as Venkateswara, cannot leave the area before clearing an enormous debt accrued from paying the dowry of a local mortal woman.SVU has a grand campus spanning 1,000 acres in the city of Tirupati. The city is one of the largest in the state of Andhra Pradesh, a coastal state known for its natural beauty and wildlife, as well as for seafood and aromatic curries. Alumni of the university include Ramachandra Naidu Galla, founder of the Amara Raja Group of companies; Prem Reddy, a famous cardiologist; and Sagar V. Kamarthi, now professor of mechanical and industrial engineering at Northeastern University.