01-08-2025
Encyclopaedic Sanskrit dictionary portal provides free access to ancient knowledge
Union education minister Dharmendra Pradhan through videoconferencing launched the KoshaSHRI encyclopaedic Sanskrit dictionary portal and inaugurated the Centre for Indian Knowledge Systems–Encyclopaedic Dictionary of Sanskrit (IKS-EDS) at Deccan College Post-Graduate and Research Institute, Pune. The dual launch was part of the Akhil Bharatiya Shiksha Samagam 2025 held at Bharat Mandapam, New Delhi on July 29, marking the fifth anniversary of the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020, according to a release issued by the college on Thursday. The KoshaSHRI Portal is a collaborative effort between Deccan College and the Centre for Development of Advanced Computing (C-DAC), Pune and represents one of the world's largest Sanskrit lexicography projects. (REPRESENTATIVE PHOTO)
The KoshaSHRI Portal is a collaborative effort between Deccan College and the Centre for Development of Advanced Computing (C-DAC), Pune and represents one of the world's largest Sanskrit lexicography projects. It builds on the project 'An Encyclopaedic Dictionary of Sanskrit on Historical Principles' started in 1976 and has published 35 volumes. The academic resource is accessible for free at The portal includes search functionality by subject, author, grammar, and period, and provides access to 15 lakh digitised vocables and over one crore reference slips collected, documented and stored at Deccan College. Sanskrit font Koshashri enhances the portal's usability by supporting Vedic symbols, Roman diacritics, and English characters.
The IKS-EDS Centre will train researchers in lexicography and promote academic partnerships with institutions working in the field of Indian Knowledge Systems. The Centre has been provided with 21 new positions, including 20 academic and one administrative post.
The Encyclopaedic Dictionary of Sanskrit on Historical Principles was first conceptualised by Professor SM Katre in 1948.
