Central Institute of Buddhist Studies and Technology

College Type

Government

Established in

1959

Total Faculty

100++

Top Courses

Central Institute of Buddhist Studies (CIBS), Choglamsar, Leh (Ladakh), Jammu & Kashmir. Overview

INSTITUTIONAL BACKGROUND

Before 1959, Ladakhi scholars, novices and monks used to go to Tibet in pursuit of higher monastic Buddhist education, and to do extensive research in the famous Mahaviharas of Drepung, Sera, Tashi Lhunpo, Gaden, Sakya, Sangag Chosling, Mindolling, Dorjeydak, Drigung and other monastic centres. In the 1950s, this practice came to an abrupt end because of the political situation in Tibet. Hence, it was held imperative that a Buddhist institute should be established for formal Buddhist education in Ladakh. Accordingly, the Central Institute of Buddhist Studies was established in 1959 with the holy rituals performed by H.E. Skyabje Ling Rinpoche, the senior tutor of H.H. the 14th Dalai Lama. The institute was initially called the “School of Buddhist Philosophy”. In 1962, at Kushok Bakula Rinpoche’s urging, Prime Minister Nehru was fully convinced of the necessity for such an institution for the Buddhists living in the Himalayas. Thus the institution was given full accreditation with regard to financial support and came under the administrative charge of the Ministry of Culture, Govt. of India.

The School of Buddhist Philosophy was registered as an educational institution in the year 1964, under the J&K Societies Registration Act of 1941. In 1973 new buildings for the institute were constructed in Choglamsar, 8 kms south-east of Leh. Sanskrit, Hindi, English and Pali languages were introduced, in addition to the teaching of Buddhist philosophy and Tibetan literature. In the same year the institute was affiliated to Sampurnanand Sanskrit University, Varanasi (U.P.), and courses suitable for students of the frontier region were introduced.

In 2016, the Ministry of Human Resource Development (Department of Higher Education), Government of India, on the recommendation of the University Grants Commission (UGC), conferred the status of ‘deemed to be university’ under section 3 of the UGC Act, 1956 to the Central Institute of Buddhist Studies (CIBS), Choglamsar, Leh (Ladakh).