The Department of Geography of Kalahandi University, erstwhile Government College (Autonomous) Bhawanipatnais one of the oldest departments among the colleges of Kalahandi district.This department was established by Sri Narasingh Prusty, the founder member of the department. The undergraduate course commenced from 1960 and Post Graduate course started in the Department from 1992. In the year 2022 the PhD programme has been started.

The student intake capacity at the Under Graduate level is thirty-eight per session and at the Post Graduate level, it is thirty-two with two specializations - Remote Sensing & Geo-spatial Information System and Regional & Urban Planning. The department is well equipped with RS & GIS and Cartography Laboratories.  At present, there are six faculty members in the department.

In addition to the traditional chalk-and-talk method classes, special interactive classes by applying group discussion, question-answer, and demonstration methods are arranged to encourage the students and thereby improve their learning capacity. Departmental seminars are frequently organized for the students to acquire knowledge, skills and self-confidence. The hidden creativity of the students is manifested through the publication of Wall Magazine (COSMOS) and Newsletter (TERAINCOGNITA). The geographical location of Kalahandi district provides a great opportunity to study nature, and the geographers believe in ‘learning with nature’. To observe nature and culture, the department conducts educational trips by which students get hands-on learning opportunities.

The department aims to create a student-teacher friendly atmosphere where an endeavor has been made to pass on the modern outlook and knowledge of Geography to the students in such a way that they find themselves suitable for the job market in the future and also are able to carry on the research work if they want to.