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Sree Sankaracharya University of Sanskrit

Sanskrit university building kalady
Sanskrit university building kalady Image: Wikimedia Commons. Challiyan at Malayalam Wikipedia / CC BY 3.0

Overview

Sree Sankaracharya University of Sanskrit (SSUS) is a state public university located at Kalady in the Ernakulam district of Kerala, India. The university is dedicated to higher education and research in Sanskrit, Indian philosophy, languages, fine arts, and the social sciences and humanities. It is named after the eighth-century philosopher Adi Shankara, who is traditionally believed to have been born at Kalady.

Key facts

Name Sree Sankaracharya University of Sanskrit
Type State public university
Main campus Kalady, Ernakulam district, Kerala, India
Named after Adi Shankaracharya
Focus areas Sanskrit, Indian philosophy, languages, fine arts, humanities, social sciences
Country India

Background

The university traces its origins to a Sanskrit institution that was upgraded by the Government of Kerala into a full-fledged university to expand teaching and research in Sanskrit and allied disciplines. While its principal mandate is the promotion of Sanskrit studies, SSUS functions as a multi-disciplinary university offering programmes across the humanities, performing arts, and select social sciences.

The choice of Kalady as the headquarters reflects the site's association with Adi Shankara, the Advaita Vedanta philosopher whose works form a central part of the university's academic and research interests.

Academics and structure

SSUS offers undergraduate, postgraduate, M.Phil. and Ph.D. programmes through several departments. Disciplines typically taught include Sanskrit Sahitya, Vyakarana, Nyaya, Vedanta, Mimamsa, Indian philosophy, Malayalam, Hindi, English, linguistics, history, philosophy, music, dance, theatre, and social sciences such as psychology and sociology.

In addition to its main campus at Kalady, the university operates regional centres in different parts of Kerala to broaden access to Sanskrit and humanities education across the state.

Significance

SSUS is one of the few universities in India devoted primarily to Sanskrit and traditional Indian knowledge systems while simultaneously offering modern humanities programmes. It serves as a centre for the preservation, study, and dissemination of classical Indian texts and traditions, and contributes to research on Advaita Vedanta and related philosophical schools.

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