The campus of UoL with a 100-year-old house was the property of Professor Vishnupant A Desai.
Professor Vishnupant A. Desai was a mathematician and a prominent Sanskrit scholar who studied at Fergusson College in Pune. Professor Desai was born in 1894 in Dhamapur, a small village in the Sindhudurg district, and was known for his dedication and passion towards education. The Maharaja of Kolhapur was so fascinated by his knowledge. He honoured Professor Desai by giving him a special position in his Darbar (Royal Court), which is still displayed at the Kolhapur Palace.
Ex-vice president B.D. Jatti, Mumbai University's mathematician Mr. Huzur Bazar, and stalwarts, educationists such as Yashwantrao Chavan, J.P. Naik, and Dr. M. R. Desai were all pupils of the late Professor.
He renovated Dhamapur's house campus, which had been a mud house before being renovated to a laterite stone house in 1932.
However, the house was locked for over 35 years after Professor Desai moved to Kolhapur. Professor Desai was always concerned about his Dhamapur property.
Nevertheless, the destine of the house was to create today's "University of Life." In the year 2007, the house was formally inaugurated by Syamantak's first students, and eventually the abstract ideas and concept of "Syamantak University of Life" began to take shape.
Professor Vishnupant A Desai's property has been handed to Syamantak "University of Life" by his family for the cause.