 The university was established as Rohtak University in 1976 following the passing of Act No.25 of 1975 of the Haryana Legislative Assembly (voted on in 1976), with the objective of promoting interdisciplinary higher education and research in the fields of environmental, ecological and life sciences.It was renamed Maharshi Dayanand University in 1977 after the visionary and social reformer, Maharshi Dayanand.