Banaras Hindu University (abbreviated as BHU), formerly Central Hindu College, is a collegiate central university located in Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh. It was established in 1916 jointly by the Maharaja of Darbhanga Rameshwar Singh, Maharaja of Banaras Prabhu Narayan Singh, Madan Mohan Malaviya, Sunder Lal and British Theosophist and Home Rule League founder Annie Besant. With over 30,000 students residing on campus, it is the largest residential university in Asia.