Tilak Maharashtra Vidyapeeth

The origins of Tilak Maharashtra Vidyapeeth (TMV) can be traced back to 1921 during the pre-independence era when Mahatma Gandhi, in the aftermath of Lokmanya Bal Gangadhar Tilak's passing, proposed the establishment of a university in his memory. Reflecting the four-fold formula conceived by Tilak, which included National Education, Swaraj, Swadeshi, and Boycott of Foreign Goods, the delegates of the first Maharashtra Provincial Conference, led by Shrimat Shankaracharya of Karveer Peeth on May 6, 1921, resolved to establish a National University in Maharashtra. Thus, Tilak Maharashtra Vidyapeeth (TMV) came into existence.

Since its inception, TMV has been a publicly funded university with illustrious personalities such as Shri Shankaracharya Vidyashankar Bharati alias Dr. Kurtakoti serving as its first Chancellor. Subsequent Chancellors included renowned figures like Bharatacharya Shri. C. V. Vaidya, Shri. B. G. Kher, Dr. M. S. alias Lokanayak Bapusaheb Aney, Mahamahopadhyay Datto Vaman Potdar, and Union Home Ministers Shri. Y. B. Chavan, Shri. S. B. Chavan, Shri. Shivraj Patil, and Shri. Sushilkumar Shinde. During the pre-independence period, TMV's degrees and research in faculties such as Arts, Management, Commerce, Sanskrit, and Ayurveda gained global acclaim. Post-independence, TMV's degrees were considered equivalent to those of other statutory universities.

Recognition at the national level came in 1987 when the University Grants Commission acknowledged TMV's significant contributions in Sanskrit, Ayurveda, Social Sciences, and Distance Education, conferring it the status of a "Deemed to be University." This status allowed TMV to gain national prominence. The concept of Non-formal Education was introduced nationally in 1985, and TMV contributed by launching a distance education course (B.A.) before the establishment of IGNOU at the national level and YCMOU at the state level.

Despite its rich human resources, financial constraints hindered TMV's progress as a publicly funded university. However, the conferment of "Deemed to be University" status in 1987 marked a turning point, providing TMV with its first financial assistance for campus development during the last phase of the VIII Plan.