Bihar could have a first-of-its-kind Ramayan University by this year if the education department approves an amendment to a legislation clearing the path for the project.

Patna's Mahavir Mandir Nyas Samiti, headed by former IPS officer Kishore Kunal, is building the university. The building is coming up near Hajipur in Vaishali district, around 20km from Patna. For the university to start, the administration would need the Private Universities Act to be amended. In its current form, the legislation does not allow a religious institution to open a private university.

Kunal said on Saturday that the Samiti has sent a request to the education department to make the required amendment. Kunal said the principal secretary of the department has given him an assurance that the amendment would be carried through.

The Telegraph tried to contact principal secretary, education, R.K. Mahajan about the proposed amendment but he did not answer calls to his mobile phone. Kunal, however, said he would speak to the officer on Monday about the status of the amendment to the Private Universities Act that has to be presented before cabinet for approval.

"Apart from teaching, the university will be an advanced centre of research on Ramayana and allied subjects," Kunal said. "The main objective of setting up this university is to promote and preserve the literature of Ramayana, whether it is in Sanskrit or any other language such as Hindi or any other vernacular language spoken or written in different southeast Asian nations."

Astronomy, astrology, karma-kanda (rituals), ayurveda and religious discourses will be taught at the university in five-year courses.

The university is coming up on a 20-acre land at an estimated cost of Rs 25 crore. Kunal said 36 rooms have already been constructed at the proposed university site.

Elaborating on the syllabus at the proposed university, Kunal said: "The thrust will be on Valmiki's Ramayana though other Sanskrit works like Kalidasa's Raghuvansham will be incorporated in the syllabus too. Tulsidas's Ramcharitmanas and other epics in vernacular languages will also find a place in the syllabus.

"In addition, some scriptures like the Bhagavad Gita and the Upanishads will be taught on the campus as well. There will be a separate subject on learning Sanskrit grammar through Panini's Ashtadhyayi and Patanjali's Mahabhasya while works of mathematicians and astronomers such as Aryabhatta, Varahamihira, Brahmagupta and Bhaskaracharya will be taught in astronomy and astrology courses," he added.

Study of rituals has been added in the syllabus, Kunal said, because there is a paucity of good priests, well-versed in rituals these days.