About
The Centre for Shaiva Studies is a research institute for the advanced study of Śaiva traditions. It is a joint initiative of INDICA and Tattva Heritage Foundation to promote academic research in India. Located in the Heritage Town of Pondicherry, the Centre was inaugurated on the auspicious day of 6th May 2022 with a traditional Śaiva ritual.
The Centre has been established to facilitate multi-disciplinary research on the vast textual corpus of Śaivism and the documenting of contemporary forms of Śaivism, such as the thriving temple traditions, the yoga traditions, Śaiva dance and art forms, and various forms of Śaiva devotional practices.
It is hoped that this will lead to the publication of critical editions and translations of important Śaiva texts (many of which are still in manuscript form), research papers on various aspects of Śaivism, monographs, and policy proposals for managing Śaiva institutions.
Śaivism, as one of the major strands of Hinduism, continues to rise in popularity with the global spread of the Śaiva-derived Haṭha yoga and Tantra traditions. As part of our outreach to the growing Śaiva community, we aim to disseminate the wisdom of Śaiva texts through introductory courses, temple visits for understanding Śaiva rituals, workshops, online courses and training of temple officials. Eventually we would like to establish a Śaiva temple with trained Śivācāryas conducting the pūjā as prescribed in the paddhati.
The Centre takes inspiration from the works of great Śaiva scholar-practitioners such as NR Bhatt and Gopinath Kaviraj, and the aim is to continue their legacy of rigorous scholarship while maintaining a deep respect for the wisdom that the tradition embodies.
Academic Director
Academic Director
T. Ganesan joined as the Director of the Institute in May 2022. He will lead the research effort of the Centre, including academic publications and training of scholars on Śaiva textual traditions. Prior to this, he was the Director of Research at the French Institute of Pondicherry. He is working on the project “A Comprehensive History of Śaivasiddhānta in Tamil Nadu”, surveying the contents of the entire gamut of Śaivasiddhānta literature (published and unpublished) that spans more than a millennium. He has presented more than 30 seminar papers and research articles concerning Śaivism and Śaivasiddhānta. His complete list of publications is accessible here. He is reachable at ganesan@shaivastudies.in
Founding Directors
Founding Directors
Hari Kiran Vadlamani is a Chartered Accountant by qualification and a serial entrepreneur, having been involved in multiple ventures in the technology and energy sectors. He is deeply passionate about art, philosophy and Indian cultural heritage. In 2015, he transformed himself into a social entrepreneur dedicating his resources to the preservation, protection and promotion of Indian cultural heritage. The result of which is the founding of INDICA and NICE, both not for profits in the area of cultural education and cultural entrepreneurship respectively. Over the last decade, he has produced, mentored and acted as a facilitator to several creative and intellectual initiatives by like-minded artists, scholars and public intellectuals.
Manish Maheshwari is the founder of Tattva Heritage Foundation, a non-profit organisation supporting scholars, artists and institutions working on critical projects relating to Indian cultural traditions. He is deeply interested in contemporary and pre-modern Hindu traditions and is actively pursuing a few academic projects in that area. In a prior life, Manish was an investment management professional at a hedge fund in New York City and later in Mumbai. He holds postgraduate degrees from Columbia University and Mumbai University.