Puducherry: Pondicherry University has launched two pioneering research centres under its Department of History, aiming to advance interdisciplinary scholarship in India's ancient cultural and spiritual heritage.

Vice-Chancellor Prof. P. Prakash Babu inaugurated the Centre for Agamic Studies and Indian Knowledge Systems and the Centre for Rock Art and Cognitive Studies during an academic event held on campus.

Both centres will offer one-year postgraduate diploma courses from the current academic year.

Addressing the gathering, Prof. Babu said the centres are “socially relevant and academically unique” and reflect the university's commitment to preserving India's rich intellectual and artistic traditions. He lauded the Department of History for its vision and efforts in establishing the centres.

The Centre for Agamic Studies will explore the dynamic role of temples in medieval Indian society, the influence of agamic texts on temple rituals, arts, and crafts, and their contribution to sustainable development—a theme relevant to modern Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The vibrant temple architecture of South India, he said, stood as enduring testimony to the builders' engineering and geological knowledge.

Speaking about the Centre for Rock Art and Cognitive Studies, the Vice-Chancellor highlighted its focus on the evolution of early human cognition as depicted in prehistoric art. The field-based diploma programme will equip students with skills in rock art documentation, conservation, and cognitive archaeology, opening up career opportunities in eco-tourism, heritage management, and research.

Prof. N. Chandramouli, Head of the History Department, traced the conceptual origins of the Agamic Studies centre to the 2023 international seminar on Tantric Religion and thanked collaborators and faculty.

Dr. Ruman Banerjee elaborated on the rock art programme's curriculum, while Prof. G. Chandhrika and Dr. Kishor Kumar Tripathy offered felicitation addresses.