The university is named after the great Satnami Saint, Guru Ghasidas Baba, who,all his life, struggled against social evils and strongly advocated social equality and development. Guru Ghasidas University (G. G. U), established by an Act of the state Legislative Assembly in 1983, in now an important centre of higher learning in the state of Chhattisgarh, India. The University is a member of the Association of Indian Universities and the Association of Commonwealth Universities UK.

The G G U is a residential and affiliating institution with a wide spectrum of academic program run through its own departments and more then hundred colleges affiliated to it . A calm and peaceful atmosphere prevailing in a lush green campus of about 875 acres has facilitated the academic programs and the administrative functioning of the university. The pleasant and sprawling campus of the University , is five kilometers away from the main town of Bilaspur, on the Bilaspur-Ratanpur road. An arm of the University, the Chhattisgarh Institute of Medical Sciences is in the center of the city. River Arpa runs parallel to the University campus. The city of Bilaspur has become an important center of learning for students from various regions. A large number of students are attracted from far off places in India to its scholastic and peaceful atmosphere.

Bilaspur is well connected to all parts of the country by road and rail. Being a railway zone, Bilaspur facilitates travel by train to and from any part of the country. 120 kilometers away, at Raipur, is the nearest airport .