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NEW DELHI, INDIA — The Ministry of Education has approved five Centres of Excellence for Classical Languages across five states, creating dedicated academic hubs for the study of Classical Assamese, Classical Bengali, Classical Marathi, Classical Pali and Classical Prakrit.
The decision, conveyed through an Office Memorandum dated October 1, 2026, places the centres at five higher-education institutions: Tezpur University in Assam, Visva-Bharati University in West Bengal, Deccan College Post-Graduate and Research Institute in Maharashtra, Central University of Odisha and Central University of Gujarat.
The move goes beyond creating new academic departments. The Ministry says the centres will work on advanced research, preservation and digitisation of linguistic and literary resources, wider dissemination of classical-language knowledge and the strengthening of regional academic ecosystems.
For universities, researchers and students working with India’s older literary traditions, the decision could create a more organised institutional framework for scholarship that has often depended on individual departments, scholars and specialised collections.
Where Will the 5 Classical Language Centres Be Set Up?
The five Centres of Excellence have been distributed across Assam, West Bengal, Maharashtra, Odisha and Gujarat.
| Classical Language | Centre of Excellence | State |
|---|---|---|
| Classical Assamese | Tezpur University | Assam |
| Classical Bengali | Visva-Bharati University | West Bengal |
| Classical Marathi | Deccan College Post-Graduate and Research Institute, Pune | Maharashtra |
| Classical Pali | Central University of Odisha | Odisha |
| Classical Prakrit | Central University of Gujarat | Gujarat |
The Ministry’s announcement confirms one dedicated institutional centre for each of the five languages.
The choice also creates a geographical spread rather than concentrating all five centres in one region. That matters because classical-language scholarship is closely connected to regional literary traditions, historical manuscripts and local knowledge systems.
Why Are These Classical Language Centres Being Created?
The official mandate has four broad pillars.
1. Advanced Research and Scholarship
The centres will provide dedicated institutional platforms for academic research and scholarly work in their respective classical languages.
That could support researchers studying manuscripts, historical texts, literature, linguistics and the intellectual traditions associated with these languages.
2. Digitisation of Linguistic and Literary Heritage
Digitisation is one of the most consequential parts of the announcement.
India’s historical language traditions exist across manuscripts, texts and other archival resources. Creating specialised academic centres gives universities a formal base from which such material can be documented and preserved in digital formats.
The Ministry specifically identifies preservation and digitisation among the core responsibilities of the new Centres of Excellence.
3. Wider Access to Classical-Language Knowledge
The initiative is not limited to producing academic research.
The government says the centres will also facilitate wider dissemination of the linguistic, literary and knowledge traditions connected with the five languages.
That opens a potential bridge between specialist scholarship and a wider audience of students, educators and researchers.
4. Stronger Regional Academic Ecosystems
The five centres will operate across five states, giving regional universities a larger role in classical-language research.
The Ministry says the initiative is intended to strengthen regional ecosystems for higher education, research and scholarship in classical languages.
The Five Languages Were Recognised as Classical Only in 2024
There is a wider story behind the announcement.
The five languages receiving these Centres of Excellence — Marathi, Assamese, Bangla, Pali and Prakrit — were accorded Classical Language status in October 2024.
Before that decision, India had recognised six other languages as classical: Tamil, Sanskrit, Telugu, Kannada, Malayalam and Odia.
The 2024 decision therefore expanded India’s list of recognised Classical Languages to 11.
The new centres represent a further institutional step following that recognition.
Why the 2026 Decision Matters for Higher Education
The announcement is easy to read as a cultural initiative. Its implications for universities are broader.
A Centre of Excellence can provide an institutional home for specialised research, allowing universities to build expertise around a particular language rather than treating classical-language scholarship as a small component of a wider humanities programme.
For students, the development could eventually mean more specialised academic opportunities. For researchers, it could mean greater access to institutional resources and collaborative projects.
The most significant impact, however, may emerge through digitisation and preservation.
A language’s survival in academic and public life is not determined only by how many people speak it. The preservation of its literature, historical texts and knowledge traditions also matters. The Ministry’s decision places that work within a dedicated higher-education framework.
What Each University Will Focus On
Tezpur University — Classical Assamese
Tezpur University in Assam will host the Centre of Excellence for Classical Assamese, creating a dedicated institutional base for research into the language’s literary and linguistic heritage.
Visva-Bharati University — Classical Bengali
Classical Bengali research will be based at Visva-Bharati University in West Bengal, linking the new centre with one of India’s established institutions of higher learning in the humanities and arts.
Deccan College — Classical Marathi
The Centre of Excellence for Classical Marathi will be established at the Deccan College Post-Graduate and Research Institute in Pune, Maharashtra. The institution is a deemed-to-be university.
Central University of Odisha — Classical Pali
The Classical Pali centre will be located at the Central University of Odisha.
Pali holds particular significance in the study of Buddhist literature, philosophy and intellectual history, making the centre potentially important for scholarship extending beyond language studies alone. Local officials and Odisha Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi have welcomed the decision.
Central University of Gujarat — Classical Prakrit
The Central University of Gujarat will host the Centre of Excellence for Classical Prakrit, completing the five-language network across the five states.
From Recognition to Research: What Comes Next?
The 2024 recognition gave the five languages a formal place in India’s Classical Language framework. The 2026 announcement now adds dedicated institutional structures.
The next question is implementation.
The value of the new Centres of Excellence will ultimately depend on the research programmes they develop, the scholars and students they attract, the archival material they digitise and how widely their work becomes accessible.
That makes the October 1 approval more than an administrative announcement. It is the beginning of a longer academic project.
India now has 11 recognised Classical Languages, and these five new centres are intended to build the research and preservation infrastructure around five of them.
For the universities involved, that means a new responsibility. For students and researchers, it could open a new chapter in the study of India’s linguistic past — one increasingly shaped not only by traditional scholarship, but also by digitisation and modern higher-education research.
