Banasthali Vidyapith is a fully residential women's university which offers an integrated system extending from the primary to the Ph.D. Ratan Shastri and Pandit Hiralal Shastri founded Banasthali to fill up the vacuum caused by the sudden death of their highly talented and promising daughter Shantabai. They had high expectations that she would work for women's cause when she would grow up. Thus,
Banasthali owes its existence neither to the zeal of an educationist, nor to that of a social reformer. It is also not the creation of a Philanthropist's purse. It has arisen like the fabled phoenix from the ashes of a blossoming flower Shantabai. Banasthali is one of the five universities in India meant exclusively for Women. Over these seventy five years Banasthali has developed into a National Centre for women's education. Banasthali's educational programme aims at an all-round development of the student's personality. To achieve its objective of 'synthesis of spiritual values and scientific achievements of the East and the West', it has evolved Five-fold Educational Programme (Panchmukhi Shiksha) comprising of the following aspects : (i) Physical, (ii) Practical, (iii) Aesthetic, (iv) Moral and (v) Intellectual. This way the students develop an integrated and balanced personality. The rural ambience of Banasthali Vidyapith is very conducive for promoting the ideology of simple living, and for imbibing and internalizing the values of self-reliance and tolerance. Following the philosophy of the balanced Panchmukhi system of education, the institute provides ample opportunities for integrated development of the personality. The stress on the positive aspects of the Indian heritage has resulted in a climate which has contributed significantly to the task of the upliftment of women to enable them to take on leadership roles with confidence.
