Bhubaneswar, Oct. 3 (UDN): Odisha Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi has congratulated the Central University of Odisha (CUO) following the Union Ministry of Education’s approval to establish a Centre of Excellence for Studies in Classical Pali at the university.
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… pic.twitter.com/hNSJT31oIB
— Mohan Charan Majhi (@MohanMOdisha) October 3, 2026
Describing the development as a proud moment for Odisha, Majhi said the new centre would contribute to the preservation, research and promotion of Pali, a language closely associated with India’s intellectual, spiritual and cultural traditions.
Focus on Preserving Linguistic Heritage
In a post on X, the Chief Minister said the establishment of the centre would reinforce Odisha’s role in safeguarding India’s civilisational knowledge and linguistic heritage.
Majhi noted that the initiative would strengthen academic efforts to study and preserve Pali while creating greater opportunities for its promotion and dissemination.
The Chief Minister said the development represented an important step towards preserving India’s rich linguistic legacy and enhancing Odisha’s contribution to the field.
Five Classical Language Centres Approved
The approval was conveyed through an Office Memorandum issued by the Department of Higher Education’s Language Division on October 1.
The Ministry has approved five Centres of Excellence for Studies in Classical Languages across the country. The centres will focus on:
Classical Assamese — Tezpur University, Assam
Classical Bengali — Visva-Bharati University, West Bengal
Classical Marathi — Deccan College Post-Graduate and Research Institute, Pune
Classical Pali — Central University of Odisha
Classical Prakrit — Central University of Gujarat
Boost to Research and Digitisation
The Centres of Excellence are envisaged as platforms for advancing scholarly research, digitisation, preservation and wider dissemination of the heritage associated with the respective classical languages.
The establishment of the Pali centre at CUO is expected to provide a dedicated institutional platform for academic work on the language and its literary, cultural and intellectual traditions, while further strengthening Odisha’s position in the preservation of India’s classical heritage.
