Central Institute of Higher Tibetan Studies Varanasi

(Deemed University)

Establishment

Established in 1967, CIHTS initially functioned as a special constituent wing of Sampurnananda Sanskrit University, Varanasi.  Thereafter the government of India reviewed the progress of the Institute and decided to accord it a status of an autonomous body under the Department of Culture, Ministry of Education, Govt. of India in 1977 with 100% financial support from the Govt. of India.
The Govt. of India declared the Institute to be a “Deemed to be a University” on 5th April, 1988.

The National Assessment and Accredition Council, an autonomous Council established by the UGC for assessing the quality and standard of education of various universities and institutions in India, accredited CIHTS with 5 Stars which is the highest grading of the quality assurance after assessing the academic standard of the Institute by a peer team of experts sent by NAAC. It is the only university institution in Varanasi, and one of the two in the entire of Northern India, to recieve the highest grading.

Courses Offered

Faculty of Language and Literature (Sabdavidya)
The Faculty of Sabdavidya consists of departments dealing with four languages: Sanskrit; Tibetan; Hindi and English. Sanskrit and Tibetan languages are compulsory up to graduate level. In addition, students have to select either English or Hindi as an elective

Faculty of Philosophy (Hetu and Adhyatma Vidya)
The Faculty of Hetu and Adhyatmavidya consists of the subjects of Mool Shastra and Sampradaya Shastra with different branches of the disciplines. Traditionally, the Hetu and Adhyatma are two independent Vidyas and in the monastic tradition they are treated as different faculties, however in this institute they are combined together.

Faculty of Social Science (Adhunika Vidya)
The Faculty of Social Science is not a traditional one, but under the modern university system some optional subjects have been introduced to the syllabi. Therefore, an independent faculty has been established. Five subjects are taught in this Faculty, namely:

  1. Asian History
  2. Economics
  3. Political Science
  4. Tibetan History
  5. Pali.

Faculty of Tibetan Medicine and Astrology (Cikitsavidya)
Tibetan ayurveda is a unique combination of Indian, Chinese, Iranian, Mongolian, and indigenous medical disciplines. As this Institute aims to restore lost Indian treasures and preserve Tibetan culture, it was deemed necessary to introduce this discipline in the curricula of the Institute. The department for Tibetan Medicine under this faculty was established in 1993. In the same way, Tibetan Jyotisa (astrology) also preserves the South Indian and Central Asian astronomical disciplines.

Faculty of Tibetan Fine Arts (Silpa Vidya)
The Faculty of Silpa Vidya is concerned with Tibetan Art Painting, Architecture, Sculpture, Iconography, Wood Craft, and Weaving. This enables opportunities for student employment.

Exchange programmes

CIHTS maintains two active exchange programs which are run simultaneously; namely, the Five College Tibetan Studies in India Program and the Tasmania-Tibet Partnership Program.
Each of these programs brings groups of students to the Institute in January for an intensive course in Buddhist philosophy, Indo-Tibetan hermeneutics, Tibetan history and culture taught by the faculty of CIHTS.
Faculty members from the University of Tasmania and the Five Colleges accompany the students and teach Western subjects at the Institute, including Philosophy, Computer Science, Sociology, History, Administration, Political Science and Logic.

Admission Process
Admission Rules for the admission in First Year of Purva Madhyama in Bhot Bauddha Darshana (for two academic sessions only)

1. Candidates seeking admission in the PM.1 year in this Institute will have to possess the academic qualification of class VIII, passed from any recognised school with knowledge of Tibetan language equivalent to class VIII standard. Candidates are also required to possess knowledge of English or Hindi equivalent to standard VIII.
2. The eligible candidates will have to appear in the entrance examination. The entrance examination will consist of two written question papers:
Tibetan language
English or Hindi language (one language to be selected by the candidate).
Each paper will be marked out of 100 marks, and will be of 3 hours duration, in accordance with the syllabus outlined in the booklet.
3. Pass Marks in the entrance examination will be 35 marks for each paper.
4. A candidate who scores 75% or above in the Tibetan language paper but fails in Hindi/English shall be entitled to get grace marks in English/Hindi up to a maximum of 5 marks.
5. Only those candidates will be eligible for admission who have clearly passed the entrance examination.
6. At the time of admission each sampradaya will be allotted a quota of 10 students, except for the Bon sampradaya which will be allotted a quota of 6 students. Rest of the five students will be selected on merit basis.
7. Selection for admission in each sampradaya will be strictly on merit. For the purposes of admission, merit is indicated by the scores obtained in the entrance examination.
8. If any portion of the quota in each sampradaya is left vacant, this portion of the quota will be assigned to any other sampradaya purely depending on the merit of the candidates next in line in the general merit list of the entrance examination.
9. The total intake of students (including non-scholarship candidates) may not exceed 51 in number in any given year.
10. Admission of SC/ST and handicapped candidates will be according to the UGC guidelines.
11. For the purposes of admission, monks and nuns and laity are treated equal and admission is based solely upon merit as reflected in the entrance examination. However, a candidate who joins the Institute as a monk or nun may not disrobe until graduation; a student who disrobes before that time will be expelled from the Institute.
12. The admission of students admitted will be considered provisional, and will be confirmed only upon submission of their original School-Leaving Certificate/Transfer Certificate, Character Certificate, mark-sheets etc. from the Institution last attended, within fifteen days of the release of the list of candidates offered admission. Candidates who are unable to submit the required certificates/documents within the stipulated time must submit an application to the office along with the recommendation from the head of the concerned sampradaya/section. The admission committee may, after examining the authenticity of the case, grant to the candidate an additional fifteen days beyond the period specified for the submission of the original documents. If the candidate is unable to submit the required documents even within this extended period, his/her admission will be treated as invalid and the next candidate in the line will be offered admission.
13. The admission of students admitted will be considered provisional until they have been examined and certified by the institute’s medical personnel as being fit to pursue their course of study at the Institute.
14. The final confirmation-notice naming the admitted candidates will be circulated after the orientation talk by the Honorable Director of his representative from the Office.

Contact

Central Institute of Higher Tibetan Studies
(Deemed University)
Sarnath Varanasi
Varanasi 221 007
Uttar Pradesh

Tel : 0542-2585242, 2586337, 2585148, 2582459
Fax : 0542-2585150
Email : [email protected],[email protected],
[email protected],[email protected]
Website : https://www.cihts.ac.in

VC: Prof G Ngawang Samten
Reg: Prof Lobsang Tanzin