In a major institutional push to advance higher education research and linguistic preservation, the Department of Higher Education under the Union Ministry of Education approved the establishment of five dedicated Centres of Excellence for Classical Languages. Located across central and state universities in Assam, West Bengal, Maharashtra, Odisha, and Gujarat, the specialized academic hubs will focus on advanced research, manuscript preservation, and large-scale digitisation for Assamese, Bengali, Marathi, Pali, and Prakrit. University vice-chancellors and academic department leads highlighted that the initiative creates structured doctoral research fellowships, interdisciplinary translation projects, and digital repository infrastructure accessible to global scholars. The geographic distribution ensures that higher education institutions across diverse regions serve as specialized research anchors, integrating ancient literature with modern computational linguistics and AI-driven translation technologies. Senior education officials and university administrators welcomed the policy approval, observing that establishing dedicated research centers elevates humanities research standards, strengthens regional academic ecosystems, and expands cross-institutional collaboration under the research-oriented framework of the National Education Policy.

Institutional Framework Expanded Across Premier Indian Universities

Fulfilling a major mandate under the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020 to promote Indian languages, the Department of Higher Education under the Union Ministry of Education officially sanctioned five new Centres of Excellence (CoEs) for classical language studies. Issued through an official memorandum from the Ministry's Language Division, the directive places dedicated research infrastructure directly inside premier Central and Deemed Universities across five distinct states.

The approval comes as a direct follow-up to the landmark October 2024 Union Cabinet decision that expanded India's recognized Classical Languages from 6 to 11. By embedding these hubs within established university ecosystems, the Ministry aims to leverage existing academic faculty, doctoral research programs, and university library archives to rapidly scale scholarly output.

Overview: Host Universities, Allocation, and Regional Distribution

Classical LanguageHost Higher Educational Institution (HEI)Location & StateCore Focus & Cultural Scope
Classical AssameseTezpur UniversityTezpur, AssamDigitisation of ancient Borphukans & Buranjis chronicles
Classical BengaliVisva-Bharati UniversitySantiniketan, West BengalPreserving medieval Charyapada texts & literary heritage
Classical MarathiDeccan College PG & Research InstitutePune, MaharashtraEpigraphy, rock-cut inscriptions & Bhakti literature
Classical PaliCentral University of OdishaKoraput / Sunabeda, OdishaTranslation of Tipitaka Buddhist canon & Ashokan edicts
Classical PrakritCentral University of GujaratVadodara, GujaratJain Agamas, ancient dramatic Prakrit & manuscript conservation

Shift to University-Embedded Research and Digitisation Mandate

Unlike earlier Classical Language Centres—such as those established for Kannada, Telugu, Malayalam, and Odia under the Central Institute of Indian Languages (CIIL) in Mysuru—the 2026 framework shifts to a university-integrated model. Placing the centres directly within autonomous universities enables postgraduate and doctoral scholars to undertake structured research, critical editions, and translation projects.

Classical Language Research & Digitisation Architecture: ------------------------------------------------------- Manuscript & Inscription Archiving ──> High-Resolution Digitisation ──> Critical Textual Editing ──> Modern Translations & Public Access

The core operational mandate of the five CoEs includes:

  • Digital Repositories: Scanning, OCR-encoding, and creating open-access digital libraries for rare palm-leaf manuscripts and historical documents.

  • Philological & Epigraphical Studies: Decoding ancient rock-cut inscriptions, copper plates, and textual variations across historical epochs.

  • Multilingual Translation: Translating canonical literary works, philosophical treatises, and historical chronicles into modern Indian and international languages.

Reactions and Regional Academic Impact

The initiative drew widespread commendation from academic leaders and state heads. Odisha Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi welcomed the establishment of the Centre for Classical Pali at the Central University of Odisha, emphasizing that the hub will deepen research into the region's ancient Buddhist traditions and intellectual heritage. Similarly, faculty at Visva-Bharati and Tezpur University noted that dedicated central backing provides the long-term institutional stability required to train new generations of linguists, epigraphists, and manuscriptologists.