NEW DELHI — In a major boost to India’s cultural and academic infrastructure, the Department of Higher Education, Ministry of Education, has approved the establishment of five new Centres of Excellence (CoEs) dedicated to the study, preservation, and research of Classical Assamese, Classical Bengali, Classical Marathi, Classical Pali, and Classical Prakrit.
The initiative aims to build dedicated institutional capacity across five states to advance research, digitize rare texts, and promote wider public access to classical literature.
Institutions & Associated Classical Languages
The five Centres of Excellence will be set up across key central and deemed universities:
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Classical Assamese: Tezpur University, Assam
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Classical Bengali: Visva-Bharati University, West Bengal
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Classical Marathi: Deccan College Post-Graduate and Research Institute, Pune, Maharashtra
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Classical Pali: Central University of Odisha, Odisha
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Classical Prakrit: Central University of Gujarat, Gujarat
Core Focus Areas & Objectives
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Advanced Academic Research: Providing structured institutional platforms for scholars and researchers to conduct in-depth studies on ancient textual traditions and philology.
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Preservation & Digitisation: Archiving, preserving, and digitally documenting rare manuscripts, historical linguistic records, and literary assets to ensure long-term conservation.
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Knowledge Dissemination: Expanding public and academic access to the literary and philosophical heritage of these classical languages.
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Regional Educational Ecosystems: Strengthening regional higher education hubs by integrating classical linguistic studies into mainstream research frameworks.
