The Union government has approved the establishment of five Centres of Excellence for studies in five classical languages – Assamese, Bengali, Marathi, Pali and Prakrit.
The initiative will provide dedicated institutional support for advanced academic research, preservation and digitisation of linguistic and literary heritage, and help in wider dissemination of knowledge relating to these classical languages, said an official statement by the Ministry of Education on Saturday.
The Centre of Excellence for Classical Assamese will be established at Tezpur University in Assam. Similarly, Visva-Bharati University in West Bengal has been selected to establish the Centre of Excellence for Classical Bengali. The Deccan College Post-Graduate and Research Institute (deemed to be university) in Pune, Maharashtra, will host the centre for Marathi. The Central University of Odisha will house the centre for classical Pali and the Central University of Gujarat will host the centre for Prakrit.
“The establishment of these five centres marks a significant step towards strengthening the institutional ecosystem for the study, research, and preservation of India’s classical languages,” the statement says.
“The Ministry of Education’s approval of a Centre of Excellence for Classical Pali at the Central University of Odisha will strengthen the study, preservation and promotion of Pali, a language deeply connected with India’s intellectual, spiritual and cultural traditions,” Odisha Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi said on X.
Heritage conservation
The Centres of Excellence will focus on strengthening academic research and scholarship, providing dedicated institutional platforms for advanced research, scholarly work and academic engagement in the respective classical languages.
The centres will support the documentation, preservation and digitisation of linguistic and literary resources, contributing to the long-term conservation of India’s textual heritage.
The centres will facilitate wider access to and dissemination of linguistic, literary and knowledge traditions associated with the respective classical languages. They will also strengthen regional ecosystems for higher education, research and scholarship in classical languages.
“The initiative reinforces the government’s efforts to preserve and promote India’s rich linguistic and literary heritage while strengthening institutions of higher education as centres of research and scholarship,” the statement said.
A total of 11 languages have been granted the status of classical languages.
Published - October 03, 2026 01:25 pm IST