South Asian & Tibetan Studies, Leiden University

Leiden University to return Chola Plates to India

Leiden University to return Chola Plates to India The Chola Plates, currently in the possession of Leiden University, will be returned to India. This has been decided by the Executive Board. The restitution of this heritage follows the advice of the (national) Colonial Collections Committee.

VVIK Lecture by Dr. Marike van Aerde
Title: Buddha on the Rocks: First Results of the Karakorum Rescue Project
Speaker: Dr. Marike van Aerde
Date : 11 May 2026
Venue: Room 1.80, Herta Mohr
Time: 16:15-17:00
More info:
https://www.universiteitleiden.nl/en/events/2026/05/buddha-on-the-rocks-first-results-of-the-karakorum-rescue-project

VVIK Lecture Prof. Dr. Whitney Cox (Chicago)
Title: When the Rains Came: A Medieval Moment in South Asia
Date: Thursday 2 April 2026
Time: 15:30 - 17:00
Venue: Room 0.16, Herta Mohr building, Universiteit Leiden / Leiden University
The lecture will be followed by drinks in the LIAS common room.
More info:
https://www.universiteitleiden.nl/en/events/2026/04/when-the-rains-came-a-medieval-moment-in-south-asia
All are welcome!

Academic Debate
Will India be a superpower by 2047?
Date: 17th February 2026
Time: 18:00
Venue: auditorium 1B:10, New Spui Campus, Leiden University, Den Haag
Register
https://leidenuniv.eu.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_8wtZgnXTsC66HsO?Q_CHL=qr

VVIK lecturer by Dr. Sushmita Das (Gonda Fellow)
Worship without Image: Gaurī in her aniconic Pañcapiṇḍī form
Date: 19 February 2026
Time: 16 hrs
Venue: 1.80 Herta Mohr, Leiden
The lecture will be followed by drinks in the LIAS common room of the Herta Mohr Building (first floor)
More information
https://www.universiteitleiden.nl/en/events/2026/02/worship-without-image-gauri-in-her-aniconic-pancapindi-form

Writers’ Residency 2026, Bentota, Sri Lanka
In July 2026, Tambapanni Academic Publishers, Colombo in collaboration with the Max Weber Forum, New Delhi is hosting a writers’ residency, ‘History and Fiction, History as Fiction’, on Sri Lanka’s western Indian Ocean coast.
Deadline: 31 Jan 2026
https://www.tambapannipublishers.lk/writers-residency-bentota-sri-lanka/

We mourn the passing of former professor of Hindi language Dr. Mohan Gautam (1937 – 2025), who left us in August 2025 at his home in Leiden 🙏📿🌺. A distinguished scholar and beloved educator at Leiden University’s Centre for South Asian & Tibetan Studies, Dr. Gautam made profound contributions to the study of Hindi language, Indian migration, indentureship, and the global Indian diaspora. His extensive research, publications, and mentorship deeply influenced students and scholars worldwide, particularly in the understanding of Indo-Caribbean experiences. His legacy of academic dedication, thoughtful analysis, and compassionate engagement will continue to inspire all who knew his work. South Asian & Tibetan Studies, Leiden University deeply mourns his loss.

VVIK Lecture: The Cosmos Malabaricus programme: researching early modern Kerala through Dutch sources
Date: 17th Dec 2025
Time: 16-17 Hrs.
Venue: Herta Mohr 180
(The lecture will be followed by drinks in the LIAS common room of the Herta Mohr Building)
https://www.universiteitleiden.nl/en/events/2025/12/the-cosmos-malabaricus-programme-researching-early-modern-kerala-through-dutch-sources

How does caste shape language use in India? Leiden University Linguist Abhishek Avtans examines how entrenched caste-based dialects across Hindi, Kannada, Tamil, Tulu, and Malayalam reflect social hierarchies . And how inter-caste friendships can contribute to reducing linguistic and social discrimination.

How caste pervades Southasian languages How caste pervades Southasian languages

32nd Gonda Lecture by Ute Hüsken, Professor of Indology and Head of the Department of Cultural and Religious History of South Asia, Heidelberg University, Germany
Sacred Spaces, Living Traditions
The Interplay of Textual, Visual and Performative Cultures of South Indian Temples

KNAW