Bhubaneswar: The Central University of Odisha (CUO) is set to establish a Centre of Excellence (CoE) for Studies in Classical Pali following approval from the Ministry of Education, Government of India.
The Ministry’s Department of Higher Education, Language Division, in an Office Memorandum dated October 1, 2026, approved the establishment of five Centres of Excellence for studies in Classical Assamese, Classical Bengali, Classical Marathi, Classical Pali and Classical Prakrit. The Centre for Classical Pali has been allocated to the Central University of Odisha.
The other centres will come up at Tezpur University in Assam for Classical Assamese, Visva-Bharati University in West Bengal for Classical Bengali, Deccan College Post-Graduate and Research Institute in Pune for Classical Marathi, and Central University of Gujarat for Classical Prakrit.
The Centres of Excellence will focus on strengthening academic research, digitisation, preservation and dissemination of the heritage associated with the respective classical languages. Welcoming the approval, Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi described it as a “proud moment for Odisha” and a significant step towards preserving India’s rich linguistic heritage.
“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,” Majhi said in a post on social media.
He said the centre would further strengthen Odisha’s contribution to preserving India’s civilisational knowledge and linguistic heritage. “My congratulations to the Central University of Odisha and everyone associated with this important initiative,” the CM said.